SUSTAINABLE EATERIES

NOOSA’S BEST SUSTAINABLE EATERIES

Noosa’s natural beauty, with a fertile countryside feeding the pristine river system that flows to the blue waters of the Coral Sea inspires local eateries to showcase delicious food that is fished, farmed and produced right here, thanks to the passion of some of Australia’s leading chefs and innovative young guns.

Many Noosa restaurants champion the paddock-to-plate philosophy, connecting with farmers, fishermen and producers to bring the tastiest, freshest ingredients to your table.

Food sustainability is a high priority throughout Noosa’s dining scene – not only for chefs but also diners who appreciate seasonal, ethical and sustainable practices when it comes to what they eat. With the Mary Valley and Gympie food bowl regions surrounding Noosa, some of Australia’s best producers who are dedicated to organic, nutritious and delicious local produce are on our doorstep. You can visit some of these growers on a Noosa Country Drive or taste their fresh produce in local restaurants or at weekly markets.

Noosa hosts Australia’s largest Slow Food group which launched Australia’s first Snail of Approval Program – look out for the red snail logo, recognising eateries that are making efforts to produce food from our local area that is good, clean and fair – and tastes delicious! Four Noosa restaurants, Rickys, Locale Noosa, Wood Fire Grill and Aromas Noosa source organic and heirloom produce from Maravista Farm in the Noosa hinterland. All produce is grown using compost made from waste sourced from the restaurants, coffee grinds, farm green waste and local brewery grain.

Noosa Boathouse’s Executive Chef Shane Bailey is a huge supporter of sustainable produce and local suppliers. An Ambassador for Beef Australia, Shane sources some beef locally while the restaurant’s signature seafood menu changes daily, depending on the fresh daily catch.

Eating sustainably is part of Noosa Chef and regional food Ambassador Matt Golinski’s ethos. As Consultant Executive Chef at View by Matt Golinski in the Peppers Noosa Resort, Matt’s menus paint a picture of the region’s rich and diverse food scene, featuring local producers including Bendele Farm chickens, Kenilworth Dairies cheeseboards, Cooloola Berries, Noosa Reds Tomatoes and Fraser Island Spanner Crab. The restaurant received its first chef’s hat award from the Australian Good Food Guide in 2020.

Fifth generation Noosa chef and farmer, Jodie Williams has put hinterland village Kin Kin on the dining map with The Kin Kin General Store, home to Black Ant Gourmet. This restaurant and farm shop showcase free-range and no-spray produce on the locally grown menu which features red-claw crays from nearby Wolvi, local organic garden produce from Cooloola eco farms and locally grown coffee from Noosa Black. You’ll even find Jodie’s own pasture-raised beef and her family’s pasture-raised pork or wood-smoked speck on the menu.

In nearby Cooran, the Hinterland Restaurant’s paddock-to-plate philosophy involves their own Old School Flats organic farm with heritage breed pigs, cattle and a permaculture vegetable garden that all feature on the menu.

This is just a small sample of Noosa’s restaurants and cafés that go the extra mile to reduce food miles. Look for local produce on menus when you’re in Noosa, especially fresh seafood from the lakes, river and Coral Sea on our doorstep.