Palette Restaurant

A dry ice-smoking ‘Tart Cart’, expertly exploited native ingredients and some of the slickest service on the Gold Coast — Palette deserves each of the three Chef’s Hats it boasts. The only Gold Coast restaurant to snatch all three, in fact, this place is a start-to-finish knock-out, steeping high quality local produce in punchy creativity often inspired by the transient exhibitions that surround it (you’ll find Palette inside HOTA, Home of the Arts). Think 2025’s Writers Revealed, a collection of literary artefacts that sparked a MBS 9+ Sanchoku Wagyu nodding to Virginia Woolf and a Davidson’s plum mille-feuille to evoke the magic of Lewis Carroll.

They say we eat with our eyes first, so it makes perfect sense to have a fine dining offering within Gold Coast’s premier art gallery at HOTA, Home of the Arts. Since opening in 2021, two-hatted Palette has dished up several incredible fine dining menus with a strong focus on Indigenous Australian ingredients, and art-on-a-plate visuals. Executive Chef, Dayan Hartill-Law takes diners on a journey through a menu that includes such unique offerings as an Australian Bay Lobster BLT with swordfish bacon, kombu and native tomato; and Borrowdale Pork Belly with quandong, scallop, cauliflower and Pedro Ximenez.

Palette is excited to host an exclusive event featuring renowned chef and restaurateur George Calombaris for one night only. Joining forces with Palette’s Executive Chef, Dayan Hartill-Law, George will craft a unique 5-course menu that showcases the exceptional produce of South East Queensland. Palette is a well-known fine dining restaurant that has won several awards, including as the Gold Coast Best Fine Dining Restaurant award and esteemed caps from Good Food Guide Queensland and Australian Good Food & Travel Guide.

Every Sunday, locals and visitors alike flock to HOTA not just for their arty fix or a spot of market browsing, but to tuck into a delightful High Tea. Served in the critically acclaimed and ever-popular Palette restaurant, superstar Executive Chef Dayan Hartill-Law has curated the ultimate high tea experience. A couple of highlights are the Glazed ham with wattle mustard, smoked cheddar and pickle, the Coronation chicken and the Caramel pecan millionaires shortbread.

Treat your palate at Palette the next time you’re craving modern, Australian fare that hits right every time. Palette is the best restaurant on the Gold Coast to visit when you plan to mix some culture with some wonderful food, as it calls the HOTA (Home of the Arts) Gallery home. The incredible Chef Dayan Hartill-Law and his team take inspiration from the exhibitions to craft inventive new plates to surprise and delight your taste buds.

Palette is a unique high tea destination located in the heart of Surfers Paradise on Australia’s Gold Coast. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as for special event high teas. Palette offers an elegant and stylish setting for enjoying classic high tea favorites like freshly baked scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, mulled wine fruit scones, finger sandwiches, and pastries.

Situated in the stunning HOTA Gallery on the Gold Coast, Palette offers a unique high tea experience that transcends the ordinary and transforms into a mesmerising symphony of flavours. Each creation at Palette is a masterpiece, with art and food complementing each other at their best. Every Sunday, the enchanting Palette Restaurant offers a spectacular high tea like no other.

Once you’ve meandered the show-stopping corridors of HOTA’s Gallery, you’ll no doubt have worked up an appetite. Palette offers a dining experience that goes beyond the ordinary. Head Chef Dayan Hartill-Law transforms local produce into captivating masterpieces on each plate, and the restaurant's artistic flair extends to its gallery-inspired ambiance.

Location: HOTA Gallery, Surfers ParadiseStyle: Contemporary fine diningPerfect For: Culture lovers, gallery dates, special occasions. Why Locals Love It:Palette isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a creative extension of the HOTA Gallery, with dishes inspired by current exhibitions. The menu is thoughtful, the service top-tier, and the setting stunning.

Dayan and his team in the kitchen will extend your experience, taking inspiration from artworks on display and major exhibitions to show just how naturally art and food blends.