The Spirit House Restaurant
After a few months up here on the Sunshine Coast, I have been craving some good Thai food as it isn’t as easily accessible as it is in Sydney.
I waited for the weekend my sister was visiting from Sydney-town and along with my other sister, we ventured out to Yandina to check out the popular, chef-hatted Spirit House Restaurant.
Renowned for its Thai food (and a cooking school!), you do feel like you are visiting a slice of Asia as you follow the tropical paths past ponds to the series of dining areas in temple-like buildings.
We visited at night which was light up and beautiful but I would love to see it on a sunny day.
Arriving slightly ahead of our booked time, we were seated but told that we wouldn’t be able to order any food until our arranged time which was a little strange – luckily we could still order drinks and cocktails.
I kicked things off with a Mekong Margarita which was equal parts sweet and savoury filled with tequila, Thai bitter, lime, lemongrass syrup and Thai basil.
My sisters opted for a spicy Samui Mule and a martini – all very tasty.
In hindsight, we could have had a seat the new bar area for a different perspective before heading into the dining area – we walked past it on the way out and it looked very inviting…
We switched to nice dry white wine to sip with our meal.
All the dishes here are designed to share – my favourite way of dining - and we started with Moreton Bay bug on betel leaf, deliciously served with Nahm Jim, and seared Harvey Bay scallops topped with pork floss. The amazing pork floss was the subject of much discussion!
For the next course we dived into some pork belly curry, which was tasty but possibly a little fatty for my liking and a whole crispy snapper that was so incredible it was merely a pile of bones before too long.
To cut through the richness of all that meat, we had some rice and a spicy green pawpaw salad and it was the perfect amount of food for the three of us.
I will be honest, even if I wasn’t full, I probably wouldn’t order dessert but that is more because, apart from sticky mango rice, Asian sweets are a little too sickly for my liking.
Overall, there is a reason Spirit House is one of the best-reviewed restaurants on the Sunshine Coast and I will more than likely be back to try some of the other dishes!
The restaurant opens every day for lunch and Wednesday - Saturday evenings.
The Prickly Pinata
Update 2026: Unfortunately The Prickly Pinata restaurant is no longer open.
If you didn’t know this Cotton Tree restaurant was here, you might miss it entirely and that would be a shame.
The Prickly Pinata is no kitschy tex-mex restaurant covered in sombreros, the menu has some surprising flavours to keep you interested.
We stopped by for dinner before a late movie and had plenty of time to sample more than enough of the tapas-style menu and a couple of drinks.
I love Mexican food so I was excited.
I kicked things off with a ‘Prickly Margarita’ which tasted delicious and not too far from the traditional flavour. If I didn’t have to drive to the movies, I would probably have had more than one!
We started with with some Chilli con Queso which was nice and creamy and followed that up with some seared chorizo scallops. The large chunks of chorizo did kind of overpower the delicate scallop flavour but it was still tasty.
Next up we chowed down on some fish tacos which were fresh and crispy but not the most flavour-filled I have ever had.
There are seemingly endless combinations of tacos, burritos and quesadillas to choose from so you won’t get bored.
Our final choice was of course spicy wings. The Prickly Pinata has four levels of wing spice on offer – BBQ, Baja, Diabla and Super Spicy. Of course we opted for the Super Spicy ones and they were not lacking on the spice front!
Despite our lovely waitress warning us that these were in fact very spicy, that first bite came as a bit of a shock!
We are both chilli-loving people, but half-way through the first wing, both my partner and I ordered a Pacifico beer to help with the mouth heat.
Slathered in pure habanero sauce, (I asked…) I was into my second wing before my mouth started to go numb and my partner started to sweat. It began to feel like we were being filmed for our very own Man Vs Food challenge.
By the time the wings were just a pile of bones on the table, we had gone through another beer.
Laughing at eat other was half the fun of devouring the wings and when I went up to pay, the staff did say to me that whenever someone orders the Super Spicy bites, the chef asks if they made sure they know it is spicy! Consider yourself warned…
The service at this was friendly and attentive despite being a bustling Friday night and I will definitely be back – maybe to try the slightly less spicy Diabla wings or check out the live music they have here every Sunday.
We still had time after our festive meal to enjoy a walk along the Cotton Tree waterfront before heading off to the cinema and it really finished off a great experience.
Canteen Kitchen, Coolum
A trip up and down Mount Coolum is bound to give you an appetite and Canteen Kitchen and Bar in Coolum is just a short drive away.
Located across the road from the beach - before the traffic lights - the restaurant is also a great spot to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air during the day.
While the wine list - not to mention the happy hour cocktails - looked very appealing, we decided to reward ourselves with some of the fresh juices and they were delicious.
It was hard to decide what to eat from the tasty menu. My partner landed on a creole chicken burger with bacon and fries while I tried to stay healthy-ish with some crispy pork belly on a rice noodle and Asian slaw salad.
The pork belly was glazed and sweet and cooked perfectly, complimented by the tangy and spicy bed of salad and I devoured it.
I managed to steal some chips and a bite of burger and they were both moreish.
This is one menu I will be back to try more of - especially the Cajun fish tacos and the chicken wings (I am a complete sucker for good, spicy wings).
With the indoor/outdoor seating, this slick but casual spot would be the perfect spot to while away the afternoon hours and then order some more food as the sun goes down...
Peregian Beach Hotel
In the small and unassuming Peregian Beach area (between Coolum and Noosa) you will find a bustling hotel with some really tasty food.
We ventured in pretty early on a Friday night and found the bar buzzing and only a few empty tables in the bistro section - so we nabbed one after grabbing a couple of beers.
The restaurant space itself is casual and cosy and you can still hear all the hustle - not to mention live music - coming from the bar area.
Onto the food!
The menu has a little something for everyone with wood-fired pizzas, fresh seafood and even some Asian-inspired mains.
After staring at the list for some time, we decided to order a bunch of tapas-style share plates - that way we get to taste more!
First off the rank was an antipasto board filled with focaccia, stuffed olives, pickled octopus, white anchovies and some shaved coppa.
It was all really delicious but the bread was over-salted for my tastes, especially considering most of the other food on the platter was pretty salty already.
To wash that down, we indulged in half a dozen tasty oysters. Despite so many attempts, we haven't been able to get any local or near-local oysters and these ones - like all the others we found - are from Coffin Bay.
Upping the spice ante was a plate of fire-roasted jalapeños with cream cheese, hazelnuts and honey. What I LOVED about these is that they weren't crumbed and fried so had a fresher flavour - and a serious kick!
Delving into the Asian realm of the menu, we tried the Kangaroo san choy-bow and it was amazing - a great alternative to pork in my opinion.
Sufficiently messy already, next up were some buffalo wings with banana ketchup. Not spicy but still saucy, the wing could have done without the batter found on the outside and focussed on the flavour a bit more.
This was all washed down (on my part) with a couple of the local craft beers on offer.
The food was a bit hit and miss in my opinion but I wouldn't mind coming back to try some of the pizzas I spied on my neighbour's tables.
Dirty Moes
A little slice of the deep south USA right here on the Sunshine Coast!
If you like your meat slow-cooked and slathered in delicious sauces then a visit to Dirty Moes on the Esplanade in Mooloolaba is a must!
This place has only been open for a year but already, if you don't book, chances are you won't get in on a Friday or Saturday night.
When you head inside the exposed brick walls of the laid-back bar/restaurant, take your appetite with you.
The best way to experience Moes is with a group of people as the plates are all designed to share - this also means you get to try more of the meat!
According to the restaurant founders, Dirty Moes came about because they fell in love with the old- skool American south culture of slow-cooked soul food, thrown together on big hearty share plates in the backyard and tucked into with the ones you love.
The main plates are good to split between 2-4 people and you can choose from a hearty chunk of slow-cooked meat—confit lamb shoulder, Low ‘n’ Slow Pork Collar, 12-hour slow-cooked beef brisket (seriously, we I kept going back for more of this one), fall-off-the-bone beef ribs, or deep-fried whole fish—and then two sides from menu with each meat dish!
The sides are not for the faint of heart either -- Mac & 3 Cheeses, chargrilled corn cob, and collard beans with roasted almonds, garlic, and lemon are just the tip of the delicious iceberg.
If you want something to ease into the main event, there are some tasty small plates including wings three different ways - also known as the way to my heart.
I have it on good authority that the drinks menu has a strong whiskey contingent as well as their signature cocktail, the Sticky-Date Espresso Martini.
On this visit, I didn't manage to sample the cocktails or tap beers on this visit - opting for a nice Pinot Noir to wash down my meal with - but I am not worried because I will definitely be back!
Cue the meat coma...
The Loose Goose
Being new to an area is exciting because it means you get to try every new restaurant and cafe and not feel bad about it.
Very close to our home in Twin Waters (about 500m to be exact) is The Loose Goose so of course this was one of the first places I wanted to check out.
This is a spot where you are leaving the diet at home and treating yourself - the meals are rich and the portions generous!
My man and I kicked things off with a serve of chicken pate with tomato chutney, and duck dat toast - so much tasty decadence on one plate and the serving was HUGE.
For the main, thankfully I had gone with an entree size beef cheek gnocci. While tasty, I couldn't help but feel this dish would be more suited to cooler months rather than a hot and humid March.
Aiden landed on the duck leg with braised white beans and luckily the man can eat because this also came with a red cabbage salad filled with smoked duck breast - again a very 'wintery' meal.
We really didn't need the side of greens we had ordered...
To accompany your meal, there is an ok wine list where you will find something to drink, a couple of beers on tap and and a full list of cocktails if that takes your fancy.
We settled on a nice riesling from Eden Valley - crisp and fresh for the warm evening and it cut through some of the richness of the food.
Dessert - my favourite part of a meal - was a shared frangelico creme brulee with hazelnut cookies and I couldn't fault it. The cookies were soft and tasty and the brulee was creamy with a good sugary crust on top.
While the inside the restaurant is somewhat unassuming, out the back is a wide deck opening to an attractive fish-filled pond covered in lily pads that looks perfect for events or just a dinner to treat yourself.