Tarte Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Gold Coast City

I've tried Tarte three times now and initially held off on leaving a review because I couldn't decide whether it's good or bad. It's both.

It's way too busy, overrated, and pretty overpriced. On my 2nd time, I got takeaway on a public holiday (surcharge applies): 2 coffees, 2 sausage rolls, and one crueller. The price? Over $40. Then had to wait about 20 - 30 min for the coffee.

This is one of those places where the staff will try to avoid any eye contact. Today I got there at 6.30am for breakfast and despite the early time, it was still a little busy. I decided to try the "Morning After", which is a breakfast burger with sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon. It's pretty huge. They bring it to me without any cutlery or napkin. At first I was thinking, are they going to bring the cutlery? Didn't look like it. Am I meant to eat it with my hands? I began an attempt, but realised it would get very messy and I didn't even have a napkin. Meanwhile, a swarm of flies has also noticed this food, so I spend the next 5 - 10 min trying to wave down the staff to ask for cutlery.

So, how about the food & coffee? The pastry is the redeeming part of Tarte. The food overall is pretty good, but I'd say pastry is what they do really well. Coffee beans are from Single O in Sydney. While the coffee is decent, it's actually really not as good as you might expect considering they're using Single O beans.

I can see why Tarte is so popular. The cafe itself is quite cute with pastel decor, the pastries are done really well, presentation of everything is very good. I'm not sure I'll go back for anything more than a takeaway pastry, though. There's numerous better coffees within a 5 min walking distance. Though other places might not have as tip-top presentation as Tarte, they could still be a much more pragmatic option...

We went to the new Currumbin tarte for breaky upon opening at 6:30am on a Monday morning along with a few other locals! Beautiful spot on the water, two seperate side, cafe for light meals and snacks coffee ect, restaurant for larger meals and fuller menu. We decided on the restaurant as we had both walked quite far and were hungry. Sister ordered breakfast waffles only to be told they would take 30minutes she agreed on the wait paid at the counter (no table service) also craving the famous hot chocolate they do at the Burleigh cafe however has now been taken off the menu but still advertised on Instagram and socials. I just wanted a simple eggs Benny with without the only two options they have salmon or bacon. $23, asked if they could replace the bacon or salmon option with haloumi was told that would be $29 instead! Definitely not paying extra for the no meat option what a joke! Changed it to the Rosti scramble with green curry sauce! Ate two bites, the scramble was rubbery the hash was dripping in oil and the roti bread was tasteless. Very disappointed. Sister was also told her waffles would be an extra 30 minutes because the restaurant staff still had not had their morning coffee yet (pretty sure this was a joke from the waiter) however definitely seemed to be the case. They replaced the waffles with a crossaint she was not impressed by her meal either! Maybe start your breaky staff a little earlier before opening if you have a breakfast menu that involves a little pre prep before 6:30am to get the menu rolling for your customers! Lady down at the cafe when we bought some treats for friends before heading up to the restaurant had the worlds largest attitude problem also! The young blonde girl was an absolute...

The chocolate chip and brownie cookies are solid, I super recommend them. The chocolate chip cookie is buttery, chewy, very chocolatey and the sweetness is nicely balanced with salt flakes. They nailed the texture. Their pastry offerings are nicely displayed and look amazing :) It's fun and special to see so many amazing things and to get excited when you're at a bakery.

My friends and I ordered three varieties of bagels - lox, chicken karaage and the brisket. All were great and very different. The lox was fresh and nicely balanced with the greens, however the cream cheese was, in my opinion, lacking in salt. The brisket one was a 10/10 but heavy as hell. Be hungry or share! The bagels themselves have a great texture and taste fantastic with all of those fresh ingredients.

Final comment: not the best bagel sandwich EVER but definitely worth stopping by to enjoy if you're into those. We found them delectable and satisfying. The other orders we saw around us also looked amazing and the fact that all of the food is plated so nicely elevates the experience. A gem on the Gold Coast!

Update: I visited a third time during my trip. The browned butter chocolate chip cookie hit the spot again. The sausage roll is something I likely wouldn't order again - too seedy for me and not as savoury as i wouldve liked it to be. Still good though. If I were here for longer I'd come back to try other things on...