Restaurants · Independent Review
Gemelli Italian, Broadbeach: An Honest Review
The Gold Coast’s most talked-about Italian – what to order, what it costs, how to actually get a table, and whether it lives up to the queue.
Ask anyone on the Gold Coast for an Italian restaurant recommendation and Gemelli comes up before you finish the question. The Broadbeach restaurant at Shop 2, 2685 Gold Coast Highway has built the kind of reputation that fills dinner sittings night after night – handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and an energy that feels closer to a Melbourne laneway favourite than a holiday-strip eatery.
The brand has since grown a second venue in Brisbane’s James Street precinct, but Broadbeach is the original Gold Coast room, and it remains the benchmark every other Italian in the suburb gets measured against.
This is an independent review – we’re not affiliated with the restaurant. Here’s what Gemelli does brilliantly, what to know before you go, and how to decide whether it’s your night-one booking or a skip.
Gemelli in 30 Seconds
- Where: Shop 2, 2685 Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach – on the highway side, not the Oracle Boulevard strip
- Style: traditional homemade Italian – handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza are the headline acts
- Crowd favourites: Diavola pizza, Rigatoni Ragu, Rigatoni Bacio, tiramisu and bomboloni for dessert
- Price: mid to upper-mid range – more than a casual pizzeria, well under fine dining
- Booking: strongly recommended – dinner runs in staggered sittings and prime times go fast
- Open for dinner from 5pm nightly, with lunch service on selected days – check current hours when booking
| Dish | Type | Why It’s Ordered |
|---|---|---|
| Diavola | Wood-fired pizza | The benchmark spicy salami pizza – blistered crust from the wood oven |
| Rigatoni Ragu | Handmade pasta | Slow-cooked ragu on fresh rigatoni – the signature comfort order |
| Rigatoni Bacio | Handmade pasta | The rich, creamy cult favourite regulars refuse to swap |
| Antipasti to share | Starter | The proper way to open while you study the pizza list |
| Tiramisu | Dessert | The classic done classically – made for sharing (or not) |
| Bomboloni | Dessert | Filled Italian doughnuts – the sleeper hit of the dessert menu |
The Food: Why the Reputation Is Real
Portions are generous. The move for two people: shared antipasti, one pasta, one pizza, and dessert. You’ll roll out happy without over-ordering.
Prices: What a Dinner Actually Costs
On days lunch service runs, the same kitchen at quieter pace makes midday the easiest and often most economical way to try Gemelli – and tables are far easier to get.
Getting a Table: How the Sittings Work
For Friday or Saturday dinner – or any night during school holidays, Blues on Broadbeach or race weekends – book Gemelli when you book your accommodation, not when you arrive.
The Verdict: Who Should Book It
The Italian-leaning list rewards asking. Tell them your pasta order and a price comfort zone – the by-the-glass matches are consistently on the money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shop 2, 2685 Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach – on the highway frontage a couple of minutes’ walk from the Oracle Boulevard dining strip, and about five minutes from most Broadbeach apartment towers. There’s also a second Gemelli in Brisbane’s James Street precinct, but Broadbeach is the original Gold Coast venue.
Strongly recommended. Dinner runs from 5pm in staggered sittings and prime weekend slots book out days ahead – longer during school holidays and event weekends. Weeknight walk-ins sometimes work early in the evening, but booking online as soon as your dates firm up is the safe play.
The crowd favourites: Rigatoni Ragu (the signature slow-cooked pasta), Rigatoni Bacio (the rich, creamy cult order), the Diavola wood-fired pizza, and for dessert the tiramisu or the bomboloni – warm filled Italian doughnuts that regulars rate as the menu’s sleeper hit.
Mid to upper-mid range – above casual pizzerias, below Broadbeach’s fine diners. A two-course dinner for two with a drink each typically lands in the low-to-mid hundreds depending on wine. Lunch (on days it runs) is the easiest value window. Check the current menu online for exact prices, as they change seasonally.
Stay Near the Action
Gemelli is a five minute walk from most Broadbeach towers – base yourself in the suburb and the whole dining precinct is on your doorstep.
Written and maintained by a Broadbeach local. I update this guide regularly to keep it accurate.