We live in the other end of the Gold Coast from Palm Beach where Balboa Italian is located, but kept hearing good things about the restaurant. It did not disappoint. The two level brick restaurant, with its sophisticated yet warm design, had plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, but still felt intimate. Not that it’s what we were looking for with our 4-year-old daughter with us. We sat upstairs along the railing next to the balcony, overlooking the trendy bar area. All the staff were very welcoming. Our server was professional and very nice. The customer service felt as good as I used to get back in my home country of Canada. Attentive. The food is where Balboa made its lasting impression and will guarantee our return. My wife had the truffle gnocchi, I had the Carnivore pizza, and my daughter had a generous sized margarita pizza off the kids menu. We had the chips (fries) with truffle seasoning to start. Yum. Our meals were incredible. My wife raved about it from start to finish. The table next to us ordered some fancy colour changing drinks and my daughter exclaimed “Can I sit at their table?” The only sore point was half of the staff weren’t wearing their masks properly. We’re under a mask mandate right now and, mostly the male staff, had them pulled below their noses. Our server wore hers the whole time and set a good example. We appreciated it. They had onsite parking, but the driveway to it was blocked off for some reason. Perhaps they only open it for the evening? After our delicious meal we walked around the corner to the beach and watch our daughter laugh with delight as the water lapped around her feet. We’ll definitely recommend this restaurant to friends and family, and hopefully get a chance to visit as a couple on some future romantic date. But parents of toddlers know how difficult that can be :) Thanks for the lovely lunch.

The best Italian restaurant on Gold Coast. Loved the squid ink spaghetti with prawns 🍤

Table for 5 Sunday night in November 2022, excellent service (fast, efficient, polite and friendly, kept topping up our water very Good, all well trained), food well presented, lots of colour and creativity. The portion size could have been bigger, the black spaghetti with prawns $28.8 was more an appetiser size and was not very hot. The bread was excellent as was the pizza. The Pizza was a good portion but did not match the pasta portion. Glass of Shiraz again was a very small portion for $13, it appears that most portions are accurately measured but for these prices you might expect a bit more. The decore’ is very nice although I am not sure the chef clapping his hands every time an order is up - is the best way to get the waiters attention, it got our attention all night. $365 for 5 of us. Barramundi was a good main course size.

5 starts because everything was on point. Tasty dishes and starters. Perfect service and good wine recommendations from the waitress. Wagyu sirloin perfectly cooked as requested. Every dish was delicious.

The best customer service on the Coast The quality of the service/floor staff, all of them was the best i have experienced in a very long time - all of them are amazing, friendly, happy, polite, professional - great with our kids!!! We enjoyed the food. I think the batter on the zucchini flowers was a little heavy, and generally a bit more seasoning across the board. Thats me being picky - it was a great lunch and my kids are asking to go back as were walking out the door!! Its a lovely space, well designed and furnished, we sat on the back deck which i liked as it was nice and cool on a hot day, away from the busy GC Highway.

Great place for a bite, service is great and the staff are very friendly. Vibe is very nice, with convenient parking in the surrounding streets. Excellent place for a meal with mates. Recommend any of the two seafood pizzas, they also do desserts. Best to call ahead to book a table as it can get quite busy in the dinner rush. Comes with an attached bar, good selection of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

What a find…love the interior with the Vespa up near the roof. Great choices for a vegan with both vegan wine and vegan dishes. Great wine list too. The mocktail was delicious as was the bruschetta and chestnut gnocchi both kindly made vegan by the chef. Family loved all their pasta dishes and the hot chocolate to finish off. The service was exceptional. We had a truly fabulous night.

The service was great. We went here with the expectation that it is the 2nd best following Ioesco but it’s just OK. Carbonara: It’s good but a little bit watery and had after taste. Beef Cheek Gnocchi: It was great. Light and fluffy. Perfectly cooked. Carnivore pizza: The meat on it was really good but the dough was kind of soggy and not crispy.

From very excited to very disappointed... Balboa was a restaurant we had wanted to go to for a long time. About a week prior to the booking I phoned up and booked for 5 as there were issues with the online booking system. We were very excited to take our friends to enjoy the experience. Unfortunately, upon arrival we found out that the lady over the phone had infact booked us in for just 2 people. Im unsure how this happened as i specifically said "there is a table for 4 online however i was wondering if we could fit 5 in that position for our preferred time. Not a problem, sometimes mistakes happen and at first the staff were very friendly and welcoming, giving us hope we would be able to dine inside soon. As time went on, the friendly staff disappeared and as we waited outside in the dripping rain we would have even been happny with a bit of bread to pass time. 45 minutes later, now 8:15 our hungry bellies couldn't wait anymore so we booked a lovely Italian down the road where we had a much better experience.

Busy always in Beautiful place excellent services foods are good will come back again for sure 👍 Thanks for finding us a table with even our little doggie 🐶

First time visiting the restaurant after hearing multiple good reviews online. We made a reservation for dinner on a Saturday night, there were still availabilities to sit inside when we made the booking the night before. Beautiful atmosphere and decor, we sat upstairs. Service was top notch, all staff who interacted with us are friendly and welcoming. Given it was a busy time, we are impressed they were attentive and genuinely cared to each table. We ordered 1 entree, 2 pasta dishes and 2 desserts. The size of each meal is perfect. All tasted amazing - though hubby said his ravioli a bit overcooked but it was minor given the flavour is fantastic. It was a really nice dinner experience. We are going back for a birthday celebration in a few weeks!

Took mum out for her birthday lunch here and we had a lovely meal. Our waitress Trinity was polite, prompt and attentive - when my fiance couldn't finish her pizza, she offered a takeaway and kept it off the table until we were ready to leave. Mum had her first smokey old-fashioned on Woodford, nice use of the woodchip for flavour and presentation. Margherita and number one Pizza were delicious and good size. Arancini was nice. Would give the lamb canneloni a miss next time around. Beef gnocchi was delicious, generous serving of beef in the portion. Couldn't make it to dessert 😆 Great ambience and venue. Recommend a visit

What an amazing night. From the second we stepped inside we were greeted with warm welcoming smiles from all of the team. As we were led to our table, I was impressed with the stunning interior & warm ambiance. Absolutely nothing disappointed us on the night. The menu and wine list are amazing, and the staff were all very professional and pleasant, and I cannot fault them. To top it all off reason why we were there, the food did not disappoint. Would happily and easily recommend and return back to this venue again and again.

Nice ambience, staff welcoming and very friendly. The meal was authentic Italian and nicely presented. I had Four Cheeses Gnocchi. Hubby had the Margharita Pizza, and we shared the Tomato and pulled Mozzarella Salad. We absolutely couldn't have eaten anything else and left feeling very full and happy.

Fantastic atmosphere, great service and food to die for. The portion sizes will fill you up, I had a entre of stuffed zucchini flowers and GF pumpkin risotto with scallops, all tasted amazing. I had the sweet and sour plumb cocktail, and the expresso martini was perfect. Also love a wood fired pizza for take away. Delish GF bases.

Staff were so professional and the service was amazing. Food was out quickly and possibly the best Italian food I’ve ever had. The Quattro formagi gnocchi was so tasty and well portioned along with the beef cheek gnocchi . Will be returning, 10/10.

Good foods and very tasty cocktails. Staffs are very friendly. If you don't know which foods are good, just ask them. They will reccomend the best food for you.

Outstanding food, the best steak I have ever had, was cooked and seasoned perfectly, the service is outstanding ask for Sophia.. Great wine list and Cocktail selections

Customer service is beyond amazing, as soon as you enter you get greeted by the waiters and the chefs also greet you. It’s very nice to see such outstanding customer service. The food is also amazing, best Italian food I have tried on the Gold Coast. I will definitely be back. Thanks for a great lunch

I went last night Tuesday 21/11 with my wife daughter and her partner for our second visit. We had Matt looking after us for the night. he was brilliant, from his knowledge of the wines through to his great advice on the food. The meal was delicious, the atmosphere lovely and all the staff courteous and professional. Highly recommended.

Amazing staff, food and atmosphere! They went the extra mile for our anniversary made us feel welcome and would do anything to make our night better.

Our online order was lost, no apology and waited for an extra 25 minutes. Disappointed in the service from the staff.

First time visitors to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary tonight. Beautiful atmosphere, friendly, attentive staff and AMAZING food. Drove over an hour to dine in and we will be back.

What a find, service is incredible, the setting is beautiful, then the food just is just so tasty , you guys really are 10/10

My husband and I went to Balboa for our wedding anniversary. Brilliant service and friendly staff! Food was amazing! It was very satisfied night. Definitely we will come back!!!!

My Gnocci, for thirty plus dollars, was tiny and sat in a good centimetre of oil at the bottom of the bowl. I was offered an exchange but not a refund. Would not recommend.

I went there for celebrating my mum in law’s birthday 🎂 My family had Balboa carbonara $28 ,Carnivore (pizza) $26 and Balboa caprese $16. I forgot to take some photos of food 😅 We were a big group, so it took time to start eating 😓 It made me super hungry 🤤 I Every body gave me some food for trying 🥰 I think I tried 7 dishes and dessert 😳 They were so delicious 😋 and service was very friendly too😉👍🏻 I’ll definitely come back to try other dishes😍😍

Wow what a lovely family night out. Booked a last minute table and were lucky to get a high, long bench looking towards the beach on the upper terrace which was warm with the heaters on our backs. The atmosphere was candle light warm and cosy, and rustic chic. Service by Taylor was prompt, professional, amazingly super attentive and friendly. The $35 Fettuccine Gamberi was wanting of a deeper more intense flavour (like a crabmeat squid ink pasta would give nudge nudge wink wink). The $28 pizzas however were really generous in size, but a light not too filling but super tasty wood fired pizza base. The $19 Amalfi Coast cocktail was beautifully presented and delicious but really only a couple of mouthfuls. Bombolini doughnuts were amazing. Definitely somewhere to go on a special occasion as it’s an exxy family dinner with poor value for money. But overall 5 stars as we had a beautiful, warm, first time experience on a perfect night and was exactly what I wanted at the last minute.

Nice setting 👌 Sitting inside or out. Fabulous cocktails with a twist. Menu isn't big but sufficient to cover most tastes. Our food was delicious Great Portions, thanks 😊

Delicious Italian Cuisine @Balboa, highlight was definitely the Veal Saltimbocca with crispy cauliflower, however everything was exceptional, highly rated the fresh Burrata with peas and broad beans as well, will definitely be back! 🇮🇹

Made a booking online to eat here recent Friday night (good idea as this place is popular). We were seated in the upstairs balcony area which was a lovely, quiet & warm atmosphere. We were served attentively by a tall German man and the food came out quick & hot. One pizza we ordered had a gluten free base and it was light & fluffy which was delightful. Would definitely recommend thank you!

We discovered Balboa recently and has fast become one of our favourite restaurants on the GC. We cannot fault the menu, the service & the venue - 5 stars! Thankyou to the team for our most recent visit where we experienced the private dining room for our daughters 18th birthday. Would highly recommend for a special occasion!

Great food and service - we really liked the pizzas, gnocchi and desserts. Recommended!

The restaurant is beautiful inside and the food is absolutely outstanding!!! The drinks were also delicious. We had main, desert and drinks. We have been here a few times over the years and this is my favourite restaurant on the coast. The quality and flavour of the food is out of this world! Must try!

Really outstanding! The atmosphere is great. The service is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The food is fabulous. Each dish we had was absolutely delicious. It was perfect for the occasion. We'll be back!

Definately a top notch restaurant. Food was very tasty. Service, impeccable. Atmosphere, tremendous. Pricey but excellent value. Highly recommend.

Food, Cocktails & desserts were absolutely delicious. Service was great. Highly recommend

Our first visit here tonight. Food was amazing! Service 10/10. Best dinner we've had out in a long time. We cannot wait to return.

Great food, superb service and a fantastic wine list! This place was excellent, highly recommend. For me the service, attention to detail and quality of ingredients really stood out!

Underwhelming. Place was recommended by a friend as a "really good" Italian restaurant, however both my partner & i found it average. Firstly drinks 2x Cocktails came out 5 min apart & as one was a smoked old fashioned, by the time the other drink came out the smoke had completely escaped & diffused plusthe 2nd was pretty much a pile of ice that quickly melted & just left a waterery tasteless syrup. Strike 1 Strike 2 was when i ordered a glass of red, which came out & was well under a standard drink Then mains came out (2x linguine a gamberi) & the linguine was completely over cooked to the point of being soggy.... Strike 3. Disappointing because the place does have potential.

Excellent service and the food was delicious!

Excellent authentic Italian pizza. And great service too

Long wait to get drinks and food.

Great experience with real traditional Italian food and drinks. The cocktails are excellent as well. It has great atmosphere and we had a great time

Best place ever!! the drinks are fantastic and the pizza is the best in Gold Coast!

Very fancy

Love the food and ambiance was great. Staff were very friendly and attentive. This was our second visit and definitely won’t be the last.

Overrated! Slow and half hearted service at best! Food was only average, yet expensive. We got shoved to a side section near the side lane! Won’t be back!

Very nice Italian dinner enjoyed my four of us on a busy Monday night. The service was very good, the wine selection was good and the food was excellent. All of us enjoyed good dishes: Carnivore pizza, fettuccine, spaghetti Bolognese, veal, crispy olive starter was interesting and tasty. The seating outside was very nice (even on the busy highway). The prices were on the higher side, relative to the quality.

This is a place you will love to come to celebrate those important milestones and life's special moments.

Great food, friendly and efficient service, lovely atmosphere and interior. We will definitely be going there again.

Went to Balboa Italian for a birthday celebration with friends and it was just beautiful. Great vibe. Excellent staff and the food was delicious. I had gnocchi vegetarian and loved it. Cool decor too. All round great evening. Thanks. I'll be back.

Excellent service & delicious food, made for a wonderful evening. We will be returning. Could easily rate higher than 5 stars

Each time I have been to Balboa the food along with the service has been fantastic. I recently tried the gluten free pizza and pasta and they were both so delicious my friend couldn’t tell the difference. A must-visit when I am on the Gold Coast.

Great to see such a fun and unique cocktail menu! Devil Angel and the Old Fashioned were 😍😍😍. Number 1 pizza is to die for and staff extremely friendly and warm. Thank you, we’ll be back!

Great service, great food, great atmosphere!

Delicious food, great service and what a beautiful building! Loved all the plants throughout!

The aranchini balls are delicious

One of the best Margherita pizza🤦🏽‍♂️

Pizza bit dry dough/with very little ingredients, food is delicious, presentation is ok

Best Italian restaurant!! The food is amazing and the service is great! Coming back really soon!

Really good food and amazing service. Food came out under 5 mins of ordering

This place is incredible. The service was amazing and the food was delicious, a really nice restaurant. If you like good Italian food then balboa is the place to go.

Scrumptious food, excellent service.

Friendly staff, great decor, the food was fresh and delicious and you have to try the Sour Amaretto mocktail if you're driving...its the best!

Delicious food, excellent service and meals presented with great attention to presentation.

What a gem of a restaurant. Great service and superb menu options. A very interesting layout that is appealing to the eye. A flawless evening. We sat outside on a hot summers night and my only suggestion might be some cooling options on those humid evenings.

The customer service professionalism and setting were excellent The dining was disappointing. Every plate arrived so quickly we wondered how the food could have been cooked in that time. Pizza and croquette were warm at best when served The pizza should have been much hotter if it had come straight out of an oven. The butter leaf salad was very nice.

We arrived there last night Sunday 27.12 with no booking, they suited us on the bar and had good experience. The Italian bar tender looked after us with the cocktails and pizzas. Well done for the staff and nice food and drinks. The Vesuvio pizza is a good one.

Amazing pizza. Great service. Special mention to Melissa!

We went for dinner last night. Service was really great and very friendly, food was great and good portion serve sizes as well. Beers/drinks were cold..and that's always important. Its a busy place and lots of foot traffic in and around all tables. On a last note for the diners, watch out for cockroaches, we had a huge one land on the back of one of us's head, which then ran around a neck, jumped onto the table and then disappeared before we could kill it... That was a BIG yuck moment for all of us, and the staff were not worried at all, even when we told them... Maybe next time offer to wipe the table down at the very least..."please" Or, we may just get takeaway next time...lol

Fresh and great tasting Italian. Wonderful service and some of the best gluten free pizza bases I've ever tasted! Gnocchi was on point too!