Overview
Since 2021, Queensland burger fans have been waiting for one thing: the launch of Mark Wahlberg's burger chain Wahlburgers in the Sunshine State. The brand first announced plans to open Down Under back in 2021, then opened its first Aussie store in Sydney at the beginning of 2022. Now, after locking in a local site a few months back, those burgs are available on the Gold Coast.
Watch a Wahlberg-starring movie, tuck into a burg from Wahlberg's burger chain Wahlburgers, get the words 'burger' and 'Wahlberg' stuck in your head for days: that's now on the menu in Surfers Paradise. Yes, it's time to pair a burger with some Sunkist by the beach at the Paradise Centre, at least if you're taking advice from Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's 1991 single 'Good Vibrations' .
Because there's a reality TV show for everything, you probably heard of the chain before it made its way Down Under, all thanks to the 2014–9 series Wahlburgers — which turned its lens on the burger joints owned by the actor and his brothers.
Wahlburgers has made its home in the Surfers Paradise spot's new beachfront dining precinct, which has just undergone a $40-million revamp — and the burg-slinging brand isn't short on company. Axe-throwing bar Maniax has already set up shop there, as has El Camino Cantina and Gelato Messina. Also at a yet-to-be-revealed date sometime soon, so will TGI Fridays.
The chain's first-ever Queensland store serves up burgers, obviously, including a meat-free Impossible burg that's been dubbed 'Mark's choice', plus a barbecue bacon burger that bears his fellow actor brother (and ex-New Kids on the Block member) Donnie's tick of approval. There are 13 burg options to choose from in total, with two types of chicken schnitzel burger, a crispy fish option, and a truffle burger — which pairs a beef patty with truffle aioli — also available.
Or, you can opt for salads, sides that span everything from French fries and sweet potato fries to onion rings and bacon mac 'n' cheese, and loaded versions of your favourite fries and potato gems. There's also a breakfast menu, complete with avocado on toast, granola, pancake stacks, breakfast burgers and French toast sticks. And, for dessert, get ready for fried dough — yes, that's what the menu says.
Drinks-wise, alongside Sunkist, there's also other soft drinks, coffees, shakes and spiders in both boozy and booze-free varieties, 17 types of cocktails, a small wine list, and beers that include Wahlbrewskis, the chain's signature beer.
If the Wahlberg name has you thinking about movies — with Mark starring in everything from Boogie Nights to Uncharted, and co-owner Donnie also featuring in The Sixth Sense and the Saw franchise — then that won't change with Wahlburgers' Aussie venture. In fact, the chain's entire move Down Under is a collaboration with United Cinemas, and some of the former's sites will be located within the latter's picture palaces.
Wahlburgers' Aussie locations join more than 50 stores in the US, Canada and Germany. Folks around Australia can all look forward to munching on the brand's bites to eat, too — and in New Zealand as well — with the brand expected to launch 20 stores Down Under.
Wahlburgers is also co-owned by chef Paul Wahlberg — another Wahlberg sibling — and, given its name, the chain unsurprisingly decks out its sites with photos and memorabilia from the brothers' lives.
Michael Rivera via Wikimedia Commons
Find Wahlburgers in the Paradise Centre, 2 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise, from 3pm on Thursday, October 13 — open from 7am–10pm Sunday–Wednesday, 7am–11pm Thursdays, and 7am–12am Friday–Saturday. Head to the chain's website and Facebook page for further information.