La Stradina

La Stradina is a cosy and charming European style restaurant and vinyl bar hidden away in a fairylit Coolangatta laneway.

Like stumbing across a little slice of Melbourne off Griffith St, La Stradina is by the savvy owner of Cooly Breeze (currently under renovation) and Black Dingo.

Patrons can take a seat in the laneway or inside, where opposite the open kitchen is a dining nook with gilt mirror and leather banquettes and an ornate wooden bar.

The outstanding food menu is a delicious fusion of Mediterranean and Asian flavours, with a selection of delicious small plates (and mains) ideal for sharing over cocktails, international wines, and local drops.

From the delectable small plate selection, all of which comes highly recommended, there's the likes of Byron Bay burrata with Jamon Iberico & black truffle salsa; 12h slow-cooked beef cheeks croquette with chimichurri; and freshly shucked oysters with cucumber, green grapes, chives & gin caviar.

Must try is the melt-in-the-mouth Blue Fin tuna rice cake with citrus mayo, avocado, pickled chilli, black caviar & ponzu gel; and the King prawn skewer with fermented pineapple & chilli paste and fresh chives.

For something more decadent, try the Moreton Bay bug skewer wrapped in zucchini with prawn bisque & black caviar; or the Soft shell crab bao with homemade sriracha mayo and Asian slaw, whihc is almost a meal in itself.

Mains are equally delectable and come in generous portions with choices including stuffed Kiev chicken with spinach ricotta and peri peri sauce & sauteed sweet corn; 220g Beef Sirloin Wagyu MB 6+, with parmesan truffle fries and red wine jus; and market fish with Tasmanian scallop, cauliflower puree, crispy potato hair, salmon caviar, fresh pear salsa and fresh herbs.

There's also homemade rigatoni with stracciatella, Napoli sauce and basil oil (another must-try); whilst for dessert there's passionfruit Crème Brûlée; chocolate fondant with vanilla bean ice cream & crumbled macadamia; homemade tiramisu; and ricotta & pistachio cannoli. 

Cocktails come highly recommended at La Stradina, with a choice of five Margaritas (classic; coconut; watermelon & mint; spicy guava; or honey, hibiscus & chilli); as well as a list of signature cocktails to take you on a trip around Europe including Rome (gin, limoncello, apple and lemon juice, rosemary and elderflowers syrups); Dublin (vanilla vodka, Baileys. Frangelico, cream and nutella); Barcelona (Licor 43, passionfruit liqueur, prosecco, ginger beer & vanilla syrup).

There's also a selection of classics, including Mojito, Martini, Negroni, Old Fashioned, Bloody Mary, Long Island Iced Tea, Cosmopolitan and Pimms. The wine list features wines from Australia, New Zealand, Italy and France, by the glass or bottle and there's also spirits and an impressive choice of liqueurs including Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Villa Massa Limoncello, Martell VS Cognac, Tamborine Wild Plum and Mozart Chocolate Cream.

Good to know - One Wednesday nights there's a 3 course menu for $60; on Thursday night is Open Mic Vinyl Night. Friday nights a live jazz band and Saturday night a DJ spinning vinyl retro tunes.

Need to know - On street parking available on Griffith St