A Delicious Debut for Fish House Steak & Grill
Located on the Mooloolaba Spit, a reinvented and revived restaurant is quickly reshaping coastal dining, where ocean air, open flames and refined flavour mix with confident intent. Ida Fink Gundtoft tips her hat to the Chef’s Hat–crowned Fish House Steak & Grill.
Perched on Parkyn Parade at the Mooloolaba Spit, where fishing boats drift in and salt air carries into the night like long nights of premium dining, this bold coastal concept has wasted no time announcing its arrival. Within just four months of opening, Fish House Steak & Grill has been awarded its first Chef’s Hat in the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG), earning an impressive 13-point score and joining the top one per cent of restaurants nationwide.
A remarkable debut.
AGFG Chef’s Hat Awards are a prestigious, independent Australian rating system recognising culinary excellence based on anonymous inspections. Restaurants are rated primarily on the food’s taste, technique and consistency. While the Hats are awarded based on food, judges also consider service, atmosphere and value.
For owners Kristine and Todd Young – the force behind the nearby multi award-winning Bella Venezia, the accolade represents both continuity and courage. Continuity in standards. Courage in creating something distinct.
“We’re incredibly proud and genuinely humbled to see our two Mooloolaba restaurants recognised at this level,” Kristine said. “For Fish House Steak & Grill to receive its first Hat and a 13-point score within four months is an extraordinary achievement.”
Extraordinary, yes, but far from accidental. From the outset, Fish House Steak & Grill was envisioned as premium coastal dining delivered with relaxed luxury. The space reflects that philosophy: natural textures, open-air elegance and warm, layered tones reflecting the environment of both land and sea, as does the menu.
Locally line-caught seafood arrives straight from Mooloolaba Wharf – a direct line from ocean to plate that defines the menu’s coastal integrity.
Premium dry-aged steaks are handled with equal respect, cooked with precision. A lobster roll layered with yuzu, sesame and dill delivers brightness and lift, while honey and miso-glazed toothfish anchors the Land or Sea tasting menu. Elsewhere, crispy Mooloolaba prawns are elevated with fermented chilli, North Queensland barramundi is paired with a vibrant yuzukoshu beurre blanc, and Tasmanian ocean trout – all a part of a seafood offering that is both distinctly Australian and confidently refined.
The Australian Good Food Guide’s Chef’s Hat recognises not just flavour, but technique, consistency and the full dining experience. Achieving 13 points in such
a short time signals a business already operating at remarkable cohesion.
Beyond the plates and the polish is a team of dedicated, hardworking people. Staff speak knowledgeably about the produce, from the exact ageing process of the beef to the morning’s catch at the Wharf. Wines are suggested with intention, cocktails balanced to complement rather than compete. It is this attention to detail that really lifts the experience from simply impressive to memorable.
Executive Chef Ben Achurch’s leadership has been instrumental, guiding both Bella Venezia and Fish House Steak & Grill kitchens with discipline and creative clarity. His influence is evident in the balance of the menu. Indulgent yet controlled, coastal yet elevated.
But what sets Fish House Steak & Grill apart is its energy. There is an excitement for the craft here. The art of the perfect sirloin cut, the glitter of seafood on ice and cocktails shaken against a sunset backdrop. It feels celebratory without being formal; polished without stiffness. Guests arrive in linen shirts and summer dresses, linger over curated wines and leave already planning their return.
In many ways, it captures a new chapter of Mooloolaba dining. And this first Chef’s Hat signals that the Spit is as much a culinary destination as the Esplanade. For Kristine and Todd Young, earning two Chef’s Hats across two distinct venues in the same year speaks to a broader vision for Young Hospitality. It is not about replication. It is about evolution. Bella Venezia carries the grace of longevity. Fish House Steak & Grill carries the thrill of arrival.
Both, however, share the same backbone: unwavering standards, respect for produce and genuine Sunshine Coast hospitality. If Bella Venezia is heritage, Fish House Steak & Grill is momentum. As twilight settles over the marina and plates of Wagyu and Mooloolaba Yellowfin Tuna make their way across the dining room, there is a sense that something significant is unfolding. Not simply a successful launch, but the establishment of a new benchmark.
The first Chef’s Hat is always special. To earn it within four months is something else entirely. And this is only the beginning.
Hat’s off to that!
