Stable.

Tucked into the brick courtyard of the Cornerstone Stores precinct at 570 Gold Coast Highway, Stable is Tugun's all-day cafe and licensed eatery for considered breakfast and lunch. Directly opposite Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the southern Gold Coast, it's the kind of easy, light-filled spot where coffee runs from first light, the kitchen leans on real food that's farm-fresh and homemade, and the menu shifts gently with the seasons. Dog-friendly, with free parking and open seven days, Stable has become a genuine local favourite for Tugun and Currumbin regulars as much as for visitors wandering across from the Sanctuary.

Mornings start early and slow. The coffee machine fires up at 6am, pouring St Ali beans roasted in South Melbourne alongside a full specialty lineup, while the kitchen opens at 7am. From there the day unfolds across an all-day menu built for both the quick stop and the long, lazy sit. Order the all-day Breaky Roll, stacked with smoked bacon, fried egg, cheese, baby spinach and Stable's own BBQ sauce, or settle in with smashed avo, the chilli scramble, mushrooms on toast with stracciatella, or maple granola with seasonal fruit and yoghurt. There's a daily fresh bakery and takeaway counter for those grabbing pastries and coffee on the run, plus açai and seasonal bowls when you're after something lighter and bright.

Come lunch, Stable keeps things generous and fresh. The Green Bowl piles avocado, farro, quinoa, edamame, broccolini and tarragon mayo with your choice of poached chicken, halloumi or marinated tofu, while the Stable Cheeseburger arrives with Angus beef (or a crumbed mushroom alternative), pickles, burger sauce and fries. Chicken focaccia, crispy pork belly with chilled soba noodles, and a rotating cast of seasonal plates round out the offering. Quality produce is central to the kitchen's thinking, including a meat collaboration with neighbouring regenerative organic butchery Locavore Byron, also based at Cornerstone Stores. Plant-based, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options sit right across the menu, and the team happily makes substitutions for dietary needs.

Stable is fully licensed, and the bar list opens from 10am, seven days a week, so a relaxed Tugun morning can roll straight into an afternoon spritz without missing a beat. Balter beers and rotating draught pour alongside a constantly changing wine list available by the glass or bottle, plus a tidy run of cocktails: a Bloody Mary built on Stable's house hot sauce, a King Valley Prosecco Mimosa, a Soldada tequila Margarita, the Aperol and Limoncello spritzes, and the Burly gin and tonic done three ways. Pair it with the all-day kitchen and you have one of the more easygoing daytime drinking spots on the southern Gold Coast.

Beyond coffee and cocktails there's a whole non-alcoholic fridge to graze, freshly squeezed orange juice, smoothies (the classic banana with Currumbin honey, the mango-lychee-passionfruit, the green), Prana sticky chai and Tavalon teas. The setting does a lot of the work too. The brick courtyard, framed by the precinct's independent shopfronts, is the heart of day dining, with dog-friendly tables and a calm, leafy feel just steps from the highway. It's an unhurried place to read the weekend papers, catch up with a friend, or refuel after a morning at the Sanctuary or the beach.

Stable also hosts private events in its dedicated functions space, the festoon-lit grassed Backyard and Garden Bar. Reserved for events rather than daily walk-in dining, this lush, lantern-lit setting suits private and corporate gatherings of roughly 50 to 120 guests, with lawn games, a Garden Bar, large outdoor umbrellas and heaters, and catering that spans canapes, grazing boards, signature cocktails, a boutique wine list and craft beer on tap. From time to time, Stable opens the space for occasional Twilight evening events too, a lovely excuse to linger after dark. For function enquiries and the full events brochure, email [email protected].

Stable doesn't take bookings for the cafe, so daytime seating is first-come, first-served, which is part of its relaxed charm. With St Ali coffee from 6am, the kitchen serving until 2pm, coffee until 2:30pm, the licensed list from 10am, free parking, a dog-friendly courtyard and a spot directly opposite Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, it's an effortless place to start the day or while away a Tugun afternoon. For the day-to-day, call 0478 659 011 or follow @stable.at.cornerstone on Instagram.

Cornerstone Stores — 570 Gold Coast Highway, Tugun QLD 4224. 6 — 2:30pm, daily