Everyone is welcome at Backbone and everyone is treated like royalty.

Backbone Bar is a relaxed family friendly establishment where people usually come for a beer and stay for the night. A great range of craft beers and an Asian fusion inspired menu welcomes all that are looking for an awesome night out with great company.

What you see is what you get with our fit out embracing the great village feel of Tugun. Whether you are looking for a quick beer, or a night out, Backbone is the place to be. As long as you are wearing pants and a credit card, you’ll be welcomed at Backbone Bar, in fact most days you will find the owner Gav holding court and sharing a beer with the locals. Backbone Bar is the perfect spot to spend an afternoon or evening, if you come on your own by the end of your stay you are sure to have made lifelong friends at Backbone.

Tugun’s village feel is very real, and Backbone believes that it’s this sense of community that makes their venue special. With a great range of locally produced craft beers on tap, Backbone caters to lovers of great beer and also to the casual beer connoisseur. The Beer menu is one of the great drawcards with new beers being added weekly.We taste all the latest releases and it’s our mission to be your local that taps only the best new beers in town withno beer is added unless it holds up to the Backbone standards. Not only does Gav test all the beers (tough job I know)but he has to look the beer suppliers in the eyes before he will support their products. Its this attention to building relationships not only with their customers but also their suppliers that enables Backbone to provide a sense of community not seen in any other bars on The Gold Coast.

The kids are welcome at Backbone as well with a great Groms menu but also a Gelato Bar and pinball machines to keep them entertained while you wet your whistle.

The Owner

If you have spent any time in Tugun at all there is a very good chance that you have seen Gav. A man of many talents, he is a builder by trade and being originally from Melbourne he loves his sport, especially the AFL. He found his tribal home in Tugun and quite simply wanted to find a place to drink, so he bought Backbone Bar. There is so much of Gav in the Backbone experience; friendly, family oriented and accepting of all, pretty much sums up not only Gav but Backbone. If you drop into Backbone make sure you introduce yourself to Gav, watch some footy or exchange old war stories, you won’t regret it.

The Beers

With over 500 craft breweries between The Gold Coast and Melbourne the craft beer revolution is real and growing every day. On any given day Backbone Bar will have up to 12 different craft beers on tap but also many others available in a can, so there is no reason for not finding a great cold one to enjoy. The perfect mix of solid local faves, special release kegs and new to market beers, some of the beers you could find on tap are: –

• Currumbin Valley Strawberry Bubble-gum Sour
• Tugun Gold Lager
• Prancing Pony Dizzy Donkey Cider
• Moon Dog Black Lung Stout
• Black Hops Super Goat Hazy IPA
• Fonzie Abbott Drops of Juniper Sour

The beer menu is fluid, no pun intended and is changing all the time. New beers are added, and old beers can reappear on any given day. The only way to stay up to date is to pop into Backbone and check out the menu and pick your new favourite drop.

The Food

A great family atmosphere lends itself to share plates, and that is what Backbone specialises in. The Asian fusion tapas style menu has something for everyone no matter what your age or what taste buds you have. Have or snack or a full meal, the menu is designed to give you the best experience possible for whatever mood your in. Our menu consists of –

• Light Bites
• Dumplings
• Bao Buns
• Healthy Bowls
• Large Plates
• Sweets

Bring the kids down as well, we have a great Groms menu.

Crowd Favourites

It would be easy to say that the whole menu is a crowd favourite but there are definitely a few signature dishes that make a meal at Backbone special.

• Karaage Korean Chicken- with gochujang sauce and mayo, this is a crowd pleaser and must be a staple on every single order. The right kind of spicy, won’t blow your head and will keep you coming back for more.
• Spicy Edamame – Steamed soybeans with garlic and chilli, the perfect starter to any meal and one serving will probably not be enough.
• Pork Belly Bao Bun – Pork belly, rocket, daikon radish pickle, carrot pickle and hoisin sauce. Ok I know I had you at Pork Belly, but this is truly amazing!!
• Japanese Katsu Curry –rice, crumbed chicken with potato, lentil, carrot, onion, and a sweet Japanese curry to over it all.

The Gold Coast is still considered Australia’s largest country town and Tugun is without a doubt one of its gems. A tight knit community that resembles more of a village feel, Tugun is a place where you can’t walk very far without bumping into someone you know. It’s this village feel that Backbone is embracing by providing a venue that can be enjoyed by all. So, if you are looking for a great range of cold beer and delicious food, the melting pot that is Backbone Bar is just the place for you.