At Australia’s debut Mondrian Gold Coast, the ground-floor Italian restaurant LiTO emerges not merely as a dining venue but as a coastal piazza reimagined. Designed by Alexander &CO., this all-day beachfront restaurant distills Burleigh Heads’ surf culture through a Mediterranean lens, blending sun-bleached textures with artisanal craftsmanship. Opened June 2025, LiTO is already redefining luxury hotel dining on Queensland’s iconic shoreline.
LiTO’s spatial narrative channels Jeremy Bull’s vision of a “sun-bleached ancient ruin” – monolithic yet intimate. Soaring 5-meter ceilings are anchored by organic dendriform columns evoking coastal rock formations, while bone-colour concrete arches frame sightlines to Burleigh’s Norfolk pines. Underfoot, aged terrazzo flooring tessellates the space, guiding guests from the espresso bar to the theatrical open kitchen where chefs maneuver wood-fired ovens.
The materiality is deliberately resilient yet rich: Venetian plaster walls withstand sandy feet, while custom walnut timber furniture (by Hugh McCarthy) and bronze-edged mirrors reflect the locale’s golden light. A show-stopping 10-meter concrete curtain bar features non-repeating precast units beneath a solid walnut top – a fusion of brutalism and warmth that epitomizes Alexander &CO.’s handmade modernity.
Behind McCarthy’s walnut reception desk, a commissioned brick mural declares “any way you want” – a manifesto for LiTO’s adaptable ethos. Crafted by Natural Brick Company using recycled marble rubble from sculptor Alex Seton, the bricks were robotically carved via UTS’s lab, merging traditional craft with digital precision. This artifact epitomizes Alexander &CO.’s approach: embedding local narratives within global aesthetics. Mirrors strategically capture the Esplanade’s pines, dissolving boundaries between kitchen and coastline. Even the custom dining tables – with sage green-tiled legs and natural oak tops – echo Fabio Fantolino’s Euro-Australian hybrid designs.
LiTO isn’t just Mondrian’s Australian debutante – it’s a cultural salone where Burleigh’s salt-kissed ease converses with Italian gusto. Alexander &CO. have engineered a timeless erosion: part coastal relic, part modernist haven, wholly original. As Bull intended, it feels “like walking through an ancient oceanside salon,” yet pulses with the here-and-now energy of Queensland’s most coveted beach. For Gold Coast gastronomy, this is la dolce vita, reborn.
LiTO is open daily at Mondrian Gold Coast, 2 Ern Harley Drive, Burleigh Heads. Reservations recommended for dinner service.