MOI Emerald Lakes Menu: Pizza, Pasta and Italian Favourites

The MOI Emerald Lakes menu is a compact, genuinely Italian menu built around wood-fired pizza, hand-made pasta, pressed panini, antipasti, seafood and classic desserts, served Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays) at Mad Over Italian, 78/a 3030 The Blvd, Carrara QLD 4211. Lunch runs from 12pm to 3pm and dinner from 4:30pm to 9pm, with dine-in, takeaway and Uber Eats delivery all available. If you want the short answer: order a wood-fired pizza to share, a pasta each, and leave room for tiramisu.

This guide walks through the MOI Emerald Lakes menu section by section, so you know exactly what to expect before you sit down at the lakeside tables, phone through a takeaway order on 07 4803 0338, or open the delivery app on a weeknight.

What is on the MOI Emerald Lakes menu?

The MOI Emerald Lakes menu is organised into a handful of clear sections: antipasti and starters, wood-fired pizza, pasta, mains including seafood and meat, panini and lunch plates, sides and salads, and dessert. There is also a full drinks list covering Italian coffee, wine, beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic options.

The philosophy behind it is deliberately simple. Rather than a sprawling menu of eighty dishes that nobody can execute well, MOI keeps the list tight and cooks each item properly. Pizza bases are stretched by hand and finished in a wood-fired oven. Pasta is made in house wherever the dish calls for it, including the gnocchi that regulars order almost reflexively. Sauces are built slowly rather than pulled from a tub.

You can always view current dishes and pricing on the MOI menu page, and the seasonal menu PDF is refreshed as produce and specials change through the year. Because seasonal items rotate, treat this guide as a map of the menu structure rather than a fixed price list.

Antipasti and starters

Starters are designed for sharing while the pizza oven does its work. Expect garlic and herb breads straight from the wood-fired oven, arancini, bruschetta on grilled sourdough, calamari fritti with lemon, and a mixed antipasto board of cured meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables and olives. Mussels in a light white wine, garlic and tomato broth are a long-standing favourite and come with bread for the sauce.

If you are dining with a group, one antipasto board plus a garlic bread per three people is roughly the right calibration. It keeps everyone happy without dulling appetites before the mains arrive.

Wood-fired pizza

Pizza is the headline act. The wood-fired oven runs hot, which gives the base a blistered, slightly charred edge and a soft, pliable centre rather than the uniform cracker crust of a conveyor oven. Classic options run through Margherita, Napoletana, Capricciosa, Diavola, Vegetariana and a prosciutto and rocket pizza finished with shaved parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil after it leaves the oven.

There are usually a few house creations alongside the classics, often built around whatever is best that week. Gluten-free bases are available, and most pizzas can be adjusted, though anything with a cured meat base tends to work best as the kitchen intends it.

Hand-made pasta

The pasta section of the MOI Emerald Lakes menu is where the kitchen’s Italian roots show most clearly. Hand-made gnocchi, pappardelle with a slow-cooked ragu, spaghetti marinara loaded with local seafood, penne arrabbiata for anyone who likes heat, fettuccine boscaiola, and a lasagne that is baked in-house rather than assembled to order. Portions are generous but not gimmicky, and the sauces are seasoned to taste rather than drowned in cream.

Ask the staff which pasta was made that morning. It is the fastest route to the best plate on the table.

Mains, seafood and meat

Beyond pizza and pasta, the mains list covers chicken parmigiana done the Italian way, scaloppine, grilled market fish, prawns, steak with a choice of sauces, and seasonal risotto. These plates suit anyone who wants a full sit-down dinner rather than a share-and-graze meal, and they pair naturally with a side salad and a glass of red.

Panini and lunch plates

Lunch at Emerald Lakes has its own rhythm. Pressed panini on Italian bread, filled with combinations like prosciutto and provolone, chicken and pesto, eggplant and roasted capsicum, or salami with mozzarella, come out quickly and travel well if you are heading back to work. There are also lighter lunch pizzas and pasta portions for people who do not want a heavy midday meal.

Lunch service is 12pm to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays). If you are on a tight break, phone the order ahead on 07 4803 0338 and it will be ready when you arrive.

Sides, salads and kids

Sides cover rocket and parmesan salad, garden salad, roasted vegetables, chips with aioli, and seasonal greens. Children are well looked after with smaller pizza and pasta serves, which is one reason the restaurant fills with families on weekends and school holidays.

Dessert and coffee

Dessert is short and classic: tiramisu, panna cotta, gelato in rotating flavours, affogato and a chocolate option that changes with the season. Coffee is proper Italian espresso, and an affogato at the end of a long lunch by the lake is one of the small pleasures of dining at Carrara.

The MOI Emerald Lakes menu for drinks and wine

The drinks side of the MOI Emerald Lakes menu is built to match the food rather than compete with it. The wine list leans Italian and Australian, with sangiovese, chianti and pinot grigio alongside Queensland and South Australian labels. Beers include Italian lagers and local craft options, and there is a compact cocktail list with an Aperol spritz and a negroni that suit the lakeside setting on a warm Gold Coast afternoon.

Non-drinkers are not an afterthought. San Pellegrino, Italian sodas, mocktails, juices and a full coffee and tea list are all available.

Where to find MOI Emerald Lakes and when it is open

Mad Over Italian Emerald Lakes is at 78/a 3030 The Blvd, Carrara QLD 4211, on the lake at Emerald Lakes. Parking is straightforward, and the alfresco tables look out over the water, which is the main reason locals choose it for long lunches and relaxed dinners.

• Address: 78/a 3030 The Blvd, Carrara QLD 4211
• Phone: 07 4803 0338
• Monday: Closed
• Lunch: 12pm to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday
• Dinner: 4:30pm to 9pm, Tuesday to Sunday

Public holiday hours can vary, so check the contact page or call ahead before travelling for a special occasion. Full details of the venue are on the MOI Emerald Lakes location page.

How to order from the MOI Emerald Lakes menu

There are four ways to work through the MOI Emerald Lakes menu, and each suits a different kind of evening.

• Dine in: walk in or book ahead, particularly Friday and Saturday nights and weekend lunches.
• Takeaway: call 07 4803 0338 and collect. Pizza travels best if you are within about ten minutes.
• Order online: place a pickup order through the MOI online ordering page.
• Delivery: Uber Eats delivers from the Emerald Lakes kitchen to surrounding Gold Coast suburbs.

Bookings can be made through OpenTable for dine-in tables, which is the easiest option for groups of six or more.

Emerald Lakes and the surrounding Gold Coast area

Carrara sits in the middle of the Gold Coast, which makes MOI Emerald Lakes an easy meeting point for people coming from Nerang, Ashmore, Broadbeach, Robina and Mermaid Waters. The restaurant is a short drive from Cbus Super Stadium, so it fills quickly before and after home games. If you are eating before an event, book early and let the staff know your timing so the kitchen can pace the courses.

For visitors staying on the northern end of the coast, the sister venue at Hope Island runs the same kitchen philosophy. You can read about it on the MOI Hope Island page, and more of our writing on Gold Coast Italian dining lives on the MOI blog.

What to order on your first visit

If you have never eaten here, a reliable first order for two people looks like this: garlic bread or arancini to start, one wood-fired pizza to share, one hand-made pasta each, a rocket and parmesan salad in the middle of the table, and a tiramisu with two spoons. Add a glass of sangiovese and you have covered most of what the kitchen does well in a single sitting.

For four people, add the antipasto board, swap in the mussels, and order a second pizza rather than a second pasta. Pizza is the easiest dish to share without anyone feeling short-changed.

Why locals keep coming back to the MOI Emerald Lakes menu

The Gold Coast has no shortage of Italian restaurants. What keeps the tables at Carrara full is consistency: the same wood-fired oven, the same pasta technique and the same seasoning week after week, plus staff who remember regulars and their orders. The lakeside setting helps, but people return for the food.

The MOI Emerald Lakes menu also does something quietly useful. It works equally well for a quick weekday panini, a family dinner with children, a long weekend lunch with wine, and a takeaway pizza night at home. Very few restaurants cover all four without compromising one of them.

A note on ingredients

Tomatoes, olive oil, cured meats and cheeses are chosen for the dishes they go into rather than bought on price alone. Seafood is sourced locally where the season allows, and vegetables shift through the year, which is why the specials board is worth reading before you commit to an order. Anyone curious about the family story behind the restaurant can read the about page.

Dietary requirements

Gluten-free pizza bases and pasta options are available, vegetarian choices run across every section of the menu, and vegan adjustments can usually be made with notice. Let the kitchen know when you book or when you order, particularly for allergies, so the team can advise properly. Guidance on safe dining with food allergies is available from Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia.

Frequently asked questions about the MOI Emerald Lakes menu

What is on the MOI Emerald Lakes menu?

Wood-fired pizza, hand-made pasta, antipasti, seafood and meat mains, pressed panini and lunch plates, sides and salads, and classic Italian desserts, plus a full wine, beer, cocktail and coffee list.

What are the opening hours at MOI Emerald Lakes?

Lunch is 12pm to 3pm and dinner is 4:30pm to 9pm, Tuesday to Sunday. MOI Emerald Lakes is closed Mondays. Public holidays can differ, so check the contact page or call 07 4803 0338.

Where is MOI Emerald Lakes?

78/a 3030 The Blvd, Carrara QLD 4211, on the lake at Emerald Lakes, roughly ten minutes from Broadbeach and Nerang.

Does MOI Emerald Lakes deliver?

Yes. Uber Eats delivers from the Emerald Lakes kitchen to surrounding Gold Coast suburbs, and takeaway pickup is available by phone or through the online ordering page.

Can I book a table?

Yes. Book through OpenTable or phone 07 4803 0338. Bookings are recommended for Friday and Saturday nights, weekend lunches and any group of six or more.

Is there gluten-free and vegetarian food on the menu?

Yes. Gluten-free bases and pasta are available and vegetarian dishes appear in every section, from antipasti through to mains and dessert.

Is MOI Emerald Lakes good for families?

Yes. Smaller pizza and pasta serves are available for children, and the alfresco lakeside tables give families room to spread out.

Does the menu change?

The core dishes stay put, while specials and seasonal items rotate through the year. Check the menu page or the specials board in the restaurant for the current line-up.

Group bookings, functions and special occasions

Birthdays, anniversaries, work lunches and end-of-season team dinners are a regular part of the week at Carrara. For groups of six or more, book ahead so the team can seat you together and pace the kitchen properly. Larger groups are best served with a shared approach: two or three antipasti to start, a spread of pizzas down the centre of the table, a couple of pasta dishes to pass around, and dessert ordered at the table once everyone has settled.

If you are celebrating something, mention it when you book. Staff will do what they can with seating, timing and a candle in the tiramisu. For large functions, phone 07 4803 0338 and speak to the team directly rather than booking online, so the details are captured properly.

Eating by the lake

The setting matters here. Emerald Lakes is one of the few genuinely pleasant waterside dining spots in the middle of the Gold Coast, and the alfresco tables catch the breeze in summer and the last of the sun in winter. Early evening is the best light, which is why the outdoor tables go first on clear nights. The indoor dining room is comfortable and quieter, and it is the better choice on hot afternoons or when the weather turns.

Come mid-week if you want a relaxed table without a wait. Friday and Saturday nights run busy from about 6pm, and weekend lunches fill steadily from midday through to about 2pm.

Plan your visit

Whether you are after a quick lunch panini, a family pizza night, or a slow dinner by the water, the MOI Emerald Lakes menu has a version of the evening that fits. Browse the full menu, book a table, or order in and let the wood-fired oven do the work.