Dine al fresco on fresh local seafood and drink in beautiful water views at these Airlie Beach cafes, bars and restaurants.

While this coastal town’s eateries won’t be vying for Melbourne’s culinary crown anytime soon, that’s not to say you can’t eat well (or drink well) in Airlie Beach. Whether you’re just passing through and looking for somewhere to enjoy coffee or dinner, or you’re spending a few nights in town and drawing up a full-blown eating itinerary, there’s a number of solid eateries to choose from – if you know where to look.

Here are 10 Airlie Beach restaurants you’re sure to love.

1. Eastwood’s Dining

All the best elements of South East Asia can be found in this tasty eatery – along with a quintessential North Queensland sea view. Located in the Airlie Esplanade in the heart of the town, you’ll look out through bi-fold doors across blue ocean to the islands of the Whitsunday Group.

There’s also a big timber bar serving freshly made cocktails to enhance the mood of the place, but while it has an effortlessly chic appeal, you can still wear your thongs (this is North Queensland, remember!) Don’t even think about not ordering the Penang curry with coconut braised beef.

Cuisine: Asian

Price: $$$

Location: Shop 1&2, 6 Airlie Esplanade, Airlie Beach

2. Mika Airlie Beach

Forget Tex-Mex, this is Qld-Mex at its finest. Located across the length of the whole first floor at the Esplanade in downtown Airlie Beach, the views will blow you away long before the dishes will. You’ll be looking straight out at islands, yachts moored and that deep blue Coral Sea.

Consider a cocktail first to savour the view – they’re famous for them, especially their seven different kinds of margarita. Surrounded by Mexican-themed mural art in a space which fits 200, there’s a party element to the place. Try everything from premium steaks to burrito bowls.

Cuisine: Mexican

Price: $$-$$$

Location: 13/6 Airlie Esplanade, Airlie Beach

3. KC’s Bar & Grills

It’s as Airlie Beach as the national park above town, and almost as old too. While all manner of businesses have come and gone through good times and bad, Airlie Beach’s original steak house has survived 40 years and may go another 40 yet. Their secret? Keeping it simple. You’ll find great steaks – plus a range of local meats to try, from kangaroo to crocodile – and a bourbon bar serving 74 kinds of bourbon.

Take a seat outside and you’ll have a front row seat to the heart of Airlie Beach strolling by, or stay inside and catch live music every night of the week. This is where you’ll meet the real locals.

Cuisine: Steakhouse – modern Australian

Price: $$

Location: 382 Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach

4. Airlie Beach Treehouse

Just reopened with a new menu and cocktail list (in late August), Airlie Beach Treehouse lives up to its name – dining here feels like you’re up in the trees looking down on all the islands of the Whitsundays.

With amazing views out over Airlie Beach Lagoon to the ocean beyond, you’ll also get an up-close view of the town’s iconic and huge fig trees that have grown for a century or more along Airlie Beach’s foreshore. Don’t go beyond the corn fritters at breakfast, but lunch is special here amongst the trees with the blue of the Whitsundays sparkling beyond.

Cuisine: Tasty burgers and classics like fish and chips

Price: $$

Location: 6a/263 Shute Harbour Rd, Airlie Beach

5. Coral Sea Pavilion

Could there be a better location for a restaurant anywhere on Australia’s east coast? Located within the Coral Sea Resort (you don’t have to be a guest to dine here), your table at Coral Sea Pavilion is located on a headland between Airlie Beach and the Coral Sea Marina, where you’ll look straight down onto the ocean. \

There’s a touch of Great Gatsby about the place – you’ll be dining at seats set by a lawn beside a sprawling swimming pool, surrounded by coconut trees (okay, so a tropical take on Gatsby). The seafood’s great – sample the enormous seafood platter for a taste of everything. The cocktails alone are worth being here for.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Price: $$$

Location: Ocean View Avenue, Airlie Beach

6. Whitsunday Sailing Club Bar & Restaurant

Secreted away in the Whitsunday Sailing Club, lies 20 Degrees South. With its whitewashed interior and a sizable balcony offering stellar views of the marina, this bar and restaurant is a plum spot for a relaxing sundowner, or a meal. Open for lunch and dinner, expect a mix of both surf and turf on the RSL-style menu, from seaside staples such as fish and chips to a bone-in ribeye steak with mushroom sauce. Or go all-out and order the seafood tower, complete with Sydney rock oysters, scallops, calamari, tiger prawns, mussels and more; you are on holiday after all.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Price: $$$

Location: 11 Ocean Rd, Airlie Beach, Qld 4802

7. Paradiso Rooftop Bar & Restaurant

 From hearty breakfasts to more refined tapas-style dishes come lunch and sundown, Paradiso delivers. There’s more of a Mediterranean flavour here than at most other local options. Share jamon croquettes, marinated olives, wagyu bresaola, and mushroom and gorgonzola arancini with friends while sipping on an espresso martini and soaking up the lagoon views from the tables that spill onto the street. Those seeking a more substantial feed can order one of the stone-baked pizzas, a pasta dish (might we suggest the chilli prawn and chorizo linguine), or a seafood paella for two.

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Price: $$$

Location: 287 Shute Harbour Rd, Airlie Beach, Qld 4802

8. Anchor Bar

Located high above Airlie Beach, this bar and restaurant promises panoramic views and plenty of decadent ‘dude food’: burgers, chicken wings, racks of ribs and tacos, to name a few. But the menu does also feature a smattering of other, slightly less indulgent dishes, should you so choose (a jackfruit curry, a roasted beetroot salad, or some steamed mussels, perhaps). And if you can’t quite make up your mind, then go for Anchor Bar’s ‘can’t decide’ platter, which features a little of both. Grab a chilled glass of rose, pull up a pew under one of the deck’s parasols, and relax to the sound of live music at this convivial, laid-back spot.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Price: $$$

Location: 5 Golden Orchid Dr, Airlie Beach

9. Sorrento Restaurant & Bar

Pasta, pizza, risotto, bruschetta, antipasti: when only Italian fare will do, book a table at Sorrento Restaurant & Bar. This kid-friendly, seafood-leaning Italian restaurant overlooks the Coral Sea Marina (book ahead for a table on the breezy balcony). Those in the market for cheap eats should stop by between 3pm and 4pm, when Sorrento offers a two-for-one special on pizzas. And if you’re here for dinner leave space for the house-made tiramisu, which wins rave reviews.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Price: $$$

Location: 22 Shingley Dr, Airlie Beach, Qld 4802

10. The Garden Bar Bistro

Slinging seasonal, fruit-driven cocktails made with locally grown fruit, The Garden Bar Bistro is your best bet for a refreshing drink in town. Try the bar’s signature Mother of Dragons – a vivid fuchsia concoction made with rum, chambord, sugar syrup, fresh lime, and local dragon fruit. If you fancy something a little more low-key then opt for this marina bar’s ‘teaser boards’ that feature either four different gin and tonics, or four different espresso martinis. The food menu here is refreshingly light too, featuring fresh fish tacos, ceviche, a seafood platter and a Mediterranean vegetable pasta, among other dishes.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Price: $$$

Location: Coral Sea Marina, Shingley Dr, Airlie Beach

For more great travel tips read our ultimate guide to Airlie Beach.