Fish and chips on the beach, contemporary riverside dining or cocktails with an ocean outlook? It’s your call with these Townsville restaurants.

From beachfront diners that make the most of their ocean views and tropical surroundings to inner-city laneways and waterside precincts bursting with new ideas and flavours – here’s where to dine in between exploring the North Queensland city of Townsville.

The shortlist

Fine dining gem: Marmor
Best coffee: Born Wild Wholefoods + Espresso
Best outdoor dining: Longboard Bar & Grill

1. The Balcony Restaurant

Operating out of the upstairs of a distinctive salmon-pink heritage building complete with Art Deco ironwork on its namesake balcony, this Flinders Street spot in the city centre is a Townsville institution. Stop by for their all-day breakfast and choose between everything from avocado on toast and chilli-baked eggs to duck omelette with chilli sambal, and waffles with ice-cream and caramelised banana. The Balcony Restaurant also serves lunch, brunch and high tea.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Address:287 Flinders St, Townsville City

2. Herveys Range Heritage Tea Rooms

Head 30 minutes west of town into the Hervey Range for some scones and a spot of pioneer history. Herveys Range Heritage Tea Rooms operates out of a heritage-listed building that began life as the Eureka Hotel in 1865, just a year after Townsville was founded.

Dine outside in the peaceful gardens overlooking the historic corrugated iron-clad structure or sit inside to soak in its atmosphere among original hand-adzed slab timber walls.

The tea rooms serve a breakfast and light lunch menu of pies, toasted sandwiches and quiche with fresh garden salad, but it’s the scones and sweets – such as cinnamon apple pie or caramel tart – you don’t want to miss. Adventurous coffee drinkers can even experience a cup of the rare and exceedingly expensive kopi luwak coffee – which has passed through the digestive tract of the Asian palm civet – for $50 a cup. For a more pedestrian experience, book ahead for a traditional high tea for a taste of everything served with bottomless speciality tea or plunger coffee in China cups.

Cuisine: Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Address: 37 Thornton Gap Road, Herveys Range

3. JAM

Set your sights on the dining hub of Palmer Street in South Townsville for a memorable meal overlooking the CBD and Ross River. Established by renowned chef Matt Merrin in 2010, JAM has scooped many awards over the last decade for its modern take on North Queensland cuisine that blends culinary traditions from Italian to Turkish and Southeast Asian. It’s open for lunch and dinner with a creative seasonal menu that includes the likes of a massaman curry with confit duck, casarecce pasta with Townsville prawns, and grilled local barramundi. End on a sweet note with one of the drool-worthy desserts, such as bush honey gelato with orange blossom cream, bee pollen and chocolate wafer.

Cuisine: Fusion
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Stylish
Address: 1 Palmer Street, South Townsville

4. Odyssey on the Strand

Seaside foreshore The Strand is where you’ll want to be when it’s sunny (which is most of the time here – Townsville enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year, one of the highest averages of any Aussie city). In a breezy spot at its northern end lies Odyssey on the Strand, a relaxed Greek restaurant where you can enjoy ocean views along with hearty Mediterranean fare.

Its lunch menu includes mezze platters and toasted sandwiches, and traditional meals such as moussaka, spanakopita and lamb souvlaki straight from the grill served with charred pita bread, chips, Greek salad and tzatziki. It’s also open daily for breakfast.

Cuisine: Mediterranean
Average price: $$–$$$
Atmosphere: Casual
Address: 120 The Strand, North Ward

5. Longboard Bar & Grill

Jutting out into the ocean on The Strand with serious surf shack vibes, the Longboard Bar And Grill is your go-to for a long, lazy and sun-soaked lunch. It has a lunch menu for all comers with American and Mexican influences: think buffalo chicken burgers, tacos, carnitas nachos and taco bowls. Wash it down with a glass of signature Longboard pale ale.

Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Stylish casual
Address: The Strand Headlands, 80 Gregory St, Townsville City

6. CBAR

Located next door to Longboard Bar & Grill, CBAR serves each meal of the day with views across the Coral Sea to Magnetic Island. Sit outside on the deck to enjoy the sunshine, savouring its popular breakfast, including Spanish baked eggs, blue simmer crab omelette and acai bowls, or linger longer for the lunch and dinner menu served from 11.30 am. Featuring classics such as steaks and duck a l’orange, plus some seriously packed salads and seafood platters brimming with the catch of the day from North Queensland.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$-$$$
Atmosphere: Beachside vibes
Address: 80 Gregory St, Townsville City

7. Born Wild Wholefoods + Espresso

For a wholesome lunch and good coffee, make a beeline for Townsville’s creative laneway precinct of City Lane, where you’ll find Born Wild Wholefoods + Espresso. The menu at this funky and cheerful spot has something to suit all appetites, from burgers – Wagyu beef, falafel or chicken – to Buddha Bowls and daily salad, fish and curry specials.

The comprehensive drinks menu includes smoothies and juices of all persuasion and classic coffee options alongside alternative hot drinks such as turmeric lattes and hot chocolate made with raw cacao, honey and coconut milk.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: easy-going
Address: 383 Flinders St, Townsville City

8. Bridgewater

From the owners of nearby JAM, award-winning restaurant Bridgewater has become a Townsville dining highlight since opening in 2018. Head here for modern Australian cuisine in a contemporary, coastal-inspired space overlooking the river. Dishes include entrees of Townsville scallops with sobrasada, lime labneh and basil crumb; mains of salmon and prawn tortellini and desserts of kaffir lime brulee with strawberry and native pepper berry ice-cream. Or opt for a five-course degustation with or without wine pairing. Be sure to arrive early or linger later to enjoy a drink at Botaniq, the adjacent wine, gin and cocktail bar.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Refined
Address: 2/2 Dibbs St, Townsville City

9. Shorehouse

Capture the breeze upstairs at this laid-back Asian-inspired diner on The Strand. The blue sea shimmers across the road, but your attention will be easily diverted by the bright flavours on the menu. Tuck into dishes such as pork bao, Cantonese beef cheek curry, tamarind roasted pork belly, but save space for the lychee granita for dessert.

Cuisine: Modern Asian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: easy-going
Address: 118 The Strand, North Ward

10. Polola

This City Lane hotspot is super-charged with the vibrant flavours of Central America. With a menu of colourful, authentic Mexican classics made with locally sourced produce and plenty of plant-based options, Polola’s offering is perfectly in sync with its tropical location. Gather your mates together to sample as much of the menu as you can, such as the three caviar tostada, jackfruit al pastor and barbacoa lamb ribs, or go for the ‘fiesta me’ set menu. A dragonfruit margarita is the perfect pairing, or opt for the house ‘coconut rice’ cocktail.

Cuisine: Mexican
Average price: $$–$$$
Atmosphere: Casual
Address: City Lane, 383 Flinders Street, Townsville City

11. Shaw & Co

For lovers of red meat and red wine, this City Lane destination is here for you. Leaning into the bistro sports bar vibe, there’s big screens showing whatever must-watch games are happening at the time. But this is no dingy pub; instead, the menu is elevated, and the tunes are bopping. Head chef Alex Lavery masters the grill with all cuts from T-bones to rib porterhouse cooked just as you like them. For less carnivore-inclined diners, there’s also pasta, fish and other proteins. For intimate gatherings of up to 22 people, you may book The Mezz upstairs.

Cuisine: Steakhouse
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Elevated sports bar and bistro
Address: 383 Flinders St, Townsville City

12. Miss Songs Asian Kitchen

Part of The Ville – a waterside entertainment precinct incorporating the city’s iconic hotel, casino and a raft of dining and drinking options – Miss Songs Asian Kitchen welcomes locals and guests for synapse-firing Asian flavours. Here you’ll find Chinese dishes with a modern twist, all made using fresh and locally sourced produce. The menu covers everything from Peking duck to Hokkien noodles and Mongolian lamb hot plate. There’s also a collection of yum cha classics, such as prawn dumplings, barbecue pork buns and soup-filled black truffle xiao long bao.

Cuisine: Contemporary Chinese
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Stylish casual
Address:Sir Leslie Thiess Dr, Townsville City

13. Tobin Fish Tales

Sometimes all you want when you’re on holiday is the simply salty pleasures of fish and chips on the beach. Based in North Ward, Tobin Fish Tales’ ethos is based on serving fresh, high-quality seafood sourced sustainably and informing customers about the provenance of their meal – just ask for the story behind yours, and the staff will happily oblige. Choose whether your takeaway fish is battered, crumbed or grilled with a scoop of chips or potato scallops on the side and head a couple of blocks away to The Strand to enjoy a beachfront picnic spot in the balmy tropical evening.

Cuisine: Fish and chips
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Takeaway
Address: 2/1 Rose Street, North Ward

14. A Touch of Salt

With 20 years of incredible service to the Townsville community, this family-run restaurant – owned by a father and two sons – offers refined but relaxed dining with views of Ross Creek. When baked saucer scallops with bacon and jalapeno jam are a starter, you know you’re onto a good thing. The east-meets-west menu is peppered throughout with native ingredients and innovative flavours from across the globe. Try the smoked duck ramen, apricot-glazed pork belly, and many plant-based options, such as the spit-roasted cauliflower with creamed corn lentils and flatbeans.

Cuisine: Contemporary
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Refined
Address:86-124 Ogden St, Townsville City

15. Wild Rice

An extensive menu bursting with the flavours of Thailand and Laos, Wild Rice is a quaint restaurant where authentic Southeast Asian dishes – from Lao laksa to Thai green curry to Lao spicy green papaya salad to Pad Thai – are made fresh. BYO wine and enjoy a casual dinner out with mates.

Cuisine: Southeast Asian
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Casual
Address: 1/235 Flinders Street, Townsville

16. Marmor

Set in the luxe, five-star Ardo Resort and spoiling diners with commanding vistas of the Coral Sea and the city below, Marmor has become Townsville’s flagship fine diner. From its marble entry chamber, guests pass by a showcase of cuts on offer at this elegant restaurant, which is focused on the bounty of both the sea and the land. Once seated in the lavish dining room, you may choose to begin your culinary odyssey with chilled oysters and caviar, before moving on to starters of duck ravioli or burrata with tomato tartare. Mains impress with refined plates of perfectly charred Cape Grim steak, coral trout with garlic confit and salted fennel, or market-price grilled crayfish with herbed butter. To accompany, select a sommelier-chosen wine or sip one of the classic or signature cocktails, such as the fresh-sounding Pearl Cut made with Bundaberg rum, Massenez Pear Liqueur, lime and pear.

Cuisine: Contemporary steak and seafood
Average price: $$$–$$$$
Atmosphere: Elevated
Address: 67 Sir Leslie Thiess Drive, Townsville

17. Terasu

Sprawling outside onto the Coral Sea-adjacent terrace, this restaurant set in the sleek Ardo is a study in intricate Japanese flavours and presentation. Inspiration comes from Tokyo’s neon-lit culture and the menu is interwoven with elevated favourites. The Black Opal Wagyu scotch fillet is a revelation, while the Terasu pork Bolognese with ginger tofu and yuzu sesame is a must. If you’re dining as a group of four or more, consider the two ‘feed me’ options for $96 or $115. Drinks are equally finessed with a sake list, wine list and cocktails that match the tropical scene outside. Try the Tokyo Glow mixed with sake, Ketel One Vodka, grape and yuzu.

Cuisine: Japanese
Average price: $$$–$$$$
Atmosphere: Elevated
Address: Sir Leslie Thiess Drive, Townsville

18. The Watermark Townsville

To soak up those expansive ocean views that Townsville delivers in spades, head to the Watermark on The Strand from breakfast through to dinner. With its laid-back al fresco atmosphere and Magnetic Island firmly in its sightlines, it’s a bit of an icon in these parts. From its central island bar, it serves beer and cider on tap, signature cocktails plus a bar menu that includes pizzas, pasta and hot and cold seafood platters.

Cuisine: Bistro classics
Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 72-74 The Strand, North Ward

19. Quarterdeck

A top spot to spend long lazy afternoons soaking up the sun with epic views of Magnetic Island. Quarterdeck is a casual diner and bar fringed by swaying palm trees and gardens dotted with fuchsia bougainvillaea. Located on the ground floor of The Ville, you can match the scene with your cocktail, by sipping on a Paradise Punch or Aperol Spritz and watching as the sun disappears over the Coral Sea. The seafood-heavy menu roams from starters of oysters and bug and prawn sliders to larger meals of salmon and vodka spaghetti or Korean chicken burgers. Come Friday to Sunday to enjoy live tunes.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $–$$
Atmosphere: Relaxed
Address: The Ville Resort-Casino, 67 Sir Leslie Thiess Dr, Townsville City

Exploring Townsville soon? Make the most of your trip with the best things to do in Townsville.

Originally writen by Megan Arkinstall with updates by Lara Picone