Gold Coast
Hang out in this cavernous space with fellow beer lovers, or grab a seat in the courtyard to listen to live music and fuel up from the food trucks. There…
Must-see nightlife in Queensland
Fraser Island & the Fraser Coast
This buzzing craft brewery and taproom serves pizzas, sliders, jerky and other thoughtfully chosen drinking food ($14 to $17) to accompany pints of Drunk…
Cairns
Run by the masterminds behind Three Wolves, Flamingos is a kitsch Tiki basement bar with fishbowl cocktails and literally hundreds of rums on offer…
Cairns & Far North Queensland
Bustling bar with sports on the TV, outdoor seating and lunch specials. It runs a regular courtesy bus between Palm Cove and the other northern beaches as…
Surfers Paradise
This nautical-themed bar on the water's edge is perfect for a few drinks as the sun sets over the Nerang River. The bistro menu features decent enough…
Cairns
This local institution is much loved for its killer waterfront location and daily happy hour (5pm to 7pm). Its Sunday sessions are legendary, with live…
Fortitude Valley
Pumping and popular, TBC pulls in some big name on the local and international dance and electronic music scenes. Acts who have hit the decks to date…
Whitsunday Coast
The best coffee in town (from $4.50) – either espresso or filter, made from ever-changing single-origin beans – is bulked out with light eats at this…
Surfers Paradise
In a stretch known more for its sleazy clubs and nearby Cavill Ave chaos, this is a great choice for a drink with an all-Australian list of 32 craft beers…
Port Douglas
Rattle 'n Hum is usually crowded with backpackers and tourists thanks to reasonably cheap bar meals and pizzas, live sports, pool table and boisterous,…
Cairns
It has sticky carpets and reeks of stale Guinness, but Irish-themed PJ’s still packs the backpackers in with party nights and dirt-cheap meals. Tuesday is…
Townsville
An eco-conscious establishment roasting beans sourced from the Atherton Tablelands to Mombasa. If you don’t find a blend you like, invent your own and…
Gulf Savannah
Serving all manner of beers, and stronger stuff, the resort's bar inhabits a converted railway carriage. They operate reduced hours from November to March.
Port Douglas
Elegant and unmissable, the old ‘Courty’ holds court on the main street corner. It's a lively local, with live music on weekends and reasonable meals.
Cairns
Pull up a seat in the retro space for a Ransom caffeine fix; locals rate this as some of the best coffee in Cairns. Serves breakfast and lunch.
Airlie Beach
Airlie's inevitable Irish bar has live music every night, with occasional events, cold Guinness and plenty of backpackers enjoying a session.
Southport Surf Lifesaving Club
Gold Coast
This beautiful, airy pavilion-style club has spectacular views. The deck is open from 8am for coffee, or head here for lazy beery afternoons.
Noosa
Everything you'd expect from a yacht club: refreshing booze, water views and sociable salts. Especially worth a visit for a sunset toast.
Cairns & Far North Queensland
The most happening place in Palm Cove, with a fun crowd, regular live music and a fab cocktail list. Good eats, too.
Cairns & Far North Queensland
This local hang-out is great for a drink in the sunny garden bar, bargain-priced seafood and decent kids' meals.
Cairns & Far North Queensland
The best spot for barista coffee and cake in Chillagoe.
Fortitude Valley
Looking more like a hang-out for aliens than journos (picture sci-fi bar stools and glowing chandeliers), Press Club sets an offbeat scene for cocktails,…
Fortitude Valley
The combination of craft beer, giant Jenga and 4m shuffleboard table is not lost on Millennials, who stream into this big, polished playpen to let the…
Fortitude Valley
Minigolf, in a church, with cocktails awaits at Holey Moley (best booked ahead). Order a Hook, Lime and Drinker (tequila, agave, fresh lime and kaffir…
Hervey Bay
Etched mirrors, koala-grey felt chairs, a lurid pink bar and basic outdoor cafe seating send slightly confusing signals, but the no-nonsense name…
Brisbane
Down a grungy, graffiti-spangled driveway off George St sits Bean, a dark, indie-spirited cafe with a mish-mash of furniture, lamps and rotating…
Noosa
A simple little coffee kiosk by the river, complete with wooden deck and coffee beans roasted by the owner. If you need to cool down, order the coconut…
Cape York Peninsula
Wash down the bull dust with a beer at the legendary Exchange Hotel. After a boozy prank the ‘S’ on top of the pub became a permanent fixture, making it…
Sunshine Coast
Although it serves globally inspired dishes (mains $25 to $34), Lot 104 is best for an evening tipple. Head in for a glass of vino, or imaginative…
Whitsunday Coast
Both a social and historical landmark, the 1937-built Ambassador is art deco outside, wild 'n' crazy inside. There's multilevel carousing on weekends,…
Townsville & Mission Beach
The El Arish is an iconic North Queensland highway pub filled with farming and hunting paraphernalia and surrounded by a broad verandah held up by axe-cut…
Gold Coast
In an incredible position on Currumbin Beach below craggy Elephant Rock, this surf pavilion is perfect for an afternoon beer. The menu (mains from $20 to …
Airlie Beach
One of Airlie's biggest backpacker nightspots, Mama Africa brings a faux-safari theme, with its zebra-striped dance floor and elephant-head logo. Themed…
Brisbane
Upstairs in the heritage Port Office building, this slick steak restaurant has an equally polished wine bar overlooking the laneway out the back…
The Whitsundays
Offering most things to most people – gaming, a family-friendly bistro (mains $17-30) and late-night drinking – this sprawling pub in central Bowen is a…
Brisbane
The Caxton St strip off Petrie Tce used to be hip, but these days it's mostly a low-rent collection of strip cubs and kebab joints. But the old yellow…
Gold Coast
This boisterous harbourside pub – on a pier out over the water – is a beers-from-10am kinda joint, and gets raucous on weekends, with especially big…
Townsville & Mission Beach
Million-dollar views and ice-cold beer, but there's not much else to shout about in this flat-roofed pub on the main drag; there's been a pub here in some…
Hervey Bay
A big, boozy mainstream club, you can expect plenty of punters out on the lash at nights such as Friday's regular 'Bangerz'n'Anthemz', and Sunday-night…
Capricorn Coast & the Southern Reef Islands
Every Australian town has its local pub, but not all of them face the ocean and are as completely unpretentious and welcoming as the 'Piney'. Don't expect…
