The Best Seafood Restaurants in Airlie Beach

Sitting right on the waterfront at Coral Sea Marina, Sorrento has plenty of seafood running through its Italian-inspired menu.

The Prawn & Spanner Crab Fettuccine combines tiger prawns and spanner crab with chilli and lime butter, while the Marinara Fettuccine is loaded with scallops, prawns, mussels, clams and smoked salmon. There’s also Prawn Gamberi with tiger prawns and seared scallops, plus Fish of the Day and classic Fish & Chips with lightly battered reef fish.

With open-air dining overlooking the marina and yachts, Sorrento is a great spot for seafood, a cold drink and a long Whitsunday afternoon.

Right in the heart of Airlie Beach, Paradiso combines seafood with waterfront views and one of the livelier dining spots in town.

The Wild Caught Local Barramundi comes with dill and lime gnocchi, macadamia pesto and lemon butter, while the Marinara packs local prawns, squid, fish, mussels and clams into a rich Napoli spaghetti. There’s also Pescatore Risotto and classic Fish & Chips with beer-battered coral trout.

If you really want to get stuck in, the Spanish Seafood Paella brings together king prawns, local fish, mussels, squid and a char-grilled Moreton Bay bug. Definitely one for the seafood lovers.

Sitting amongst the yachts at Coral Sea Marina, Garden Bar has the location and the seafood menu to match. Start with Pan-Seared Scallops, Confit Garlic Prawns or Japanese Oysters, or go straight into the Fettuccine Scoglio with mussels, prawns and scallops.

The Seafood Platter is another standout, bringing together scallops, prawns, beer-battered Spanish mackerel, citrus pepper calamari and Coffin Bay oysters with chips and salad.

There are also fresh fish tacos, mussels and traditional fish and chips if you want to keep things casual. Grab a waterfront table, order a cocktail and settle in.

If you want to go all out on seafood, Coral Sea Pavilion has plenty to work with. The Seafood Platter is absolutely loaded with oysters, prawns, smoked salmon mousse, crumbed barramundi, baked scallops, Moreton Bay bugs, calamari, chips and grilled sourdough.

Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find Seafood Linguine, Grilled King Prawns, Reef Fish & Clams, Barramundi Laksa and Moreton Bay Bug Thermidor. There are oysters and smaller seafood plates if you’re not quite ready for the full platter too.

Add the waterfront location at Coral Sea Resort and it’s a pretty impressive spot for a seafood lunch or dinner.

If there’s one place where seafood feels particularly at home, it’s Northerlies. Sitting right on the water at Woodwark, the menu is packed with seafood including wild-caught Whitsunday prawns, oysters, King Salmon Sashimi, calamari and an Ocean Plate with pan-seared prawns and squid.

For something bigger, there’s Fisherman’s Fettuccine, Pan-Seared Tasmanian Salmon, Fish & Chips with wild-caught mackerel and char-grilled octopus.

Then there’s the Seafood Platter, loaded with Whitsunday prawns, oysters, Moreton Bay bugs, salmon sashimi, blue swimmer crab dip and tuna ahi poke. Come hungry.

Whisper Restaurant & Gin Bar sits on the waterfront at Mirage Whitsundays in Cannonvale, with open-air dining and views across the water.

Seafood makes its way across the menu in a few different forms, from natural oysters served with nam jim through to crispy soft shell crab with chilli coriander aioli. The menu has a strong Asian influence in places, which makes Whisper a good option if you want seafood that moves away from the usual fish and chips and seafood platter territory.

And with Whisper’s huge gin selection behind the bar, finding something cold to go with it definitely isn’t going to be a problem.

Right across from the Airlie Beach foreshore, The Pub has plenty going on for seafood lovers. The Whitsunday Garlic Prawns come with 12 king prawns in a creamy garlic sauce with coconut rice, while the Seafood Basket loads up battered fish, tiger prawns, salt and pepper calamari and Kilpatrick oysters.

There’s also crispy skin Teriyaki Salmon and a Fish of the Day that can be ordered grilled or beer battered. With a big open venue, sea views, regular live music and plenty of cold drinks behind the bar, it’s an easy spot for a casual seafood feed right in the middle of Airlie Beach.

Over in Jubilee Pocket, Jubilee Tavern is a good option if you want seafood without making things too fancy. Their seafood menu covers plenty of pub favourites, including Fish & Chips, Salt & Pepper Calamari and Crispy Skin Salmon with herb roasted potatoes and lemon broccolini.

The Garlic Prawns & Rice are another solid option, with eight local tiger prawns served in a creamy garlic sauce with coconut rice. You can even add garlic prawns or calamari to one of their steaks if you’re going for the full surf and turf approach.

Easy, casual and great for groups.