Known as the official gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, Airlie Beach is a small town with a great vegan scene. Whilst there isn’t yet a 100% vegan spot in town, there are loads of vegan-friendly restaurants and cafes worth checking out during your stay. Keep reading for the Airlie Beach Vegan Guide 2022.
Bohemian Raw
Airlie Beach
Bohemian Raw does the best vegan breakfast in Airlie Beach. The café is located on the marina with views across the bay, so it already ticks my boxes for an epic breakfast spot. Luckily, the vegan options are brilliant too. The café focuses on conscious food consumption and cooks with organic produce that’s locally sourced where possible. The menu mainly focuses on smoothie bowls & raw treats (the majority of which are vegan) but they also do some wonderful avo toasts piled high with roast veggies & toasted seeds.
Café One 3
Airlie Beach
Well worthy of a spot in the Airlie Beach Vegan Guide, Café One 3 is one of my favorite places in Airlie Beach. Found on a quiet street just 5 minutes from the main town center, the café rotates dishes daily so you can always try something new. Vegan options include Mexican breakfast beans on sourdough with turmeric hummus in addition to veggie curry or chilli nachos. Also, they make their own fresh juices, salads & vegan friendly cakes. As well as this, my favorite thing about Café One 3 is probably the gift shop. The owners sell the cutest eco-friendly gifts such as keep-cups, metal straws, hand-poured soy candles & metal lunch boxes.
Northerlies
Woodwark
Definitely my favorite restaurant in the Whitsundays region, Northerlies is located across the bay and it takes 15 minutes to drive there from Airlie Beach. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the journey, the answer is absolutely. Firstly, the setting is utterly breathtaking, with dining tables set right on the shore overlooking Pioneer Bay. Secondly, they have a separate vegan menu featuring simple but delicious homemade dishes. For starters I had warm sourdough with olive oil, balsamic and ras el hanout and for my main course I went for the spring pea risotto with sun-blushed tomatoes & chive oil. Without a doubt, Northerlies is the best vegan dinner spot in Airlie Beach.
*Don’t worry, no driving is required to reach Northerlies. They offer a free shuttle bus service between the restaurant and Airlie Beach town center several times a day until 10pm.
Wisdom Café
Airlie Beach
Known for brewing the best coffee in town, Wisdom Café pairs epic hot drinks with build-your-own vegan sandwiches containing fillings such as roast veggies, falafel, avo, vegan cheese & guacamole. Additionally, they prepare cheesy vegan pizzas and make homemade dairy-free chocolate gelato & vegan blood orange muffins.
Fat Frog Beach Cafe
Cannonvale
Fat Frog Beach Café is five minutes out of town on Cannonvale beach, but this is the perfect opportunity to complete the stunning 4km Bicentennial Walk from Airlie Beach which ends directly outside the café. After a wonderful boardwalk stroll by the ocean, Fat Frog Café will refuel you with loaded vegan nachos or a hearty Indian dahl.
The Village Café Restaurant & Bar
Airlie Beach
This popular al fresco dining spot does a great vegan burger with portobello mushroom, pumpkin, sweet potato & guacamole on sourdough with French fries. Also, they do a great forest mushroom risotto with confit garlic bread (ask for these vegan to avoid the dairy).
Mika
Airlie Beach
With one of the best views in town, Mika offers vegan diners a great selection of dishes overlooking the ocean. To start, choose the battered sweet chilli cauliflower bites and for your main go for the vegan pasta with sundried tomatoes, roast pumpkin & olives in a rich sugo sauce.
Little Vegas Burger & Bar
Airlie Beach
The ‘Viva Las Vegan’ burger is not be missed at this burger & beer establishment. It consists of grilled egglplant, pumpkin, mushroom, onion rings, smashed avo, rocket, salsa rouge and hummus and it’s really quite excellent. Even better, pair this with a vegan-friendly Yenda Pale Ale and you’ll be rockin’.
d’Viet House
Airlie Beach
Vegan options at this highly reviewed Vietnamese joint include vegan pho, tofu stir-fried noodles, spring rolls and veggie fried rice. Also, don’t miss their homemade lemonade to refresh the palate after a hit of chilli.
Cool LaLa Modern Asian Restaurant
Airlie Beach
Cool LaLa offers around 8 different Chinese & Taiwanese dishes with tofu as a protein source. Moreover, they do excellent homemade Korean kimchi and Japanese seaweed salad.