Beaches Cafe - Cnr of Mowbray St and Esplanade, Port Douglas. Ph:     07 4099 4998     

The Aussie beachside kiosk is a fast disappearing icon but fortunately you can find one about ten seconds from the sand here in Port. Okay, so it’s not exactly the classic ice block and soft drink shop, but Beaches still has that fantastic, sun baked, bikini clad vibe that makes you think of childhood afternoons and the aroma of fried onion and grilled bacon.

Beaches is a Port Douglas treasure. No airs and graces, no tablecloth pretence, just plastic chairs for wet and sandy beach bums, ads for icecream, and the great smell of sunscreen and frying. If you want hardcore beach vibe, this is your pitstop.

But wait, there’s more. Not satisfied simply to flog Pepsi and Drumsticks, Beaches Cafe does a bewildering array of home made burgers, hot dogs, open grill pitta treats, (try the Queenslander), brekky, salads, health juices and espresso. What’s more they even have gluten free. Now that’s what I call a twenty first century kiosk, even though it’s actually a café.

Of the burgers, I couldn’t stay away from the Indian Chicken with banana and mango chutney, although my ex couldn’t wait to get her hands on the steak burger with the lot. She seemed to fall into a kind of trance and I couldn’t get a word out of her.

Meanwhile, her older brother, who is the very image of old school, was ecstatic to find corned beef and pickles on the menu. One chunky looking sandwich later and he was ordering cappuccino in a mug and fantasising about icecream. The girl was doing the protein boost smoothie with banana, yoghurt, soy and two egg whites and I was thinking Flu Buster, (which is a ginger infused juice option, as opposed to a course of antibiotics).

Now, as it happened, we could have stayed on the sand because the Beaches Cafe Munch Buggy was just about to roll off on one its twice daily trundles along Four Mile Beach. That little cart is a local beach dining legend and it is said that recently divorced men line up to get the job driving it.

Gossip aside, Beaches is the perfect Esplanade fuel stop. Not only does it have charm factor in spades but it has take out that won’t ruin your swimsuit bod; although the thought of maple syrup and pancakes for breakfast did cross my mind more than once.  Oh yeah, and they do chips too.

Beaches Cafe Port Douglas

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