The Illbiblie Road House might be considered to be in the middle of nowhere along the Bruce Highway south of mackay but it definitely serves up some really nice food. I have been travelling up and down this section of the Bruce Highway for years and I always stop in at the Ilbilbie Road House to stretch my legs and get a bite to eat. I am a huge fan of both their roast beef and gravy rolls and also their fish burgers. I was admittedly not expecting much from a roadhouse in the middle of nowhere when I first stopped in here but was taken aback by how great the food was and the prices were also really good value. Apart from the great food there is a small restaurant area which feels quite homely where you can sit and relax and eat. There is also plenty of parking room outside so that if you need to pull over and have a bit of a sleep for a while you can. The very country style service and smile by the staff always make me feel welcome at the Ilbilbie Road House

Approximate cost: $4-25

The Oonoonba Hotel is your pretty much stock standard average Australian pub. Despite having a bit of a makeover in recent years it caters towards a lower socio-economic area of town. Apart from the main public bar area the hotel also offers a restaurant eating area, pokies room and by far and away the nicest addition to the hotel a very nice outdoor seating area. The meals offered are what you would expect from pub meals with reasonable sized portions and slightly lower than expected prices. The service from the staff is always good but some of the language from the patrons would turn a few head of some people. The hotel also has a drive through bottle shop and some accommodation available.

Approximate cost: $12-27

The Dalrymple Hotel, better known as the Dally to locals is one of Townsville's oldest pubs. The sports and gaming bar of the Dalrymple is regularly filled with blue collar working patrons as it services a large industrial part area of the city. Patrons are able to relax while having a bet at keno, TAB or pokies. The Dalrymple offers standard pub style meals with above average portions in their restaurant area. The Dalrymple is well known for its steaks, with the rib fillet medium cooked regularly melting in my mouth. The Dalrymple also plays host to some trade shows and small concerts. One Friday night I was lucky enough to be entertained by Jimmy Barnes. The Dalrymple hotel also offers accommodation and sits next to a big Dan Murphy's outlet which provides cheap takeaway alcohol. The bar service is generally good and meal wait times are reasonable.

Approximate cost: $12-30

The West End Hotel is one of my favourite places to grab a counter meal at lunch or dinner. The West End Hotel has all of your normal pub meals plus a few extra and also has a salad bar that you can add/comes with your meal. I have found the portion sizes of the meals to be one of the biggest serving sizes in Townsville, with the cost of the meals being below the average prices for meals as well. Dining areas are available indoor and outdoor depending on what you wish. Meals are collected by the patrons freshly cooked. My particular favourite meals when at the West End are the chicken ptarmigan, reef and beef and steak sandwich. Also always keep an eye on the board as the chef regularly has some different specials available for even further below prices. The staff have always been well mannered and courteous when taking our orders and serving us at the bar. The West End Hotel also includes a small public bar area and a poker machine room for those who want to try their luck.

Approximate cost: $13-26

Irish Finnegan's or just plain old Finnegan's as us locals know it has a pretty good night life on Friday's and Saturdays and a pretty decent restaurant with good pub food every day. Finnegan's has a beer garden smoking area outside which is quite popular on most evenings along with the main public bar area where you can have a game of pool and there is also a dancefloor area. I've been out at Finnegans heaps of times when they have had either a live band or dj operating. Cowboys home game nights also pack Finnegans out as the footy crowd drops in on the way home to either celebrate or commiserate. Finnegans also has a restraint which serves your basic pub meals which are always full of flavour and had a pokermachine room out the back. The staff are always friendly and offer service with a smile. I always enjoy myself when heading out to Finnegans with friends.

The Great Northern is a really traditional old style type of pub that gives off a very Aussie vibe as soon as you walk in. I have been to the Great Northern on more than a handful of occasions over the last couple of years with Friday evenings always being a great way to start the weekend. There is regular live music and plenty of TVs to watch the footy or cricket depending on the time of year. These guys do a basic cheap pub lunch which I've had on a few occasions before heading up to the cinema which is just a two minute walk away. The general crowd at the great northern is a bit more of a blue collared worker one which is a bit rough around the edges but entertaining. The bar staff are always good for a chat and make you feel welcome. A solid Townsville pub.

The Vale Hotel has had a make over in the last few years to try and increase its marketability with a family friendly approach. They have been pretty successful in doing this with the Graziers Steak House and Bistro restaurant, a kids play area and dining options both inside and outside which cater to a family atmosphere. The main public bar still draws a working type blue collar crowd most evenings with the locals lining up to have a bet on the pub tab or game of pool. The Vale also has a poker machine room and accommodation available behind the hotel. The last time I went to the steakhouse I had a nicely cooked piece of rump with chips and salad that was fresh. The prices are a bit above average for the steak but in keeping with the more upmarket feel of the steak house. Lighter lunch options are available in the public bar and I generally enjoy a fish burger when in there earlier in the day.

Approximate cost: $15-35

The watermark hotel is a very upmarket bar and restaurant. It sits literally a stone's throw from the beach and you can sit and look over the ocean while you sip your beer or enjoy an appetizer. The bar and restaurant provide both open and closed dining/drinking options making it a viable option on most days. The menu while it has some eye catching dishes is quite small and the meal portions were not the biggest. It can also take a fair while for you to get served at the bar when it is busy, particularly when some bar staff look after their friends out of whom has been waiting there the longest. A great view to sit and relax with a beer but both meals and beers are more expensive than most other bars close to the area.

Approximate cost: $28

The Newmarket is probably one of Townsville's more upmarket restaurants as far as steak houses go and charges like it. The beer is cold and it is easy to see the footy game on TV, while the meals are pretty good. For me this is more of a place to take a visiting client, or a date or if you aren't on a budget. It does have a nice comfortable but a bit exclusive atmosphere and being close to the cinema is a bonus if you're wining and dining someone special. The outdoor dining area is particularly nice in the evening when things cool down. Nice steaks and mashed potatoes and suitable for a special occasion for the average local.

Approximate cost: $30+

I was lucky enough to dine here on three or four occasions over the last twelve months with some friends from out of town. I was extremely impressed with the freshness and portion sizes of the meals with. The prices are on the lower side of average and provide good value. The pub itself is pretty old school with an inside public front bar and pokies room with the main attraction being the eating area (indoors) and the beer garden type area out the back. The proximity to the beach is really good to and its probably the cheapest bar to have a pub meal at along the strand compared to the other bars. I thought my steak was cooked to perfection and I really liked their chips and gravy . Hotel Allen is a really decent place to go for a good value meal that wont hurt the hip pocket to hard.

Approximate cost: $10-30