BOHO café

BOHO cafe sits right on the water at Coral Sea Marina in Airlie Beach, serving an acai-and-smoothie-led brunch menu with the boats in view. It is a genuinely popular dog spot: the venue itself invites visitors with their pets, and the marina-side outdoor seating is the whole reason to bring yours.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome at the outdoor marina-side tables, on a lead, where the breeze and the open space make for a comfortable sit even in the Whitsunday heat. Water bowls are usually around and treats sometimes appear, but bring your own bowl to be sure. Weekend mornings draw plenty of other dogs, so the crowd is relaxed about a well-mannered newcomer.

On the plate

The menu leans healthy: acai and smoothie bowls, avocado toast, banana bread and solid coffee, with good vegetarian and vegan range. It opens early, generally from 6:30am, and the calm window is before the late-morning rush when the marina wakes up. The rating sits lower than the food might suggest, so go for the setting and the bowls rather than white-tablecloth service.

Getting there and parking

The cafe is inside Coral Sea Marina on Shingley Drive, a short drive or a longer waterfront walk from the Airlie Beach main strip. Free street parking runs along Shingley Drive with paid parking in the marina complex; arriving before 8am makes both a table and a bay easier on weekends.

Make a day of it

The Bicentennial Walkway connects straight past the cafe, a flat paved path with water views between the marina and Airlie township, and Shingley Beach is a short stroll for an on-lead wander. Harry's Corner Cafe and Rufus & Co Cafe are the other dog-friendly stops in town.

More options are on the QLD dog friendly cafes guide and the Airlie Beach destination page.

Pepsi: Water on one side, a long flat boardwalk on the other, and other dogs everywhere. Arrive before the heat and make a loop of it.