A man has died two days after choking on a piece of steak at one of Queensland's most famous watering holes, the "pub with no beer".

The 44-year-old man was eating alone on Friday night at the Lees Hotel, famous for standing in place of the Day Dawn Hotel, birthplace of the Slim Dusty classic.

A man has died after choking on a steak. Credit:Getty

A police spokesman said the man began choking and fellow punters at the Ingham pub, between Townsville and Cairns, rushed to provide first aid.

Paramedics eventually managed to dislodge the steak but the man from Cardwell, about 40 minutes north, had been without oxygen for 45 minutes.