Food and Wine

Food

Cairns

The Cairns Esplanade offers a terrific range of tempting tastes, from upmarket restaurants to laidback cafes, and from Indian and Japanese to Australian and Italian cuisine.

Some of Cairns’ best seafood restaurants are located in the heart of the city along the Esplanade, such as Barnacle Bills (www.barnaclebills.com.au) and Raw Prawn Restaurant (www.rawprawnrestaurant.com.au).

There is also the award-winning Pesci’s on the Water (www.pescis.com.au), the only seafood restaurant overlooking the famous Marlin Marina.

For a wide range of Asian cuisine, incorporating Western influences, try Tamarind, the signature restaurant of The Reef Hotel Casino.

Don’t miss the award-winning Red Ochre Grill (www.redochregrill.com.au), one of the city’s best-known restaurants. It features modern Australian cuisine with native fruits, berries, seafood and meats. Favourites include kangaroo, crocodile, barramundi and mudcrab.

If you are craving delicious pastas, wood-fired pizzas and steaks, try the family-run Verdi’s (www.verdis.com.au).

For quality Asian food, head to Café China (www.cafechina.com.au), known for its authentic Peking and Hong Kong cuisine, yum cha, seafood and noodle artistry.

Tjapukai By Night (www.tjapukai.com.au/nightshow.html) offers a dining experience with a difference. Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner, as you watch a fascinating Aboriginal dance and show, including a traditional fire-making ceremony and corroboree ritual by the lake.

Port Douglas

This chic coastal town features world-class resorts as well as award-winning restaurants, many of which are located on Macrossan Street.
Don’t miss On the Inlet (www.portdouglasseafood.com), a multi award-winning seafood restaurant with spectacular waterfront views.

Salsa Bar and Grill (www.salsaportdouglas.com.au) is another very popular restaurant, even with US Presidents, Australian Prime Ministers and celebrities, and it serves excellent modern Australian cuisine.

Zinc (www.zincportdouglas.com) is a great place for casual alfresco dining. A café by day, and a restaurant and bar by night, it serves fine modern Australian cuisine at reasonable prices.

If you are in the mood for indulgence, visit the acclaimed Nautilus Restaurant (www.nautilus-restaurant.com.au). Winner of many awards for excellent dining, this elegant restaurant is known for its five-star food and service.

If you are craving good Asian food, pay a visit to Port of India, which offers excellent Indian cuisine. One of its chefs comes from Kerala in Southern India while the other two chefs are from Delhi in Northern India.

For a unique dining experience, don’t miss Flames of the Forest (www.flamesoftheforest.com.au). Enjoy a candlelit dinner beneath the canopy of ancient rainforest, while being entertained by Aboriginal story telling and music.

Cairns Highlands

This beautiful hinterland, more commonly known as the Atherton Tablelands, is home to rolling hills, rugged mountains, rich farmlands and plantations.

The town of Mareeba is where you will find Australia’s largest coffee producing area.

Head to The Coffee Works (www.arabicas.com.au), a boutique roastery, where you can sample a wide range of premium Australian grown coffees.

Visit the Australian Coffee Centre at the 360-acre Skybury (www.skybury.com.au), tour its coffee plantations, see the coffee production process and enjoy a taste of the various brews at the beautiful timber visitor centre.

Or head to the Jaques Australian Coffee Plantation (www.jaquescoffee.com), where you can even enjoy a microlight flight over the plantations.

Wine

The fruit wine industry in Tropical North Queensland has gone beyond being the little cousin to the grape wine industry by producing some award-winning wine with an abundance of flavour and consistent quality.

Located in and around the Cairns Highlands, the wineries use tropical fruits such as mango, banana, lychee, pineapple, passionfruit and black sapote, as well as citrus and the Australian native fruits including the Davidson Plum and Lemon Aspen.

Sample some of these delicious tropical fruit wines and liqueurs at boutique wineries such as Golden Drop (www.goldendrop.com.au), Mt Uncle Distillery (www.mtuncle.com) and Shannonvale Tropical Fruit Winery (www.shannonvalewine.com.au).