Where to eat in Cairns this winter: a food and dining guide

Cairns’ food scene is having a moment. With the July school holidays in full swing and the city’s wet-season humidity dialled down to a balmy 24°C, locals and visitors alike are flooding the Esplanade and surrounding streets for everything from market-fresh seafood to wood-fired pizzas and craft cocktails. The key question: where to go now?

Winter in Cairns means peak season for both tourism and produce. The annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, which runs from August 6 to 9 this year, is expected to draw thousands of visitors, many of whom will be looking for dining experiences that showcase the region’s tropical bounty. At the same time, the city’s hospitality industry is still recovering from the dual blows of the 2024 floods and ongoing staffing shortages, making it all the more important to support local operators who are fighting to keep their doors open.

New spots and old favourites

On the waterfront, the recently revamped Prawn Star, a floating seafood market moored at Marlin Marina, has extended its trading hours to 9pm on weekends through August. The restaurant serves Spencer Gulf prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and live mud crabs straight from the trawler, with a BYO drinks policy that keeps the bill reasonable. A dozen large wild-caught tiger prawns goes for $38.

In the CBD, the team behind the popular Caffiend, a bustling café at 17 Grafton Street, has opened a sibling venue called Feed the Goose on Lake Street. The new spot focuses on share plates with a Southeast Asian influence, including crispy soft-shell crab with green papaya slaw ($22) and charcoal-grilled wagyu skewers ($28). The bar serves cocktails built around local spirits, such as the "Cairns Cooler", made with Mt Uncle Distillery’s cane vodka and finger lime.

For a more casual feed, the Night Markets on Abbott Street continue to be a reliable option. Open from 5pm to 11pm daily, they offer satay sticks ($8), fresh spring rolls ($12) and the ever-popular laksa, which draws queues of hungry backpackers and families. The markets have added a dedicated dessert stall this season selling coconut sorbet scooped into fresh pineapple halves ($10).

Plan your week

Monday nights at the Salt House, on the Esplanade, feature a $25 steak-and-a-glass-of-red deal that has become a local institution. The dish, a 200g grass-fed rump with chips and salad, sells out by 7pm most weeks, so early arrival is advised.

Wednesday evenings see the Edge Hill Tavern, at 2 Pease Street, host its popular curry night, where all curries are $16 and include naan bread and rice. The butter chicken and the lamb rogan josh are the top sellers, according to bar staff.

Thursday is the night for the Cairns Showgrounds twilight markets, which run from 4pm to 8pm. The food stalls here are run by community groups and local producers, meaning you can get a plate of char siu pork from the Chinese Association of Cairns for $12, or a handful of homemade macadamia and white chocolate cookies for $5.

No food guide would be complete without a mention of the Esplanade’s Sunday barbecue facilities. The city council maintains four free electric barbecues between the Lagoon and the playground, and the adjacent Foreshore Markets (Sundays, 7am-2pm) supply everything from locally smoked barramundi dip to fresh passionfruit and mangoes.

For those looking to eat out on a budget, a walk along Grafton Street between Spence and Shields yields at least five lunch specials under $15, including the $13 pho at Pho Street and the $12 chicken katsu curry bowl at Haru Sushi. Both are packed with workers and tourists by 12.30pm, so aim for a slightly earlier lunch to avoid the queue.