La Pizza Trattoria
93 the esplanade. â +61 7 4031-2646. la pizza trattoria has good pizza. it lures most patrons in by letting them wander past the pizza chef kneading the dough as they smell the baking pizzas. medium sized pizzas $17. open 7 days 7am until late.
Hide's Coffee Cafe
Shop 7, 87 lake street. â +61 7 4041-1899. hides coffee cafe, a couple of streets back from the esplanade, is a good place for an under $10 breakfast or lunch. order at the counter and remember to keep an eye on the collapsing umbrellas at the outside tables. they have free wifi for guests.
Sushi Express
Shop 28 orchid plaza, 79 abbott street. â +61 7 4041-4388. fax:+61 7 4052-1277. a sushi train made up to look like the kuranda railway, this place is popular but not wildly busy. the tempura seems to get more attention than the sushi or sashimi. plates from $2.50-$4.50.
Perrotta's At The Gallery
38 abbott street. â +61 7 4031-5899. if you want to escape from several evenings touring the bar and grill places, perotta's is just off the esplanade and does more sophisticated western food. try the french toast with roast pear for breakfast. breakfast, lunch and dinner approximately $20.
As with much of Cairns, you can divide the city into the Esplanade and the places within a block of it, and the rest of the city. The Esplanade is littered with bar and grill places supplying red meat and beer all in the one place, and with seafood restaurants. It's relatively difficult to find anything open before 11AM, since they expect the clientele to be sleeping in. The rest of the city has small cafes and milkbars catering to locals. The number of Japanese tourists here makes Japanese food a fairly reliable option, although prices can be steep.
A number of the more expensive restaurants on the Esplanade, particularly towards the north end, offer discounts of 20-30% for early birds: usually you will need to order by 6:30PM and pay and leave no later than 7:30PM to get a discounted meal.
Villa Romana Trattoria
(http://www.villaromana.com.au/), aplin street cnr the esplanade. â +61 7 4051-9000. fax:+61 7 4031-5557. italian meals with some good seafood options and overworked wait staff. 25% discount if you order before 6:30pm. meals are $25-$40.
Donnini's Ciao Italia
At the pier marketplace, features indoor and outdoor dining with an ocean backdrop. located at the esplanade, and is within walking distance of many of cairns' hotels. meals from around $20-$25.
Cairns Esplanade Markets
Esplanade Markets have home made products, rare stones, clothes, all types of art, massage, local music, local rainforest timbers/carvings/wooden copping boards and you will be buying from the maker/artist of the products. Heaps of budget priced stuff, but some very refined high art/design/ideas that could easily become a feature piece of a house/garden. Great place to find a special gift. And best of all it has a 'locals feel' about it. Make sure go take a hat and sunscreen-It's an outdoor market, Have fun and meet some true localsâRun by the Cairns City Council