GOOD EATS IN CAIRNS

Now if there's one thing that I look forward to when I'm away on a holiday, it's definitely food. Whilst at home I've been trying to eat more healthily and get to grips with losing some (or all) of the chub that I've accrued over the last three months. But diets go out of the window when you are on a holiday because no one goes to the beach to eat a salad.

Cairns has plenty of options for you to go out and eat; to be honest we were spoilt for choice. Whether you're after a burger, wood fired pizza or just some good old ice cream down the beach, you are sure to find everything that you are looking for. If you're too lazy to look however, let me tell you the best places I enjoyed on my adventure week in Cairns.

 Waffle On
Now if you don't like waffles then you can waffle on down to the next place, but if like me you love all breakfast foods, then you will be in love with this place. I discovered this small cafe whilst looking at a list of places to eat in Cairns for under $10 (we all know I love a bargain). The Classic Waffles just made the cut at $9.90, but you're not going to go to this cafe and just have the Classic. With a large menu of savoury, sweet and special waffles and a whole list of delicious fruit smoothies, milkshakes, teas and coffees to choose from, it's hard to choose. Naturally I had to go twice whilst I was in Cairns - once for sweet and once for savoury.

Chronicles of Banana, Spaniard and Mountain goat

On my first trip I got the Mountain Goat which is goats cheese, avocado, a little honey and blueberry coulis. It may sound like an odd combination to some, but oh my were these delicious. My brother got the sweet the first time we were there, going fancy with a banana pie waffle. The second time we went my brother opted for the Spaniard which is a full on flavour explosion with spicy chorizo, beans, spicy tomato sauce, a perfect poached egg and sour cream on the side. I went for the Chronicles of Banana (don't you love the names). This was stacked high and filled with nutella, banana, walnuts and some chocolate ice cream on the side. Most of the waffles range between $10-$15 so this place is completely affordable even if you're on a budget. It is only open from 7am to 1pm so you want to get in there for brunch. The cafe itself only has two tables inside, with plenty of tables out in the pavement area with a cover for those rainy days. This place is so popular, you do often have to wait for one of the tables at busier times. If you're ever in Cairns, I would highly recommend if you're a fan of waffles.

Schnitz
Originally opening as a single restaurant in 2007, founder - Polish born Roman Dyduke -  has grown his business to over 60 stores across Australia (he must be doing something right). Of course true to the name, this restaurant sells schnitzel and not much else. Usually though, when something sells just one thing, they get that one thing right and boy do Schnitz. With the typical chicken schnitzel that is normally found in Australia, you can also choose a beef, fish or vegetarian so there is something for everyone. Naturally I had to get the parmigiana to taste the delicious Napoli sauce and mozzarella melted on top, along with a side of chips and their brand new kettle gravy. If you're trying to be a bit healthier, you can get the schnitzel crumb free or opt for one of the wraps instead.

This food was really delicious but honestly one of the best things was the chips. I don't know what they put on them but they were thick cut, deliciously flavoured and with my favourite combination of gravy on top, these were perfect. If I hadn't had such a wide range of other places to eat, I could have quite easily come back here again to have their chips at lunch time. If you're not in to gravy then have no fear! There are more than ten different sauces for you to choose from or you can just have them plain. All of this came to just over $15 which again makes this a cheap and delicious dinner.

Grill'd
Another chain restaurant in Australia which has been around since 2004. With a motto of Be Good, Do Good, Feel Good these burgers are all about the fresh and healthy. Sourcing from local farmers and using ingredients that are healthy for you, these burgers taste as good as they look. Not only that, but each restaurant gives away $500 each month to a local community charity which is chosen by the customers!

These burgers were some of the best I've tasted. Again the chips were seasoned perfectly, but this time the star of the show was the burger. I had to have the summer sunset, because I'm one of those weird people who thinks pineapple and savoury food go so well together. This had avocado, pineapple, bacon, herb mayo and relish along with salad. This is a place that I would highly recommend going, with restaurants open across Australia, you don't have to be in Cairns to try this place. As always, there's some vegetarian options and a couple of salads for anyone who isn't quite as in to their meat or burgers.

Rattle and Hum
An Australian sports bar and grill found right along the Esplanade, this pub has a pool table, large sports screen and the best music playing. I could easily see why some people would come here for a beer at 1pm.

There is, as always, an area to sit outside but this is always filled up first. No fear though because the inside has more than enough seats to accommodate for everyone. The wood fired pizza station is right at the front of the restaurant on the outside area (probably so everyone can see how amazing the pizza looks and tempt you to come in). With a large range of pizza from $15 to $22 there's something for everyone, but y.ou don't have to get pizza. There are a range of steaks, sandwiches and other foods for you to choose from as well.
This is another place that I visited twice whilst in Cairns and I went for the pizza both times, with no regrets. The pizza is wood fired and made fresh to order - so worth it.







Devine Gelato
Now if you're looking for some dessert or need that ice cream to walk along the Esplanade with, then this is my number one suggestion. We tried a couple of places in Cairns for ice cream and I wish I had gone straight to this place, so I could have tried every one of their flavours.
Found just up the Esplanade, this ice cream stall has sizes ranging from a $3 mini cone to an $8 three scoop waffle cone (which you all know is what I got every time). All the ice cream is handmade using fresh and local ingredients which I think really makes the difference. The strawberry ice cream that you get from here is amazing - out shined only by ice cream I got in New Zealand from a local strawberry farm shop. With flavours ranging from Lindt Chocolate, Rum and Raisin and Coconut to the lighter flavours of the Mango, Passionfruit or Raspberry sorbets, this place is a must on a sunny day.



Cairns has so much food to offer, it is really hard to try and fit it all in to one week. The place is bountiful in Asian cuisine, seafood restaurants and some amazing looking fine dining restaurants. (We backpackers are too poor for that though). No matter what kind of flavours you're in to, there is sure to be something for you in Cairns.