A coffee connoisseur’s guide to the cafes in Cairns.

While Cairns is a relatively small city, it’s big on coffee, and cafes that offer a combination of friendly service, excellent food, a welcoming ambience - oh and we almost forgot to mention it - the most delicious coffee!

Cairns is a coastal city with a linear urban layout, stretched along a coastal strip between the Great Dividing Range and the Coral Sea.

On a plateau 1,000 metres above Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands is a renowned coffee growing region.

Coffee farms. such as Skybury and Jaques, welcome visitors to explore the story of coffee growing in the Atherton Tablelands.

We paint the scene for you on where to find quality cafes across Cairns.

Order yourself a nice flat white, pull up a cafe chair and do read on …

We’ve all got our personal preferences and tastes so you just might find your favourite spot in one of these many cafés scattered across Cairns - from Palm Cove to Portsmith, from Brinsmead to Yorkeys.

This page freshly roasted on 18 May 2024

Cairns Central City Cafe Vibe

Grafton Street, Cairns CBD

For orientation, when arriving in the big smoke of Cairns City, you might like to take a wander down Grafton Street. This is where you’ll find wall-to-wall cafes and the places where all the locals hang out.

Starting south and heading north up Grafton Street you’ll encounter Pantry 15, Candy, Lillipad and Caffiend. This group of side-by-side cafes is very popular and the footpath is often lined with cafe goers.

There’s a gap, then Cruze. Cross the road - Shields St - Envy on the left and then Chezest (in the old Fire Station building on the corner of Grafton and Aplin streets).

Annee’s is at the entrance to Rusty’s market in Grafton Street and, hiding inside Oceana Walk Arcade, you’ll discover the delightful Blackbird.

Rusty’s

Rusty’s market sets up early Friday morning and runs through to Sunday afternoon.

Three places inside Rusty’s market serve barista-made coffee (takeaway) viz. Barista Sista, Billy’s and Olive Tree. They all serve excellent coffee.

If you are all coffeed out other options include freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and fresh coconut water.

Coffee Works also have one of their stores based inside Rusty’s, offering 50 shades of beans, specialty teas, liqueurs and chocolate.

Spence Street, Cairns CBD

Bang & Grind is a cool cafe - in Spence St, away from the madding crowd!

Weekday early risers can get their coffee fix at Silk Caffe - open 5.30 am! - corner of Spence and Sheridan streets.

Lake Street, Cairns CBD

Lake Street cafes to check out include the new Coffee Buoy in the Cairns Corporate Tower, The Chamber Room Espresso & Brew Bar, The Chambers, The Dispensary Coffee Shop in Orchid Plaza, The Nook at 34 Lake St, and Strada Cafe & Bar.

Shields Street, Cairns CBD

Shields Street near the Cairns Esplanade is a hive of coffee vibe; Mungalli Creek Dairy, Bang & Grind The Esplanade (their 2nd cafe outlet), while Perrotta’s completes the set between Abbott and The Esplanade.

Don’t miss a visit to the boutique Cairns Art Gallery tucked in behind Perrotta’s.

As you head further inland along Shields you’ll encounter Crave Eatery & Bar with their pink coffee machine, Waffle On and Wild Thyme.

Any further and you’ll end up inside the multi-story (air-conditioned) Cairns Central Shopping Centre.

Bunda

For your Central Cairns coffee and plants fix enjoy a locally-roasted Inka coffee at And Co. Coffee cafe in Succuliving & Co. in Bunda Street.

Sheridan Street

Sheridan is a major arterial than runs from the city in the direction of the Airport, Cairns Northern Beaches and Port Douglas.

One of Cairns’ most sophisticated cafes - Mi Piace Espresso Bar - is just on the fringe of the city at 119 Sheridan Street (opposite Munro Martin Park).

Cairns Waterfront and Esplanade

Heading out on an early morning fishing trip or reef cruise? Blu Marlin Bistro, right next to the Cairns Reef Terminal, serves breakfast and coffee from 6 am.

Cairns’ tourist strip along the Esplanade has plenty of waterholes, including Coast Roast, McDonalds, Coffee Club and La Pizza on the corner of Aplin.

In the waterfront vicinity you’ll find Mooz (near the yacht harbour) and Coffee Bean (in the Pier building). Mooz provides bean bags for lazing with a coffee or cool drink while admiring Esplanade views.

The Shangri-La Hotel has a morning cafe bar to service guests attending their buffet breakfast - The Backyard - tucked away inside the Pier Building.

For a very comfortable cafe experience check out Merchant Cafe, situated between hotel and casino, inside the Reef Hotel & Casino.

Aqua Cairns Lagoon overlooks the very popular Cairns Esplanade Swimming Lagoon.

At the back end of the Night Markets (Abbott St) VT Espresso have a little hole-in-the-wall cafe serving White Whale coffee.

Cairns North & Hospital

Occupying a prime corner spot overlooking the Esplanade in Cairns North, you’ll find the sophisticated Gulaya, 2021 winner for the best breakfast restaurant in North Queensland (Restaurant & Catering Association). Coffee by Tattooed Sailor in Cairns.

A number of cafes encircle Cairns Hospital. Upward St is home to Quack Coffee and Goose Specialty Coffee (sister cafe to Envy Espresso).

Jamdrop is tucked in near the corner of Upward on Lake St. North of the hospital, on Lake St is Odett’s Cafe.

Opposite Hospital Block E is a hole-in-the wall coffee shop called The Hut. The Hut is popular for hospital staff, being only a few steps from the hospital doors.

Near the hospital entrance (Block D) on the Esplanade side you’ll find D’Cafe. Muddy’s cafe is nearby, also on the Esplanade. If you are looking for your afternoon or evening caffeine hit, then make your way down to Muddy’s - it’s open from 6 am to 7:30 pm!

The Tobruk Memorial Pool in North Cairns has an alfresco cafe by the pool. Combine your swim or gym with coffee and eats.

Cairns Airport Cafes

• Hudsons Café - (2 cafes – one outside the check-in terminal / domestic departures, the other upstairs in the departures lounge of the International Terminal T1).

• Espresso Bar - domestic departures lounge (T2), serving White Whale Coffee (Cairns local coffee).

• Sugar & Cane Cafe - Caravan cafe, outside T2 Domestic Arrivals.

• Waddi Specialty Coffee - T1 International Terminal Arrivals Lounge & T2 Domestic Check-in

The ‘Burbs - Cairns inner suburbs.

Edge Hill is Cairns’ trendy suburban dining zone, just a few kms out of the city and near the Cairns Tropical Botanical Gardens.

Tank Sixty Four sits within the Botanic Gardens, aside the Gardens Visitor Centre.

Teddy Espresso, formerly Ten One Twenty Cafe, is on the corner of Collins and Mayers.

Eat St Cafe, sister cafe to Eat St in Trinity Park, is tucked away in the Edge Hill shopping precinct and a little further afield in Whitfield, you’ll come across the popular Woodward St Bakery and Nest cafes.

Mucho Love is in Pease Street. Treat yourself to some Argentinian tasty morsels. New owner (Tylar) took over Mucho Love Cafe on 2nd April 2024.

Other cafes looking after the coffee needs of the local population in Westcourt, Mooroobool, Manoora, & Manunda include Mama Coco on Aumuller St, High Tide Coffee on Carnation Drive, and Cafe Matteo on Anderson Street.

More Further Out ‘Burbs.

Aeroglen, Stratford, Freshwater, Redlynch

Poco Cafe in Aeroglen has undergone a number of incarnations recently. Formerly The Palms, with indoor plants for sale, Poco is now Mexican themed, rebranded and under new ownership.

Stratford cafes include Wolf Caf, GreenRoom Cafe (terrarium, art & plant shop, workshop hub - open Wed to Sunday), The Hole in The Wall Stratford in Tully Street and Palooka on Kamerunga Road.

Limberlost Garden Centre & Cafe is in Freshwater. The cafe garden setting makes for a relaxing environment to enjoy. The cafe itself is called Vines Cafe.

On Kamerunga Rd, in Freshwater, stop for coffee at Le Crouton or Charlies On The Run.

Take a drive out to the beautiful Redlynch Valley for coffee at Sharbella and / or Folly.

Cairns Industrial Zone Cafes.

The Cairns’ industrial / commercial zones of Portsmith and Bungalow offer a number of visitor roasteries and cafe choices for coffee lovers:

Newell Street: Home to Blackbird’s Warehouse Cafe and the Tattooed Sailor Coffee Roasters cafe and roastery.

Tingira Street: Discover White Whale and U6. U6’s indoor seating is inside neighbouring Deck Store, a spacious warehouse full of marine supplies.

With ample free parking available, the Cairns Home Improvement Centre offers you the very chic Lukure and Little Blu cafes. Little Blue is the sister cafe to Blu Marlin Bistro on the Cairns Waterfront.

Industry One Cafe at 113 Scott Street keeps the people who work in the area well caffeinated.

Social Coffee (Roastery & Espresso Bar) is hidden away in a new industrial zone in Ponzo Street, Woree. Social Coffee serve great coffee and it’s definitely worth the effort to track them down via. Google maps.

Carns Northern Beaches.

Don’t leave town without checking out the Cairns’ Northern Beaches.

Palm Cove is an iconic palm-fringed beach and visitor’s favourite of the Northern Beaches.

Shops and restaurants accommodate giant melaleuca trees that line Williams Esplanade. You literally have huge trees growing inside the cafes! (Espresso & Co.).

All the visitor services are on tap - from bars and restaurants, night life, tour-booking agencies, rental cars, resorts and spas, waterfront holiday apartments, event venues - even an edgy wedding chapel alongside a picturesque lagoon adorned in crocodile warning signs!

Sunday is market day at Palm Cove (1st Sunday of the month from April to December). The stalls line Williams Esplanade and offer everything from local handcrafts to soaps and smellies.

A beautiful lowland forest walk and cycle path connects Palm Cove with Clifton Beach to the south. It’s called Agentea and is an enjoyable tranquil shady walkway on a hot day. Access from the end of Triton St.

For those with an eye on real estate, Agentea is also the name of a new prestigious beach-side property development at Palm Cove.

Espresso & Co faces the waterfront and has always been one of the best cafes in Palm Cove, both for coffee and meals.

27 Degrees serve delicious Allpress Coffee. Limited seating, but a very popular little cafe with a friendly vibe and a great place to rub shoulders with the “locals”.

Vivo is an alfresco beach-front restaurant at Palm Cove serving great coffee.

Quietly tucked away from the main drag (Williams Esplanade) in Veivers Road you’ll find The Beach Hut Cafe & Juice Bar serving locally-roasted White Whale Coffee.

Cafe Veivers (corner of Veivers Rd and Triton St) is the newest “cafe” in Palm Cove, opened in April 2024. The cafe is hole-in-the-wall style and attached to a new mini mart - Palms Supermarket. Outside seating and chill factor! Takeaway cups only.

Note. Cyclone Jasper (Dec 2023) damaged the Chill Cafe on the corner of Veivers Rd and Williams Esplanade. Both Chill at Portofino and the adjoining cafe are currently closed (April 2024).

At the Kewarra Beach shopping centre you’ll discover Wild Yeast cafe, sister cafe to Wild Yeast of Trinity Beach.

Cuppa at Clifton occupies a prime position in the centre of the shopping mall at Clifton Village Shopping Centre

Trinity Beach.

Trinity Beach cafes and coffee places include Italian restaurant L’Unico, The Beach House @ Trinity, NV Cafe, Il Chiosco, artisan bakery / cafe Wild Yeast FNQ and Thai restaurant Tuk Tuk By The Sea.

Our Trinity Beach feature page gives you an overview on what the locality has to offer the visitor, including accommodation, dining options and walks.

Smithfield and Cairns University (JCU).

Tucked away in the D3 Building at James Cook University (JCU) you’ll discover D'Lish on McGregor.

D’Lish is next door to JCU’s new Ideas Lab - just in case you come up with any bright ideas over you caffeine fix : )

Come and grab a bongo from Travers at Mojo’z Espresso (opens at 6am!) right across the road from the University, on McGregor Rd. If you’re not too laden on bongos you can work out at the cross fit gym in the same building.

Italian cafe Sapori Antichi Italiani is tucked away in the University Campus Shopping Village at Smithfield.

Eat St Cafe at Smithfield Village has reopened - May 2024 (under new ownership).

Yorkeys, Holloways & Machans

Yorkeys is beautiful long stretch of unspoilt beach. Cafes include Memories and Hidden.

Head out to Holloways Beach for sampling one of the 2 cafes on offer: Two Blocks and Strait on the Beach.

Note. Two Blocks Cafe at Holloways has now shifted location to Trinity Park (May 2024 update).

Newly constructed Barr Creek Bridge connects Holloways Beach with Machans Beach.

It’s a pleasant short walk across the bridge simply to admire the mangroves, river, mountains and ocean.

This link will in the future form part of a continuous off-road cycle trail from Cairns to Palm Cove (Northern Beaches Leisure Trail).

Machans Beach is a unique community with a charming low-key village atmosphere. Mayhem at Machans is your go-to cute and quirky local cafe.

South Cairns - Gordonvale

Check out Caffin8Cafe serving Social Coffee. 46 Norman Street.

Even Further Out

Travel the Palmerston Highway to the amazing Mungalli Creek Dairy Cafe

Warning! Defunct Cafes!

Just a little word of warning for coffee addicts. We don’t want you heading off on a wild goose chase.

A number of café review websites list cafes that no longer exist. Be sure to check the article’s date. These cafes, unfortunately, have disappeared into the ether. Why, we don’t know, but, being here on-the-ground in Cairns, Coffee in Cairns is all-seeing and keeps a close eye on these things : )

Serving now as an historical record of the cafes in Cairns, this list presents cafes that have closed up shop over the past few years:

• Botanica Cafe (Edge Hill)

• Veloce (Kewarra Beach)

• The Watergardens Coffee Hut (Smithfield)

• The Flying Monkey (City)

• Frame Expresso (City)

• Ten One Twenty (Edge Hill)

• The Office (City)

• Coffee Hub and Home

• Williams on the Nard

• Servant Espresso (Bentley Park)

• Altitude Cafe (Yungaburra)

• Brother Jenkins (Manunda)

• Elva’s Cafe at Tasman Holiday Park

• First Shot Cafe (Bungalow)

• District (Holloways)

• Coffee Haven (Palm Cove)

• Eat St (Smithfield & Edge Hill)

• Coffee Bean Estate

• Poco Cafe (Aeroglen)

• Chill (Palm Cove)

The Palms in Aeroglen has come back to life again as the new Poco Cafe (opened in September 2022) - closed in Dec 2023.

Cafe Yorkeys has been renamed Memories (Amanda is the new owner, having taken over from Tim).

Very often the spaces have been recycled into a new café, complete with new name, new owners and new fit out. Flying Monkey, for example, at 154 Sheridan St, closed up shop in December 2018. New owner James, has completely revitalised the space and 154 Sheridan is now the brand-new Goose Café.

Coffee Haven at Palm Cove is now Garage (July 2023).

Elva’s (at Cairns Cool Waters Holiday Park) is now Coffee @ Bernie’s Cafe. Bernie’s didn’t last long and has now closed too [March 2024 update]