Mondo Café Bar & Grill

Hilton Cairns, 34 Esplanade, Cairns

Ph: 4052 6780

It really is difficult to think of a more glorious spot for brekky than under the trees at Mondo. Sea breezes awaken the senses and the dance of colourful vessels gliding to and fro along the inlet creates a visual feast in itself. Mondo does Sunday breakfast in style – macadamia muesli with bush honey yoghurt and fruit, lemon and ricotta pancakes with maple syrup and strawberry compote as well as some creative egg combos.

Al Porto Café

Reef Fleet Terminal,

Ph: 4031 6222

Breakfast is so popular at this busy dockside eatery, it’s served all day. Chef’s signature dish is pancakes served with either butter, blueberries, fresh cream and maple syrup, sliced banana and mascarpone or fruit salad and cream with syrup. Other great options include the salmon sunrise – toasted muffins topped with smoked salmon, poached egg and hollandaise sauce and the chicken and cheese omelette. All cakes and muffins are homemade at this café with a focus on good old-fashioned hospitality. Coffee is worthy of note.

The Edge Food Store & Café

1/138 Collins Ave, Edge Hill,

This is certainly breakfast with an edge – healthy, innovative and oh, so delicious! Big hits of the moment are Middle Eastern eggs, fried on homemade flat bread with lemon, garlic and mint as well as the gourmet scramble, free range googs with herbs and fetta on ciabatta, with the option of added fresh smoked salmon. French toasted brioche with mixed berry compote and vanilla spiced yoghurt is to die for and guilt-free choccie fixes can be enjoyed with the sapote smoothie, local black sapote fruit blended with banana, coconut, milk and ice-cream – heaven!

Perrotta’s at the Gallery

38 Abbott St, Cairns

Ph: 4031 5899

Everyone loves Perrotta’s and breakfasts are special, with so much more on offer than just eggs. If the problem is where to start, just take it from the top and keep coming back. Granola trifle with almond, buffalo milk yoghurt and fruit salsa; buttermilk ricotta hotcakes with banana, citrus mascarpone and maple syrup; French toast with vanilla roasted peach, raspberry caramel and vanilla yoghurt; ricotta fresca, slow-roasted tomatoes, basil oil bruschetta – we could go on but we’d never get any eating done!

Pepperbox Café

Shop 2/9 Kamerunga Rd, Stratford

Ph: 4055 2716

Stratford and Freshwater locals have long enjoyed Pepperbox for its utter convenience and excellent quality, but now word is out and other customers think nothing of driving across town to plonk at footpath tables and devour delicious bakes, quiches, pastries, cakes, sandwiches and curries. With good coffee, fast service and low prices, what’s not to like?

Swiss Cake & Coffee Shop

93a Grafton St, Cairns

Ph: 4051 6393

Busily buzzing and yet very orderly in a Swiss kind of way, you can either slalom your way to a table, newspaper tucked under arm, coffee in hand and take your time choosing between plump pastries or hit the counter, grab some warm croissants, crusty buns and scoot off home. This is a favourite haunt of vendors and shoppers from Rusty’s Market between Friday and Sunday and you could always nip across to one of the nearby second-hand book stores and set yourself up for a weekend of indulgent bliss.

Botanic Gardens Restaurant

Collins Ave , Edge Hill

Ph: 4053 7087

Eggs benedict, strawberry waffles, mango smoothies, buck’s fizz – every devotee has a favourite item on the menu. Generations of Edge Hillbillies have been raised on these classics. The gorgeous garden setting and a good range of teas are an added bonus. Build an appetite by strolling through the grounds first or scaling the nearby Red Arrow rainforest walk.

Strait on the Beach

Beachfront Oleander St, Holloways Beach,

Ph: 4055 9616

A no-fuss kind of café which lets its location do the talking. Any closer to the water’s edge and you’d feel the seaspray. This is a divine windswept, rustic spot for coffee, toast and some good old-fashioned fresh air. Brisk dip before brekky, anyone?

Byblos Café

129 Sheridan St, Cairns

Ph: 4031 0433

Fancy a nice bit of homemade Turkish delight to start the day? Fear not, there’s a host of other wholesome breakfast items on the menu, which reads like a gourmet atlas. Breakfast packages include healthy options, such as continental (muesli and fruit salad) as well as Canadian (smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel with coffee or tea) and variations of egg, bacon, croissant and juice combos. Hearty fare at very reasonable prices.

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