We didn't book so bathe first thing we were told is "inside table only". Great- I'm not a huge fan of sitting in humidity so the air con inside suited me fine.
Next we were seated at the worst table in a thoroughfare - further punishment for not booking as there were other vacant tables / which remained vacant all night.
Anyway. The usual Thai offerings on the menu. We shared 3 main courses, a stir fry/ pad Thai w chicken and a curry, plus jasmine rice.
Al generously portioned and tasty. Service was ok, the place is quite pretentious - I prefer genuine thai hospitality but it was fine.
We had late night dinner after a great day scuba diving. Saw the restaurant a few times walking by and really appreciated the look and outdoor seating. We were not disappointed as we sat outside on the soft cushions.
Ordered family style - so the chicken satay & curry puffs with peanut sauce great starters. Three dishes for the table - a north style chicken curry noodle dish quite new to us but great. Thin noodles in curry sauce with wonderful peanut back. Topped with crunchy noodles and excellent flavours.
Chicken lemongrass main with coconut rice had excellent flavored. Chicken cooked just right and good balance of spice.
Spicy beef main was best with roti and coconut rice.
Service was friendly and excellent. Only problem was slow and we were quite late - so seemed long night.
Tasty and flavoursome Thai food. Well presented and good variety of dishes. We had a Christmas party there and the dish sharing worked really well for the party. The only letdown was a sentiment shared by other reviewers, is that the service was disorganised and slow. We had a great time, and I would definitely eat here again.
Wow, this is another level of Thai food. I have eaten a fair bit of Thai food in my life and this was different but in a very good way. My meal was delicious and tasted unlike anything I had had before. The sauce on the chicken was lovely.
My dish was - Gai Takrai ( served with salad & Jasmine Rice ) Marinated grilled chicken with lemongrass, peanut and tamarind sauce.
My husband had a beef dish and enjoyed that too. Miss was happy with her chicken satay and her rice when it arrived.
The service was slow but this wasn't a problem for us as we enjoyed looking at the beach and watching the nightly bat migration.
Best Thai in Cairns. In my opinion this is by far the best thai in Cairns and worth the higher price tag. The food is always fresh, full of flavour, and presented well with little added extras that the ordinary thai takeaway oversees. I would recommend the betel leave cones with a delicious vibrant filling. It is a little pricier then most thai but i still think its great value for money. Plus if you dine in the atmosphere on the verandah is lovely looking over the esplanade.
Nice setting, good service, but the meals took quite a while to arrive, considering it was so quiet.
We had the curry puffs (yum!)
Red curry marinated duck (amazing!)
And beef massaman ( dry beef but great flavor)
It's definitely worth a try - but beware, it's spicy!!
Favourite Cairns restaurant. The food at Iyara is amazing. Favourites are the betel leaf for entree, and the massaman curry, tofu, and roasted duck curry for mains.
Great atmosphere and flawless service. Just don't forget to bring cash and something to drink as they're BYO and cash only for the moment.
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TAMARIND, MEET YOUR MATCH. Ever since moving to Cairns 3 yrs ago Ive been on a search for a place in the right location, for the right price, with the right foodand having eaten in most places that look half decent around town......well Ive finally found it.
Recomended to me by the head waiter of one of the best restaurants in the Pier Complex, I took my 2 good friends there for dinner. I little bit aprehensive, as they are both very involved in the catering industry and one of them is a chef, I knew they had high standards and this place was untested.
We all fell in love. The location is perfect down on the esplanade, but upstairs away from the car fumes and perfectly positioned for a post dinner wander with a cup full of NZ icecream.
They are currently cash only and BYO, but please dont let that put you off. Theres an ATM downstairs and another at the night markets a few doors down. Fill your wallet and then go fill your belly, you will not be dissapointed.
We tried 4 mains and 4 entrees and not one of them missed the mark. Pad Thai, fish cakes, green curry, duck with red curry & grapes, prawn rolls, oysters, every single dish was amazing.
Do your self a favour, you'll probably see me there because Ill be going very regularly !
Epulae Semper Congruens
+4.5
Classy thai. Can highly recommend this place, especially the betel leaf entree, refreshing to see somewhere that rises above the ubiquitous pad thai and green chicken curry featured in so many eateries
Fantastic food, friendly staff. Highly recommend the scallops with pomello and toasted coconut for entree and the pork or lemongrass chicken for main.
Amazing food, some of the best Thai dishes I have ever had! Great coconut rice, Pad Thai, Green curry, Tom kha Gai and Papaya salad. Definitely recommend! Good atmosphere and view of water.
Wonderful Thai restaurant on the Esplanade. It is on the first level so not as visible from the street, it is much less noisy. Service was great and the food was absolutely delicious! We ordered a selection of entrees and mains and thought they were all very tasty. I especially liked the pork belly pad see ew.
I got takeaway here and had a great experience! The lady on the phone was lovely. I got the betel leaf prawn entree and soft shell crab salad. Good price, food was delicious. Packaged very thoughtfully for takeaway (sauces, crunchy garnishes all packaged separately).
Great choice of food. Limited choice of drinks but ok. Great Thai food but a little costly for Thai, even so well worth the extra. Wonderful staff. Comfortable seating, not crammed in like some. Have to access by several flights of stairs which are very tired. Shop front in uninviting but.
By far the best Thai Cuisine and dining experience we have ever had in Cairns - the flavours are just Amazing!! If your looking for the special night out then this is a place you will never forget.
Food ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Atmosphere ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely very highly recommended -
The best Thai we’ve ever had. Recommended by a local colleague and I’m so glad we tried Iyara’s! The fried tofu was like no tofu we’ve ever eaten! The oysters were perfectly dressed and the prawn dish was also divine. Highly recommended!
Book by the website only, try to book on Facebook didn't work. The foods is great but have to pay lil bit more. It's fancy dining in Cairns.
Despite the restuarant being extremely busy, when we went as a walk-in, we were welcomed warmly and the staff worked as a team, went through the booking list and found us a table.
Both Pim and Bella were extremely helpful and insightsful when it came to the menu and choosing food.
The food was as good as it gets, especially the betel leaf prawns was something else.
Overall, we had a great time. The owner/manager came and had a chat with us. It was such a busy place but they still had a smile and took time for individual care and attention.
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