FNQ Food Magazine

05/10/2026

🍷 CHEAP OR STEEP?

Let's settle it at The Conservatory Bar this Wednesday!

Conservatory’s Book Club is celebrating one year with a very fun 52nd Special Edition — a blind tasting putting 2021 Penfolds Grange or Hewitson Cask 66 up against an entry-level w**e.

Can you spot the icon? And more importantly… will you actually prefer it? 👀

From $55pp, including tastings + a snack from their new menu.

A pretty good excuse for a Wednesday night out. 🥂

👉 https://www.facebook.com/events/1808172987040590

04/10/2026

Reviews don’t always need to be digital.
No login, no sign-up, no stars and no algorithm required.
Sometimes a simple compliment for a job well done, and a little bit of love left behind, is all it takes to make the wheels go round!

Long dining couple who come in for their favourites, which just happens to be two of mine as well. Spaghetti Mare e Monti and the Eye Fillet.

No matter how good or bad the week is, has been, or is coming, things like this always remind me that La Fettuccina is a part of life.

02/10/2026

🎉 Happy 4th Birthday, Yama Zaru Izakaya 山猿居酒屋! 🥳

It was a pleasure for us to join the celebrations last night.

Over the past four years, Adam Craven-Sands has created something really special — an authentic taste of the izakaya experience in Cairns, bringing together Japanese food, beverage and culture, and that wonderfully relaxed, social atmosphere that makes Yama Zaru so unique.

The Okinawan Night was a fantastic celebration of everything Yama Zaru represents. Congratulations Adam and the team on four fabulous years! 🍻🇯🇵❤️

Cheers to many more!

30/09/2026

We love our visits to The Pocket! Make sure you add it to your Cassowary Coast itinerary.

30/09/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦𝗡’𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗘 𝗜𝗧𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 🍽️🌴

When you dine out in Far North Queensland, you rarely know who grew up down the road and who arrived on a working holiday.

You simply enjoy the food, drinks, and hospitality made possible by the people behind every service.

Our local workforce comes first, always. But during peak tourism seasons, there simply aren’t enough local applicants to cover every shift.

That’s where Working Holiday Makers play an important role.

They help fill essential kitchen, floor, and service roles across our restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels, and events — particularly when demand is at its highest.

They may be here for a limited time, but their contribution is anything but incidental.

They work here.
They live here.
They spend money in our communities.

And they help regional businesses meet the workforce demands of a busy tourism season.

They don’t replace local jobs; they help businesses keep trading when local hands alone cannot fill every gap.

Now, changes to the Working Holiday Maker program are putting that delicate balance under the spotlight.

A reduced number of visas available for subsequent years, combined with a new ballot system, creates uncertainty for Working Holiday Makers hoping to return and for regional businesses that rely on them to help fill seasonal workforce gaps when they are needed most.

And that matters to all of us who enjoy the restaurants, cafés, hotels, events, and experiences that make Far North Queensland what it is.

A working holiday may be temporary, but the work these people do leaves a lasting mark.

We’re proud to support the travellers who invest in FNQ — and we’re standing with our region’s tourism, hospitality, and agricultural industries to advocate for sensible workforce settings.

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 = 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Tourism Port Douglas Daintree Tourism Atherton Tablelands Cairns Chamber of Commerce Advance Cairns Regional Development Australia Tropical North Tony Burke MP Nita Green - Senator for Queensland Matt Smith MP Michael Healy MP Bree James - Barron River MP Terry James MP David Kempton MP Mayor Amy Eden FNQ Growers

30/09/2026

🐺🥃 A DECADE IN THE DEN — THREE WOLVES TURNS 10!

Ten years is a pretty good excuse for a party — and when you’re Three Wolves, you know exactly how to do one.

For a decade, this Cairns laneway institution has been serving up seriously good cocktails, late nights, great tunes and plenty of stories along the way. Now, they’re celebrating 10 years of Three Wolves with a birthday bash worthy of the occasion.

Expect sparkling on arrival, three house cocktails between 7–9PM, and a funky all-vinyl set from Bryan Bergman, who’ll be keeping the records spinning long after the drinks package wraps up.

🎟️ YOUR TICKET INCLUDES
🥂 Sparkling w**e on arrival
🍸 Any 3x Three Wolves house cocktails
🎶 Bryan Bergman on vinyl
🐺 A very big 10th birthday celebration

Grab your ticket:
https://www.threewolves.com.au/event-details/three-wolves-10th-birthday

📅 Three Wolves 10th Birthday
🕖 From 7PM
🍸 Drinks package 7–9PM
🎶 All vinyl, all night

Congratulations to the Three Wolves team from all of us at FNQ Food Magazine! 🥂

Ten years of creating a place that has become part of Cairns’ food, drink and nightlife story is certainly something worth raising a glass to.

Here’s to the first ten — and whatever comes next. 🐺

28/09/2026

🦐🥂 SEAFOOD & SIPS

Looking for a delicious way to spend the October Long Weekend? This one caught our eye! 👀

The Bluewater is bringing together fresh local seafood, premium drinks and live music by the marina for an afternoon of summer-style indulgence.

Expect oysters, prawns, salmon and more, five pop-up bars serving premium w**es and spirits, plus live music. 🎶🦪🍷

🎟️ Tickets are just $20, including event entry and two drinks.

📅 Sunday 4 October
⏰ 11am–5pm
📍 The Bluewater, Trinity Park
🎟️ Limited tickets available

Round up your crew and make a day of it! 🍾

👉 Tickets & full event details: https://thebluewater.com.au/event/seafood-sips/

26/09/2026

𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙣𝙨’ 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙮.

🐺 Wolf Lane Distillery has reopened its doors with a reinvigorated space.

The reopening completes the recent transformation of the laneway, following the arrival of Wild Pony Saloon at the original Three Wolves site.

Together, the two venues have given the laneway a new energy — bringing fresh hospitality experiences to an address that has long been part of Cairns’ food and drink scene.

We take a look at the new-look cellar door, bar and evening destination.

Read the full story on FNQ Food:
https://www.fnqfood.com.au/index.php/2026/09/25/wolf-lane-distillery-reopens-with-a-reinvigorated-laneway-experience/

24/09/2026

🔥 WELCOME TO THE FNQ FOOD FAMILY! 🔥

We’re delighted to welcome Preston Fresh Food Collective and Preston Fresh Seafood Cairns as our newest distribution partners for Cairns & FNQ Food Magazine!

It’s extra special to celebrate this partnership with our 10th Anniversary Edition, now available at both Preston Fresh locations. 🎉

As we explore in this issue, Preston Fresh Food Collective brings together five independent food businesses under one roof at Mac Peak Crescent, Smithfield — making it easier for locals to find exceptional fresh food in one convenient destination.

🐟 Preston Fresh Seafood, offering fresh local seafood, seasonal catches, prawns, oysters, mud crabs and specialty shellfish, alongside house-made products and prepared meals.

🌱 Tablelands to Tabletop, connecting customers with fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables, plus other regional produce and pantry goods.

🥩 The Meat Emporium Smithfield, a dedicated gluten-free butcher offering organic and Wagyu beef, game meats and free-range provisions.

🇮🇹 Fortunato Salumi Italian Deli & Foodservice, continuing a four-generation family tradition of producing premium Italian salumi, including salami, guanciale, pancetta, speck, coppa and culatello.

🥖 The Bread Attic, creating fresh bread and baked goods, alongside pastries, savoury treats, and something sweet for the journey home.

Together, these independent specialists offer a thoughtful alternative to the traditional supermarket shop—bringing fresh food, local knowledge and passionate producers into one welcoming space.

Visit Preston Fresh Food Collective or Preston Fresh Seafood soon and be sure to pick up your copy of our 10th Anniversary Edition and discover the people, places and produce helping shape Far North Queensland’s food culture.

Welcome to the family, Preston Fresh! ❤️

24/09/2026

🎉 TEN YEARS AT THE TABLE! 🎉

It’s official — our 2026 edition of Cairns & FNQ Food Magazine is out there!

At the end of August, we launched a very special edition marking 10 years of FNQ Food — ten years of sitting at the table with the people who make Far North Queensland such an extraordinary food region.

For a decade, we’ve been telling the stories of our chefs, producers, growers, restaurateurs, café owners, makers and food-loving locals — celebrating the people, places and produce behind the food we love.

And now, our 10th anniversary edition is out and about across Far North Queensland, ready to be discovered wherever you are in the region. ❤️

So wherever you are in Far North Queensland, your copy is waiting for you.

📖 Pick one up when you’re out and about, take it home, settle in and enjoy our 10th anniversary celebration of FNQ food, people and stories.

Our digital edition of Cairns & FNQ Food Magazine is also available online at www.fnqfood.com.au

Ten Years. One Region. Countless Stories. A Thousand Reasons to Explore FNQ Food.

Thank you for being at the table with us. 🥂