Dundee’s on the Waterfront: The Cairns Date Night Where You Should Try Kangaroo + Crocodile

I love Dundee’s.

First, the food is fantastic.

Second, if you have come all the way to Far North Queensland and want a dinner that actually feels Australian, this is one of the places I would send you.

And third?

The views.

Dundee’s sits right on the Cairns waterfront overlooking Trinity Inlet, and this has become one of our go-to date-night restaurants.

It is relaxed enough that you don’t feel like you need to dress for fine dining, but the food and setting still make the night feel special.

And if it is just the two of you, there is one thing I would absolutely do.

Ask for one of the outdoor boardwalk tables.

If there are two of you, ask to sit outside

The little outdoor tables sit directly along the marina boardwalk.

And I mean directly.

People walking along the boardwalk will pass right beside you, so this is not a private little tucked-away terrace.

I do not care.

I love it.

You are sitting about as close to the water as you can get while still technically being inside a restaurant, looking over the boats and Trinity Inlet.

Especially for date night, it is lovely.

If you are booking for two, I would specifically request an outdoor waterfront table and see if they can accommodate you.

For larger groups, you may end up inside or in one of the other alfresco areas, so if having that closest-to-the-water experience matters to you, ask about it when you make the reservation.

This is where I would try Australian bush tucker

Dundee’s has steaks.

It has seafood.

It has pasta.

It has all of the things you could order if you wanted a perfectly normal dinner.

But this is not where I am telling you to play it safe.

Get the Australian Sampler Plate.

Seriously.

This is what we love ordering to share because it gives you a little bit of everything without committing to an entire plate of something you may never have eaten before.

The current platter includes chargrilled eye fillet, crocodile chipolatas, kangaroo satays, pan-seared barramundi, garlic yabby, a barbecue lamb cutlet and a tiger prawn skewer, served with honey-roasted sweet potato plus Ooray plum and lemon myrtle dipping sauces.

It feels fancy.

It looks impressive when it arrives.

And it is bloody delicious.

Yes, try the kangaroo and crocodile

If you have never eaten kangaroo or crocodile before, this is where I would try them.

There are not many restaurants around Cairns where you can sit down and order both without it feeling like some weird novelty designed exclusively for tourists.

Dundee’s does actual Australian bush-tucker dishes alongside really good steaks and seafood, so it feels like part of the menu rather than a dare.

The sampler is particularly good because you are getting just enough of each thing to try it.

If you discover that kangaroo is your new favourite food, fantastic.

If you decide once was enough, you still have steak, barramundi, lamb, yabby and prawns sitting there.

Nobody loses.

And the rest of the food is genuinely good

The sampler gets all the attention because it is fun, but the reason we keep coming back is that the rest of the food is actually good too.

Their seafood is excellent.

The steaks are good.

And their duck has been one of my favourites when it is on the menu.

This is important because I never want to recommend somewhere just because it gives visitors an “Australian experience.”

You should still want to eat the food.

At Dundee’s, we do.

It feels Australian without feeling cheesy

This is probably what I like most about it.

There is a definite Australian bush feel to Dundee’s.

The menu leans into local seafood, Australian beef, kangaroo, crocodile and native ingredients like lemon myrtle and Ooray plum.

But then you look out the window and you are staring across tropical Cairns, the marina and the rainforest-covered mountains around Trinity Inlet.

It makes sense here.

You are not sitting in a themed restaurant surrounded by fake gum trees while someone tries to convince you this is Australia.

You are actually in Far North Queensland eating barramundi and kangaroo beside the water.

That is considerably better.

This is one of our date-night places

For us, Dundee’s is a date-night restaurant.

Give me an outdoor table for two.

Give us the sampler to share.

Add a couple of drinks.

Let me sit beside the marina while it gets dark.

Done.

It feels special without requiring an enormous production.

And because the menu is so broad, you can come back several times and have a completely different meal.

You can go full Australian bush tucker.

You can order seafood.

You can have a steak.

Or you can do what we do and share half the menu because apparently making decisions is difficult.

My tip

Book ahead.

Dundee’s is one of those established Cairns restaurants that visitors know about and locals still go to, and their own site recommends advance bookings.

If there are only two of you, ask specifically whether one of the boardwalk tables is available.

Yes, people will walk past you.

That is part of being on the boardwalk.

I still think it is worth it.

Then order the Australian Sampler Plate.

Even if you think you are not a kangaroo-and-crocodile person.

You came to Australia.

This is your moment.

Restaurant website: Dundee’s