Bagus Cafe

Delicious Indonesian food in Cairns! I had chicken with rice and sambal — the flavours were amazing and the sambal had the perfect kick. Definitely worth trying if you’re craving something tasty and authentic.

We had an excellent casual lunch here today. It’s in a very convenient location across the road from muddies, and the food is very interesting. I haven’t been to Indonesia so I don’t know if this is traditional in Indonesian food but everything we had was delicious!

😵‍💫 Indonesian for beginners? I’m not sure why everyone says it’s authentic. Tried: - Gado Gado - Migoreng + Chicken Satay - Beef Rendang - Kangkong (morning glory) - tempe - coated nuts Gado Gado ★☆☆☆☆ No taste Migoreng + Satay ★★☆☆☆ The migoreng was just weird. Sweet and soggy using flat noodles. ★☆☆☆☆ The chicken satay was decent. The saving grace of the dish. ★★★☆☆ Beef Rendang ★★★★☆ The only decent dish on the table. It was more like a 3 star dish, but since it stood out amongst the others giving it 4 stars. Kang Kong ☆☆☆☆☆ I’ve never given something zero stars before. Need I say more? Served in a weird sweet and tomato soup Tempe ★★★★☆ Good Coated nuts ★★☆☆☆ Cheap at $1, but they were stale and chewy as if they were from a few days or weeks ago. Run for the hills!

Authentic and delicious Indonesian food with a basic outdoor seating area. Everything we ordered was really fresh and tasty. My kids declared this the best chicken satay they've ever had and they've sampled a few! Not super cheap given the roadside stall look at the front of a backpackers, but not expensive, you get plenty of food and so good its worth it. I wouldnt miss coming here if ever in Cairns again. Owners are super friendly.

Fresh food. Full of flavour. Reasonably priced. Will definitely be back again!

Super authentic Indonesian food and drinks in this little restaurant. Price is definitely efforable for such good quality food. Ikan bakar (grilled barra) is super delicious. This is a whole grilled fish, sauces are very yummy. Cooked to perfection. Served with very nice salad and rice. Pecel (salad with peanut sauce) is very yummy. Ayam bakar (grilled chicken) is super delicious. Chicken are soft, taste very similar to chicken rendang. Very tasty. Tempeh is very nice and crunchy. Nasi goreng (fried rice) is very tasty. Their tempeh chips is really good, prawn cracker are definitely good. Teh tarik (milk tea) is very creamy, full of condense milk flavor. Very good and authentic in East Asia flavor. Staff are very friendly. Restaurant had very limited seating. Plenty of parking nearby. Public transport available nearby. Will certainly come back next time.

Very tasty authentic Indonesian food. Excellent service. Ambience is average. Halal food

The food is AMAZING! Proper, authentic Indonesian cuisine. The satay is absolutely delicious. It's so nice that I've ordered it both times we've visited! It's also the only place in Cairns we've found that serves iced Milo, which is a big bonus for us! They serve generous portions & it's well worth the money. The owners are so friendly and welcoming, and it has a really great, chilled out vibe there. I would definitely recommend visiting Bagus.

This was our 1st meal in Cairns and 1st time having Indonesian food. Now I wish I had access to this closer to home! It was right next to our hotel so we could simply walk over for lunch. The restaurant is smaller with a handful of tables on an outdoor patio so you can enjoy the weather! Fyi, they do close midday for a few hours between lunch and dinner. I ordered the ayam bakar/grilled chicken and my husband ordered empal tonjok/smashed steak. Each came with white rice, side salad, and pickled veggies. The meats were super tender, my chicken fell right off the bone. The sauces they were cooked in was full of flavor! I wish we had gone back to try more items on their menu!

Our last meal in Cairns. I decided that we should check out the other Indonesian place in town, Bagus Cafe. It's next door/connected to Caravella Backpackers. We dropped in on a Thursday afternoon (around 2:00pm) and then again the next morning for takeout. They only have outdoor seats but it's all shaded with fans to keep things cool. Service is friendly and hospitable. Order at the counter, pay and they'll bring the food out to your table. The menu is short but oddly has western breakfast items (like burritos and burgers). Clearly catering to the backpacker clientele. The rest is Indonesian, which is what you should be ordering. Mostly rice, noodles, curries, fish and vegetable dishes. They were sadly out of yellowtail ($18.50 AUD) but also offered barramundi ($29.00 AUD for a full, $23.00 for half) and tilapia ($22.00 AUD). - Iga baker ($16.00 AUD) - two marinated beef ribs with rice, salad and sambal. Sambal was legit! Spicy with a good kick and flavourful. Beef ribs were tender and flavourful but a wee bit fatty. Great sauce to soak all the rice up with though! Really impressed. - Kambing dudut ($17.00 AUD) - slow cooked lamb with rice, salad and sambal. Lamb was tasty and the sauce nicely balanced with a hint of peanut flavour. - Mie goreng with chicken ($13.90 AUD) - vegetable fried noodles. Decent but standard fare. - Pecel ($12.00 AUD) - Indonesian steamed veggie, peanut sauce and rice. We had leftover lamb that I had made the day before so we were cravings some vegetables. This was bland; go with a meat dish. I have to say we enjoyed the food at Bagus Cafe more than at Bayleaf.

After a lot of the positive reviews, I made it a point to make sure to stop by Bagus Cafe. I'm glad we did! I want to preface my review by saying that I've only had Indonesian cuisine on one occasion in New Zealand, and we loved it. However, when we tasted Bagus Cafe food, it hit the palate in a much different way. Not in a bad way, but just different. We are used to Thai/Vietnamese food which has much more potent/in your face flavors. Bagus cuisine has a much more subtle but very flavorful taste. I'm a little bummed that I don't have much more Indonesian experiences to compare it to. Nonetheless, I know I will more than likely crave Bagus's Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng once I return to the California. We ordered... 1) Mie Goreng with chicken - Noodle dish with vegetables. It was delicious, but again, in a very sly way. Our first bite was a little underwhelming. We were expecting flavors in pad Thai, which we are accustomed to. However, after a few more bites, I couldn't get enough of it! The noodles were cooked to perfection. The texture was also a bit different from what I'm used to. It was reminiscent to pad Thai & pho rice noodles's baby, if that were possible anyways. It was sweet and savory. Surprisingly, it wasn't oily at all. 2) Empal Tonjok (Indonesian smashed steak) - My first time having this, and for those familiar with Filipino foods, it was very similar to beef steak. It was just oddly sweet, like really sweet. We got it with the Nasi Goreng (additional $5), and it paired well together. However, it normally comes with steamed rice. Perhaps, that might have been a better pairing since the steak is SO full of flavor. As with the Mie Goreng, the flavors grew on me, and before I knew it, we had finished both dishes. The meat was tender and so flavorful! All respects to the owner of Bagus Cafe. He runs a very nice business, but you can tell that he doesn't see it as a business. I would have loved to come back and try more dishes. Food is full of flavor! The owner is welcoming, friendly and exudes the passion/love he has for Bagus Cafe. DEFINITELY check it out when in Cairns!!

Bagus Cafe is a typical hole in the wall eatery that is simple, unassuming, and unpretentious. We were drawn to the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen. Our group thoroughly enjoyed the chicken satay skewers, fried rice, salad, and much more. I wish I had taken photos of what we ate because it was truly mouth watering and delicious! Would definitely come back here again :)

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After seeing some great reviews we decided to come try out the mie goreng, not instant for once. We were blown away by how tasty the food was. The chicken satay was juicy and the satay so flavorful. Mie goreng is a great fried noodle to go with it. Beef rendang was amazing and had a bit of a kick but delicious. Cute outdoor seating with wifi. My kinda joint.

Don't let the plastic chairs put you off! This place is Very authentic and tasty, very quick, great location (opposite huge playground for kids and views of the harbour) and most importantly great prices! Would definitely go again if staying longer in Cairns, and the service was so friendly and happy. Such a nice experience to enjoy with your family. Their pecal sauce was awesome (peanut satay) and I could just eat it on its own.

I never write reviews on yelp but after coming to this place for the third time in 24 hours, I had to vocalize my appreciation for such wonderful food and service! We had the barramundi (served whole) which was so good I had it two nights in a row, and the chicken curry - amazing flavors! We also came for breakfast to split an omelette and the chicken fried rice. Best fried rice I've ever had hands down! Aside from the food, the service was top notch. This is a family-owned hidden gem serving local fresh Indonesian dishes. A must stop if you are visiting Cairns, you will not be disappointed and I bet you'll come back for seconds!

A pretty good selection, decent food for the area.

I'm glad I looked up breakfast places on yelp and not asked the hotel for recommendations. This place is small, quiet and located towards the end of esplanade. The food was so delicious and so fresh. Everything has amazing flavor. I ordered Nasi Goreng and a latte. Latte was as good as the one I had at the fancy Italian cafe but just half the price. Nasi Goreng was fried rice with over easy egg on top. The rice is soft and the egg was done just right. Red chili sauce they gave me was , I asked for another one because it was so addictive. And lastly, I had chicken satay on the side which was marinated very well and grilled to tender. Peanut sauce over the chicken compliment the taste well. Staff were friendly. I would come back if I make it back to Cairns.

I had to give this place a second chance. Very glad I did. I tried the duck and it was really good. We also ordered the beef rib and it was great! I've upped my review to 4 stars. The portions are not huge, but the flavours are definitely worth coming back for.

I had the beef veggie rice dish while my fiancé ordered the beef rib dish with white rice. Both tasted amazingly delicious and there are other items on their menu that looked and sounded awesome. It's a small shop where it seems only Mom and Pop run the store. I'd recommend this place to friends.

Small out of a wall restaurant with tables on the sidewalk, this was our most delicious and cheapest culinary experience in Cairns. This Indonesian family serves traditional Indonesian food (which I knew nothing about) that is absolutely delicious. Pretty spicy too, so be ready for that. Highly recommended.

Love Indonesian food since we had it in Bali. Now we are addicted and it's so hard to find a good place for it in the states Nori goreng with 2 satay $15 Barramundi grilled fish $28 Outdoor seating small popular place.

Beef rendang, chicken steamed in a bananna leaf, fried rice Indonesian-style with chicken satays, grilled chicken, and spring rolls. The unexpected winner of this culinary steeple chase was the grilled chicken, which held off the formidable effort of the steamed chicken and its secret weapon of fragrant broth redolent with lemon grass and jungle magic. The grilled chicken was finished with a delicious deep brown sauce (Kekap manis) that balanced savory and sweet with layers of herbs and aromatic spices. Very pleasant service, almost fast-food fast, and reasonably priced. This place will absolutely ruin you for less intricately spiced fare.

First time trying Indonesian food and it was amazing! Ordered the Rendang Ayam (chicken curry) and it was some of the best curry I have ever had. I was even contemplating getting another order. Definitely worth stopping by.

Best flavour per dollar. Great customer service! The place is always busy so pre-order your food! The duck and fish dish are my favorite! We ate 3 times here when we stay in Cairns for 4 days!!!!!

Amazing, take away beef rib. Only negative was the young fella that accidentally charged me for a main rather than an entree stay chicken, was quickly sorted and the guy appeared new. Will be back no doubt! Beautiful amount of heat and amazing for an establishment that didn't look anything special from the outside.

Truly authentic menu at an amazing price. You won't find better food short of going to Indonesia itself. The plastic chairs etc are all part of the charming 'warung' experience. Great location right on the esplanade near Muddies.

Friendly staff and excellent representation of Indonesian food. The lamb dudut is a must try!!!!!!

It's a small place but the food is great and reasonably priced. Very happy with the service too. They serve halal. We had nasi goreng and catch of the day (barramundi). The fish was mouth watering.

Safwan and Sri Muryani are the owners of this fantastic Indonesian Cafe on the Cairns Esplanade. Garry Gunawan, the chef, prepares authentic Indonesian dishes from fresh local produce and at very reasonable prices. A friendly team give service with a smile. If you are looking for an Indonesian cuisine experience then Bagus Cafe is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I don't get the fuss. Nothing special about this place at all. We tried a few items and none stood out as being particularly good, though none were really bad. Perfectly mediocre.

Delicious & authentic. Service was great and food was prepared quickly. It was tasty and true to the "medium" spicy level I request. Prices are cheap. They have a small seating area outside but we took our food to go. Loved the noodles.

You can't go wrong with this place if you are looking for something casual and affordable.

We were in Cairns for a week and we ended up going to Bagus 3 times. It's a counter with some outdoor seating, connected to a backpackers hostel. The Indonesian food here is delicious, and very reasonably priced. Those chicken satays though!!! We kept coming back for those. The peanut sauce is really tasty and the skewers are well-grilled... possibly the best satays I've ever had!

I ate here everyday for four days in a row. I loved the food. The beef ribs were so tender. Can't beat the price.

Amazing food!! My Goodness its a gem. Every single thing I had was delicious. From the skewers to the burrito , you can't miss with this.

So so so tasty! Went here because of all the great reviews and this did not disappoint! Had the Mie Goreng (noodle) with beef one time and chicken the next time and the chicken was definitely tastier. Also ordered the Nasi Goreng (Fried rice) with chicken and it was so good (better than the Mie Goreng) highly recommend and staff is also very sweet as well!

Finding Bagus felt like discovering a hidden gem in Cairns. It's an unassuming place, a short walk from the main tourist drag, on the Esplanade at Caravella Backpackers. We ate from the Indonesian menu last night (they offer burgers etc as well) and the food was excellent and incredibly cheap. We fed a family of five for less than $90 including drinks. We were so impressed we went back for breakfast pancakes this morning!

Wow! Amazing food! We ordered for dishes. I can't remember their names. Hey seafood rice dish, talaria, beef rendeng, and a chicken noodle dish. All were extremely flavourful and delicious. They were busy so service was a bit slow but worth the wait. Authentic original flavours for a good price. This was by far our best meal on our trip between Townsville and Mossman.

Wow! This place was so good and authentic that I knocked Bayleaf down a star on my review. The mie goreng, nasi goreng sate ayam, cah kangkung, and empal tonjok were all outstanding. I wanted to try the bebek goreng after I saw it, but was very happy about my empal tonjok. I wish I would have found this sooner so that I could have had more meals here. Would highly recommend of you like Indonesian food or are curious to try some without flying that quick flight north to Indo from here.

Very authentic Indonesian cafe...food is as good as anything you'd get in Java or Bali. We had excellent sate and grilled fish, with just the right amount of spice. Fresh Krupuk chips added the perfect crunch. And the Es Campur made a delicious dessert. Meeting the owner Pak Brondong was the best part of the meal, he was so warm & welcoming, making it a wonderful dining experience. I definitely recommend this little eatery. Stephens-USA.

Delicious pancakes, friendly owner, view of water, very reasonable prices. Two thumbs up!

We really enjoyed our first Indonesian food experience here. We got the gado-gado and some spring rolls. The spring rolls we're well done, with very little residual grease. Gado-gado was flavorful and the tempeh and tofu were good flavor and texture. Most importantly, the two men working we're very friendly and welcoming. I can't compare it to other Indonesian places, but for us it was excellent.