Cock & Bull

This place is a paradise for meat lovers! The restaurant’s decor is truly impressive, with animal heads mounted on the walls, giving it a bold and unique vibe. The food portions are absolutely massive—even the kids' meal is as big as an adult’s serving. We ordered just three meals and a kids' meal, and we were so full we had to take the leftovers home. Not only are the portions incredibly generous, but the food itself is also delicious. The staff are super friendly and patient—they took the time to explain how to order and even chatted with us about the weather in Cairns, which added a personal touch to the experience.

Many reviewers comment on the size of the portions and they're not wrong. I went for lunch with 2 friends and all of our dishes featured large portions. The menu at lunch time is mainly pub food; a wider variety of the steaks are served at dinner time. The lunch menu has one steak dish (sirloin) and there was a daily special with T-bone steak when I was there. I ordered a veal schnitzel which I enjoyed. It came with a garden salad that I didn't want so they gave me extra chips instead. Can't complain with that. One friend ordered the crocodile & kangaroo dish -- it was a lot of food. My other friend ordered the T-bone steak which he thought was just OK but it looked good (to me). There are both outside & inside areas. The outside area smelt of stale smoke, not attractive to me, but that disappeared as soon as you step into the inside area which is decorated with stuffed animals (including a lion) and ornamental fish. Kitschy and I guess well-themed for FNQ. The staff were pleasant and engaging in the ordering / food pickup / servicing area so that was good, too. Drinks seem reasonably priced. Their happy hour prices were very good but I wasn't able to sample them based on the time of my visit.

Not for Vegans!!! We loved 😍 🥰 ❤️ it, but Vegans won't, lol . There are animal heads and a huge full lion 🦁 above your head inside one of the dining rooms, and the other room features big fish and sharks 🦈 . The food was awesome 👌 and huge portions, not one of us finished our meals. Very reasonable prices 👌. We went there for dinner then came back for lunch, Soooo good 👍

I enjoyed a unique meal featuring fried kangaroo and crocodile steak, both cooked to perfection. The mashed potatoes on the side were creamy and delicious, adding to my satisfaction. A highly memorable dining experience!

What a breath of fresh air in Cairns. The food was awesome, the prices very reasonable and atmosphere authentic. Definitely a great spot to dine for great steaks and huge selection of food. Lasagne was beautiful. Definitely will make this a regular place to dine out !!!

A great pub style meal, well cooked and generous portion sizes- can share a meal if you don’t want a full plate. Very loud and busy on the weekends with the footy, keep that in mind if you don’t like that kind of vibe. Great service from the staff, a great option for a family meal to satisfy when hungry with good prices. Photos are of the T-Bone Steak and The 500gram Rump.

Chef Sam was great. Waitress Hina was also very friendly and we had a great time! It was delicious! Thank you for making us happy. We will definitely go again.

It's an old-fashioned pub restaurant that's been around for a long time. In my personal opinion, everything on the menu is delicious, big portions, and very filling. My recommendations are the steak and chicken schnitzel.

Came here as it had kangaroo and crocodile. They had a special menu for these items. We ordered the kangaroo steak meal and the kangaroo steak and crocodile schnitzel. They came with choice of salad and fries or mashed potatoes and vegetables. The cook of the kangaroo was set at medium so they didn't ask but my husband asked for rare but his cook was inconsistent and some of the parts were raw. They also mixed up the mash potatoes and vegetables with the salad and fries. Be wary of the sign that says if they don't ask if you want garlic bread, you get it for free but the sign was not clear. My husband misread it and thought you get the garlic bread for free but it was in fact AUD7.50 each and he asked for 2. I didn't pick up on it until afterwards when I saw the bill as you order at the bar and they give you a buzzer to pick up food when done. The garlic bread was good but we didn't Really need 2 of them. Food was mediocre.

During my visit I stayed in North Cairns in a hotel with a terrible restaurant. Thankfully Cock & Bull was only about three blocks away. I wound up there three times and it never disappointed. Fresh flavorful food, lots of options, and opportunities to try things that would not be available in any other country. The portions are exceedingly generous and the prices quite fair. The staff is a delight looks like a popular local destination as I always saw large birthday parties. Yet the chances to be turned away are next to none because they don't do table service. You bring your order to the kitchen and bar and pick it up on your own. This was a little surprising at first but it works well because of the spacious setup. For international visitors curious about kangaroo meat, this has got to be one of the best places to try it. And the desserts will blow you away. Be ready to share because some come in gigantic size.

Had lunch here with friends. Sports bar / fishing lodge atmosphere with slot machines in one section. Food was great for the price but the restrooms were a bit scary and the gamblers were many poor local indigenous folks with obvious mental health problems

the vibes are NOT the place at all it's weird and the atmosphere will throw you off but nonetheless the food and drinks were fantastic and that's what it drills down to. i got the chicken wings smoke bbq and it was glorious i recommend this place to stop by and get s feel of the local tavern of carins. the service and staff are sweet and delightful as well as the chicken wings. i will come here again in the future

Went here when I was on vacation. Got to try crocodile & kangaroo while enjoying a few pints. Would love to go back! Everything was fantastic.

Oh. My. God. (in my best Kevin Hart voice...) The food here is of behemoth proportions and amazingly good. You can choose to have veggies with your meal if you so wish also. Drinks are of good value as well, especially the mixed ones w/juice. But the weird things about this place? Let me count the ways: * You order & pick up your drinks and food from the front * They don't have a license for take-out * They don't supply napkins. So extremely weird & odd af. Yet, the staff is amazing. Can't complain at all about them. Very accommodating.

Certainly the best lunch I have ever had since arriving at the city, we got the day special soup and Aussie Kangaroo and crocodile, reasonable price with huge portion!! Love the atmosphere, strongly recommended

This place was the best possible location to watch the college football playoffs. Due to the time change, the games started at 11AM and they let us sit in the room adjacent to the dining room. I had to teach the bartender how to make a bloody mary but she was game and we had the perfect spot to crash for a few hours. The gator and kangaroo wasnt bad either.

This review is for a tourist, by a tourist: We came here because of the good reviews (and the name of course!) and although we were here for over 20 minutes, we never got to sample the food :( The portions looked huge! Unfortunately I cannot comment on the quality. I just want to give a heads up that it can all be a bit confusing and overwhelming. There are actually two, maybe three, eateries at this one location. There is a place called Pokies in the same building and then there is the Carnivore. I honestly don't know how it all works. We finally walked up to a counter and asked (as no one greets you when you enter) and were told to take a seat wherever. We were also told that if we wanted to order off a certain menu, we would have to come up to the window and if we wanted another we would be served at a table. We stood there and looked them over but when we went to order they were all out of the things we wanted to we ended up leaving. It wasn't a terrible experience, just a bit confusing and disappointing, so you might want to check out the menu and call ahead to see if they have it and you definitely want to make yourself at home and not wait on the staff. Happy eating. Oh, they also have a bar and LOTS and LOTS of gambling available.

Our guide to the Daintree rainforest tour recommended this restaurant. Thanks Pete! We were so glad to get a tip to a place locals frequent. We came here hungry after a day of snorkeling at the reef. Our party ordered lamb and pork chops, crocodile schnitzel, and sirloin steak. Each dinner came with chips (fries) and salad. The servings were generous and prices pretty reasonable for Australia. If your appepite is not so big, you can share a main (Or as Aussies call them 'entrees'. They consider 'mains' as appetizers.) and an extra side salad. It works very well. Also typical of Austalia casual establishments: you seat yourself; order and pay at the window/counter; and wait to be called for your food. Alcohol is ordered at the bar, separate from the food. This is true about 99 percent of the time. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the fact that there are local families that dine here. Who wants to spend more money eating at a tourist place?! I had the crocodile schnitzel. It was huge and delicious. The crocodile meat looked like really white chicken, but it's taste and texture was more like pork. And really what doesn't taste good schnitzel-ed? Everyone at the table enjoyed their food. Although we were confused as to where to find the salad dressing. It seems that all the condiments and dressings were on a table next to the food pick up window.

Great value for a pub in Cairns. The menu is wide and portions are filling. We ended up going here twice during our weeklong stay. There's also a nice area for seating outdoors. Though I can't remember well now, I think my favorite meal was the steak and mushroom gravy.

Giving 3 stars because the lasagne was the best I've ever tasted.. The rest of the food was mediocre at best. Service is non existent. No to go containers available so you are meant to put most of the food you buy in the rubbish (portions are large). You also are to carry your drinks with no tray to wherever you sit; for us it was total of 6 glasses (2 people) and when we accidentally spilled one, we had to buy a new one.. Not nice. Oh and we sat outside as far away from inside because it smelled like a sewer pipe had broken inside.

We're so glad that our taxi driver recommended this place. After a full day on the reef, we were VERY hungry. We had Kangaroo, Crocodile, Shepherd's pie, schnitzle, and beer. The servings were HUGE! Sadly, because it's not a licensed restaurant, we were not able to take our leftovers back to the apartment. You could definitely share your main dishes here. We sat outside which was quite nice. We would come back!

There are two different kitchens with different menus in addition to the bar and a casino. I got a Spanish mackerel with prawns, calamari, vegetables, and salad. The mackerel tasted really fishy, which I guess is normal, so I didn't eat more than a bite. The prawns were good, the calamari okay, nothing special about either. The vegetables were completely plain, steamed carrots and peas, ugh! The salad was quite good. I tried my dads fries, those were good. I do not need to come back. Quite expensive but portions are huge, too huge.

5 stars for the service and atmosphere, 2 stars for the actual meal so I guess it balances out. Atmosphere: This place's atmosphere is, like I said, terrific. It's very much like a tavern with wooden tables, dim lighting, etc but without all the mess. They have a lot of things for entertainment/a good night out in general such as a pool table, piano, televisions. But don't come for the food. Customer Service: The service was quite friendly and efficient, which adds a lot to the friendly and welcoming atmosphere Cock & Bull has. I had Chicken Schnitzel, and it was way too rough, bland, and not very good. Edible, just not good. Overall, I would definitely recommend going to Cock & Bull for a good time, just maybe eat a dinner beforehand.

Our hotel in Cairns is very close to Cock and Bull, and we decided to come here for dinner. They have two kitchens, one that has steak, kangaroo fillets, crocodile schnitzel and the other kitchen has lamb shanks, Shepard's pie and some salads. After contemplating between lamb shanks and kangaroo/crocodile we settled on the kangaroo and crocodile. The meal comes with bread roll, choice of veggies or salad, potatoes and a sauce to choose from. We picked the mushroom sauce. The portion is HUGE. My husband and I split the meal and we could finish only half the plate. The kangaroo was cooked like steak, but we didn't enjoy it so much because it was dry. My husband liked the croc schnitzel, but I didn't. Could be that I didn't enjoy the meat itself and not the way it was cooked. Nevertheless its a 3 star experience for me. Their dessert looks fabulous, so I might come back just for a dessert.

Pub and grub, need I say more? Beers, ciders, and hard stuff on the menu (even though you have to order the 'Stralian way and go up to the counter for any service -- I'm used to it now) with a BBQ counter and a locally styled menu including gator and 'roo. What dazzles me about this bar/restaurant are the portions. Imagine Texas style plates and portions --just MASSIVE. I had the lamb shanks and they were heaping over a mound of mashed potatoes and carrots. I felt like I was on one of those tv shows where you enlist in a food challenge and try to devour a trough of food fit for giants. It was an incredible night to experience because you try and eat as much as you can without getting sick, and you are promised to get the most generous portions for the affable prices. But you can't take food away here, so be prepared to finish what you ordered.

Overall pretty decent. The food is somewhat basic, but very affordable and HUGE portions. Neither of us could finish it all. They had a fantastic menu and we had a hard time choosing what to order. My aunt had a veal dish and really liked it. I had the shepard's pie and it was decent but I saw other dishes at other tables that looked a bit better :) The mashed potatoes were to die for. We did not get dessert because we were too full, but the ones we saw looked wonderful (and again huge!). They also have a good wine, cider and beer selection.

This place have amazingly huge meals! The chicken parma is awesome! It also has my favourite chicken Kievs! I wish i got more salad than chips as i requested. The atmosphere is great except for the crowd of loud group of people in the smoking area who ask you for smokes and don't make you feel very safe going out by yourself. The decorative decor is awesome but a bit dated

The food was great and compared to other places we've eaten, the prices are pretty reasonable for the quantity of food. The staff was really friendly and helpful. We had the kangaroo and crocodile meal, get the kangaroo no more than medium, and the chicken schnitzel. We plan to return for the Death by Chocolate dessert, bc we were too full after all the food!

This place was recommended to us by our bus driver. OMG was she right. The Shepard pie was incredible. You get lots of food. You need to share your plate with someone. The portions are huge. Not eat lunch before you come here.

Massive portion size, so if you have two small appetites in your group - they could easily share a plate. Pleasant staff, good old fashioned pub grub and atmosphere

Quite a place! We had the Kangaroo Fillet and the Crocodile Schnitzel. Both were excellent. The big surprise for me was the crocodile. I've had alligator in Florida and crocodile in Zimbabwe and Kenya and quite truthfully none of it was very tasty. But this Crocodile Schnitzel was absolutely delicious. No kidding.

Decent food. They have two pool tables and two bars, and the vibe was ok. But the food was pretty average. If you're hungry it'll do the job, but I wouldn't actively go out of my way to eat here. They are open late though, but their kitchen closed somewhat early compared to their hours.

English bar and small cosy area in the centre of the pub where you order food. The rest of the hotel is open and airy and enjoyable to relax and lunch. Typical pub food and definitely not Gastro pub food. Not at all Coeliac friendly ... Thank goodness the soup was GF. Perfect place if you want a cheap and cheerful pub lunch when visiting Cairns.

Was not impressed with the prices for a self-service restaurant. Did not particularly enjoy the roast, but the fish was good. On the other hand, the food was very filling and the portions generous. Probably wouldn't return, but for what it was, it wasn't terrible.

love love love this place and their pub ambience. not to mention the friendly people...one of the memorable restaurants I've eaten while in Australia and maybe that's because I ordered their kangaroo steak :) taste similar to beef...not too chewy, not too dry. i can't wait to go back!

The best in cairns , no other place can match up to there mushroom gravy , great customer service , great price $$$ , & you never leave there hungry they always have meals that are filling :)

Lovely atmosphere with the best Shepherds Pie I've ever tasted. I would definitely recommend this place for people with a big appetite, because you would need a big stomach to finish a meal there.

Two thumbs up!! Awesome meals, well priced and hearty servings. My Crocodile Schnitzel was fabulous and my partner rated her Sirloin.

Can't get much better than this, great value, stomach busting big tasty meals. Highly recommended.