Nu Nu Restaurant

From the moment we arrived, this was not just a meal — it was an immersive tropical experience. Set literally on the edge of the beach, with coconut palms swaying gently overhead and the sound of waves rolling in as a natural soundtrack, the setting alone was breathtaking. The warm evening air, salt on the breeze, and golden light filtering through the palms made it feel like dining inside a postcard of paradise. But the real star of the night was the Tasting Tropics Set Menu — and it was nothing short of extraordinary. Each course was a carefully crafted celebration of tropical ingredients, precision, and artistry. The dishes arrived like edible works of art, plated with meticulous detail, vibrant colours, and a clear respect for local produce. Flavours were layered, complex, and perfectly balanced — sweet, salty, tangy, and umami dancing together in every bite. You could taste the thoughtfulness behind each creation: delicate seafood kissed with citrus, rich textures contrasted with crisp freshness, and native ingredients woven through in a way that felt both adventurous and refined. Standout moments included melt-in-your-mouth seafood that tasted as if it had been caught that very day, and beautifully spiced tropical elements that were bold without ever overpowering. Every course built upon the last, taking us on a true culinary journey through the flavours of the tropics. And then there were the cocktails — absolutely mind-blowing. Inventive, beautifully presented, and bursting with flavour, they were some of the best we’ve ever had. Fresh tropical fruits, premium spirits, and creative garnishes elevated them far beyond your standard beachside drink. Each sip felt like sunshine in a glass. Paired with the stunning beachfront location, the rustling palms overhead, and the warm, attentive service, this was dining at its absolute finest. A truly unforgettable evening — a perfect fusion of nature, luxury, and world-class cuisine. Highly, highly recommended. 🌴✨

We understand that it was Christmas Eve and the restaurant was extremely busy. However, the level of service and attitude we experienced was simply unacceptable. The environment and location are great, but unfortunately the service seriously fell short. There was no dedicated waiter for our table, and throughout the entire meal we had to repeatedly stop different staff just to get basic assistance. Even then, the help felt very superficial. Several times, our questions were not properly followed up on. For example, after waiting over 40 minutes for our main dishes, we asked how much longer it would take. The staff said they would check, but never came back with any response. Same also happened when we asked to speak with the manager after payment where the staff didn’t even go ask or talk with him. Water was rarely refilled, and clearing empty plates was extremely slow. While the manager was very kind and genuinely tried his best to help us, the overall experience remained disappointing. As for the food, it was very average and, in my personal opinion, not worth the price. We spent over $650 for five people, and the value for money was quite poor. Appetizers came out quickly, but that was the only positive point in terms of timing. Overall, despite the nice setting, this is not a place I would choose to return to.

We were in Australia for 4 weeks and this was by far our best meal! Our server was so friendly and helpful and the food was so good!! The view is fantastic with the palm trees right outside. Would defo recommend.

I dined here three times during my stay in Palm Cove. The restaurant has the best location of all the dining options. Huge outdoor space with panoramic views of the ocean that are lit in the evening with festoon lights, providing an intimate setting. Also has a large indoor space. All the waitstaff I encountered were welcoming and attentive, many are travellers of the world so it was lovely having a chat with them. The food is divine, great options for breakfast/ brunch and the dinner experience is very special. A must visit during your stay.

I can’t recommend Nu Nu highly enough. From the friendly greeting when I arrived, the beautiful scenery sitting beachfront at Palm Cove, and the delicious food, cocktail and wine. I had the Tasting menu, and each dish was amazing, it was the perfect evening.

My wife and decided to visit NuNus restaurant. We were not disappointed. The food was exquisite and the staff was very friendly with good service. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and our experience there. There are some beautiful sea views from the restaurant as well. I noticed that the restaurant makes its own bread for sale there and also sells relish and other types of jams. We will definitely be back.

Great as always. The reef fish was the standout. If I had to be picky there didn’t seem to be enough staff on so the service was a little slow. Those who were on were brilliant. We always look forward to dinner at Nu Nu

Honestly outstanding from start to finish. We arrived during a torrential downpour and were offered towels to dry ourselves off. I popped in our reservation that we had a pram and our table had plenty of space and a chair already moved so the pram slotted right in. Service was amazing and the food was delicious. We loved every meal we ordered.

Great vibe and part of the Lancemore hotel. Food quality is excellent, staff super friendly and the cocktails were fantastic. Had breakfast here as well. The giant mushrooms were great and the fresh juices 10/10. Great coffee.

Beach front fine dining made with local ingredients and phenomenal cocktail/wine pairings. Anyone who complains about the portion size and price needs to get in the car and go to McDonald's. Every dish was well thought out from flavor profile to the texture. Get the local fish. Try a new cocktail. Enjoy the view. Treat yo self. I'd give 6 stars if possible.

Very disappointed. Had heard great things about this restaurant. Very overpriced, most main courses over $50. I had $52 duck which was a dry small serving with no vegetables just some very bitter bbq'd mushy witlof. Our meals didn't all come out at the same time. Wouldn't go back.

This restaurant is gorgeous- the interior design is modern and natural looking, perfect outdoor sitting, for sunset dinner. I had the ginger chicken wings- amazing, husband had the kangaroo. We shared the brownie with local ice cream. Great spot, so glad we went here. The cocktails were great- the nunu Long Island was fab.

Far North Queensland in my opinion is gods country, with lush tropical rain forest providing a canopy on one side and the Great Barrier Reef on the other, you can't help get a sense of utopia. Palm Cove is nestled between Cairns and Port Douglas and is home to the Gourmet Traveller magazine restaurant of the year 'NuNu'. This is absolute beachfront dining, Nu Nu offers spectacular views of the Coral Sea, with lush palm trees dotting the landscape. Nu Nu offers modern Australian cuisine and combines the freshest of locally sourced produce to create an awesome selection of flavours. So with the barre being set so high I had great expectations of the place. We opted to book for lunch, as the weather was perfect and we wanted to take advantage of the view. We arrived early, but was offered our table straight away, and what a table, situated outside on the deck you couldn't ask for a better position. The menu was presented and the waiter offered us some complementary home made potato crisps with sea salt and lime. My goodness if this was an indication of what was to come, then we wed in for culinary treat. The lunch menu had been designed for sharing and had a good selection of dishes that would suit most palettes. We started with the puffed lemon bread and house made pickles. This is a perfect way to start a lunch. Lemon bread or Poori bread is an unleavened deep-fried Indian bread, commonly consumed on the Indian subcontinent. As the name suggest the middle was full of air and complemented the pickles beautifully. We then proceeded to order the rest of our dishes. Lightly battered zucchini black vinegar, shallots and coriander chips, Raw yellow fin tuna, octopus, chorizo, olive & red pepper essence, Whole fried baby barramundi, surf clams, pickled squid, thai basil, banana flower & tamarind caramel, ginger fried chicken wings with kimchi butter, coconut roast pork belly green mango, mint and lemongrass and hand cut chips. Each dish was amazing with the team in the kitchen obviously taking their great knowledge of local produce and putting it on the plate. Everything about Nu Nu was perfect. The waitstaff, armed with the knowledge to be able to make great recommendation from the wine that matches each dish to what dessert we should have. If you are looking for a great relaxed dining experience then I highly recommend Nu Nu, and discover for yourself why it was voted restaurant of the year.

What a way to start the morning..... Amazing food, amazing views a must when in Palm Cove

We only visited for breakfast, we had plans to also visit for dinner but decided not to risk the nearly $50 mains after a not so great breakfast. We were staying at the adjoining resort (Alamanda) and decided to opt into the $25 resort breakfast special. I had the toast and the eggs benedict. The toast was good with some tasty jams. The eggs benedict was nice although it only came with 1 piece of toast for 2 eggs. So my meal went fine, but my wife and daughters not so much. - My wife can't have dairy/soy at the moment and they didn't have almond milk, but we had some in our fridge and they were happy to use that. First coffee made had chocolate put on top (which had dairy - which we asked not to have), second coffee the almond milk had curdled. They did make a juice for her though. Still wasted half a carton of our almond milk wasted though :/ - My daughters babycino never arrived even after following up on it - My daughters meal came out with a poached egg even though we asked for it scrambled - The avocado that came with my wife's meal was way to underripe/hard (not spreadable) - Service disappeared after the food was brought out, not ideal on a warming day and an empty water jug on the table - Got the bill, still had babycino on it, I asked about it, then after a bit of confusion a staff worker said don't worry and that I didn't need to sign. I'm still confused why I didn't need to sign... With so many issues on a simple breakfast I just couldn't justify plonking down at least a couple hundred for a dinner.

We had 9 people at a dinner here. We found it very pretentious with average food with pretentious names. Maitre D' was condescending and we were put into a large, mostly empty space with zero charm or ambiance. There were strange decorations hanging over the end of our table which members of our party and the servers kept hitting with their heads while moving about and serving etc. Prices were over the moon for the quality of food. I would not return.

This is our best experience of having breakfast in Australia. The staffs are friendly and nice to kids. The service is great and the environment is sunny and casual. We felt relaxed and had a good morning. The kids egg and waffle tasted good. And the crab omelette and shakshuka were delicious. We also enjoyed their coffee and the surrounding atmosphere. Warm wind and ocean view were lovely. We felt the cooks' creative thoughts on plates. It is worthy to come and have a stay here. Highly recommended.

Just flew into town... classic chicken wings were amazing... no words can describe them. The Watermelon salad was a perfect combination.

We went for breakfast. It was reasonably priced. Great location, variety, service, presentation of the food and most importantly it was a yummy breakfast. We ate the market greens with egg avo yoghurt and crumbs and a muesli and blueberry smoothie. Nice tunes in the background to help the relaxing vibe. Would definitely go back.

I had high hopes for Nu Nu, having last dined here some 4 years ago. Certainly, I well remembered their Vanilla Ginger Mojito. The place is gorgeous as ever. Located right at the beach, beautiful palm trees lining the verandas side of the restaurant, location is clearly the top seller of this haunt. We went for the 'degustation' menu, which commands some serious money. Looking only at the savoury dishes for a moment, there was nothing I'd bother coming back for. There's no shining or flavours - it's mostly a surprisingly drab affair. The Wagyu was fine, but that's as much praise I can heap upon it. It came with some jus and a sprout of green. That's it. Believe it or not: nothing else was even worth a mention. The plates, on average, were about five times the size of the dishes served on them. No points for that. The story changed once you reach the deserts. They were very much in a different class, shining with beautiful presentation, interesting textures and wonderful aromas. Clearly, the pastry/desert chef has not fallen asleep at the wheel like the head chef seems to have. Service was irritatingly uninspired and lacklustre. One waitress repeatedly finishing off her description of the dishes and the forced 'enjoy your meal' while she was already turning away. I would have thought living in a beautiful location like this would make you somewhat more energetic but not so. This place would very much benefit from someone taking control. The food is a bore and I was hoping against hope to find a dish I enjoyed. Clearly, no one at Nu Nu has tried their own cooking in a while or bothered to keep up staff training. Deserts are a different story and they're in a class of their own. Big compliments to the pastry chef! So, either Nu Nu decides to serve quality, inspired food to go with their outlandish price tag or they stop serving all this mediocre stuff and focus and what really shined that night: the deserts. Oh, and the Mojito was as good as I remember. That's at least something.

Extensive wine list and interesting menu. Our entrees and mains were fantastic and the staff were friendly too.

This is a review for breakfast.... Beautiful location on the beach but my goodness, beyond that it was realllly average. Service is beyond slow - 30 min wait for a coffee and some fruit. They were busy but not that busy. With 5 staff working, they should be like a well oiled machine. Really underwhelming food and stingy servings ( perhaps because we had pre-paid breakfast with the hotel and they were trying to save on costs?) Toast served with avocado that is hard and unripe (I mean, this is tropical queensland - you can't get your hands on some decent avocados?), unseasoned, overcooked scrambled eggs. Really just "meh". Nothing special. If we stayed at Palm Cove again, we'd definitely opt for one of the cafes down the road.

Perfect location with sea view. Very good food and service. Was 3 times for brekky and 1 lunch.

I came to cairns for a wedding, I visited this restaurant on the recommendation of a friend I found the food to be of a high quality. The interior was pleasant with various ferns to green up and soften the atmosphere. I would highly recommend this place to anyone in the area.

Excellent modern Australian / Asian fusion offerings heavy on local seafood. Superb tasting menu wine matches by the very knowledgable sommelier

Went there for brunch and had a delightful ham hock croquettes with smashed eggs. For a breakfast dish this was well thought through without being overly complex. Beautifully presented. Service was first class and the setting was fabulous.

I have eaten in 1000s of restaurants all over the world in plenty of 3 star Michelins to hole in the wall dives. As such, I like to believe I know what I'm talking about when it comes to restaurants. I like restaurants to be what they are, or even more important, the chef to be what he or she is - and not a pretender. "Pretender" restaurants drive me crazy and Nunu is a pretender. This place has enormous potential, as the chef here shows sparks of true flavor assembly genius. Some of the dishes were brilliant tonight. My "catch of the day" fish was superb and beautifully presented. The vegetable sides were beautifully cooked with some clever touches (asian greens with pork belly, broc and green beans smeared in pea puree, a very fresh tasting heart of palm salad). The tortellini with saffron butter (and other bits) was outstanding and very creative. But that's the point with "pretender" restaurants - it is so hard to keep it all going through every dish without the risk of appearing to just be trying too hard. "Mary's feast", a clever name for lamb BTW, had a variety of cuts, including oddities like lamb brains. A honey roasted chicken, which sound normal enough, featured a chicken foot, heart, liver along with requisite breast (although this was wrapped in its own fat and skin and poached) and a confit like leg. My wife's pork turned out to be pork belly, and while she likes pork belly, it was far from what she was expecting and didn't match the rest of the dish. Despite the overall delicious dishes, we somehow felt betrayed because the menu was so misleading and the variety of cuts of protein were not exotic - only bizarre (I've eaten almost all these things in the past, but were so out of character in this context). So overall a mixed result - so typical for a chef that is simply trying too hard and not being true to themselves.

A fantastic restaurant in Palm Cove if you want something a little special. One of the nicest settings with great outlooks over the beach. Service is very good, with staff very attentive and helpful in suggestions and menu selections. Some interesting items on the menu. We chose to go with the chef's selection with matching wines and were not disappointed. All dishes were superb, but the pork belly with red curry and melon was a standout. Probably one of the priciest restaurants in Palm Cove but we were very satisfied with the quality of food and service we received. Great wine selection also.

Serious food. Seriously good. The setting is wonderful. The service allows for relaxation without awkward gaps. Serves are bigger than in most edgy and creative restaurants but the food really is good and interesting. Can't agree with the guy who says they're pretenders. They've got their act together now.

Excellent service from the waitstaff. I had about 3 different people serve me and they were all incredibly kind and assistive. One man described each dish to me-- I did not catch his name but he was very skilled in what he did. The meals were very well prepared and delicious and the atmosphere was unmatched. A beautiful view of the ocean with a calming feel. I definitely recommend this restaurant to all staying at the Alamanda and those not as well. Cheers.

The last time I'd been to nunu was on my last visit 18 months ago & I had fond memories. This visit left me feeling a bit listless. I was very excited about nunu despite the heavy expense I knew it would be. We started with the bao which I felt was doughy & not at all light & springy as you would find it at an exceptional Chinese restaurant. The flavour was even underwhelming. The hirasama with chorizo was even more underwhelming where the fish was drowned in too many other flavors for it to be the hero for $28. The absolute standout were the betel leafs. Executed perfectly with perfect balance in each of the flavours. We ended with the bbq winter greens which were good but nothing wow wow wow & the pork belly red curry which was unique & completely untraditional. The furry was tasty but needed more to really fully enjoy the dish. The cocktails were excellent but we didn't even look at dessert because we felt underwhelmed at this point. A costly night at $150 when you leave feeling so underwhelmed.

Deep fried pork ribs and sticky pork belly next to paper barks and coral sea.

Arrived for coffee & dessert on a Thursday night and were seated on the top level away from other diners and next to the wine storage room. Ordered two coffees, a velvet crumble and the roasted honeycomb, yoghurt marshmallow, lemon semolina cake & salted caramel ice cream dessert, which I had seen on the menu outside & decided on that straight away. We were served water then waited about 20-25 min before dessert was presented to us, another 5 minutes for our coffees to arrive. When dessert arrived, we were a bit confused as none of the elements tasted like what we expected but it was a small serving so it didn't take long for us to devour it. I thought that the cake didn't taste very lemony but it was my favourite part. Did they forget the honeycomb? We noticed the plate had 9 chips around the outside - not what you'd expect from a fine dining restaurant . The velvet crumble was delicious - two small pieces of honeycomb covered in a chocolate crumb. Coffee was good. When the bill arrived, it listed cassava cake, not what we ordered. In fact, we had not received what we ordered which was disappointing as the main dessert item was what drew us into the restaurant and it was a small order! Upon seeing the menu again on the way out, what we had eaten was the "cassava cake, ginger biscuit, coconut sherbet (no hint of sherbet there) and coconut durian sorbet". Ohhh... I liked the cassava cake but the coconut durian sorbet looked lovely with its red colour but was more like a tasteless jelly. I had noticed the seeds and noted it looked like durian but hadn't read to this item at the bottom of the list as I was really wanting the honeycomb dessert :( The waiter wasn't very friendly and we were made to feel like they were doing us a favour. Disappointing because we were contemplating going back for dinner one night but we won't be back. Like the reviews say, perhaps this once highly regarded restaurant has lost its shine.

Went there for dinner last night and the Pork Massaman was sensational. Service was excellent and the waiters always ensured our drinks were topped up.

Beautiful setting but the food a serious disappointment given that the menu raised expectations to a high level. Also the lighting was so dim even stealing a second candle from the next table we were unable to see our food. Such a shame as the setting is delightful.