Staking its culinary claim in the north, Townsville’s food scene includes the delights of Palmer Street and the beachside, palm-studded ambience of The Strand with hot spots in the suburbs and hinterland.
“Palmer Street is still the hub of good dining in Townsville,” says travel writer Lee Mylne.
“My favourite “find” is Jam Corner – it’s smart, innovative and friendly. Does the fact that I ate there three times in two days say everything?
“Try the salmon, crusted with puffed rice, in shitake broth. And just down the road is Michel’s, a Townsville institution with a French-inspired menu that just seems to get better.”
Where else will your taste buds thank you for visiting in Townsville?
With sweeping views across Ross Creek, A Touch of Salt is one of the best places in Townsville to sit back and soak up the relaxed ambience. The sea/earth/land menu includes seasonal gems such as chilli roasted octopus accompanied by pickled leek or slow roasted goat with spiced granola and parsley root cream and the widely popular popcorn parfait with medjool date sponge, maple glaze and quinoa crumble.
It’s more than just a steakhouse, but meat lovers will not be disappointed with Kobe which you’ll find inside The Ville Resort-Casino. Straight from the char-grill, their signature dish is a 1.2kg pasture fed Cape Grim Tomahawk which is designed to share. If you can take your eyes off your steak, there are panoramic views of Magnetic Island across the Coral Sea to enjoy.
Coffee Dominion is Townsville’s coffee lover’s mecca. This small, specialty micro roaster and espresso bar has a range of coffee sourced from sustainable and environmentally friendly plantations.
For breakfast try Betty Blue and the Lemon Tart for house made chilli creamed corn with eggs, bacon and capsicum jam or choc chip banana bread with peanut butter swirls,
Perhaps the oldest surviving building in north Queensland, the old Eureka Hotel built in 1865 was once the local watering hole and overnight accommodation for bullock teams and Cobb and Co Coaches on their way to the Gold Fields. Located on the top of range and now known as Hervey’s Range Heritage Tea Rooms, the split log inn now hosts breakfast, lunch and high tea with scones the locals die for. While you can’t get a beer, you can have a cup of one of the most expensive coffees on earth, Kopi Luwak, known as cat poo coffee, which sells for $50 per cup. Settle back on the verandah to relax for a while, but as befits its long history, there is a ghost who doesn’t like to be disturbed.
Sit by The Strand, sip your coffee and savour the sea.
