Café Strada is a cafe with a fresh casually elegant feel to it, with a few tables outside on the sidewalk and 14 or so tables inside. They proudly proclaim (in their menu, not shouting it through a megaphone as you walk in) that they “use organic spices, grains & flours and support local produce where we can.” Both times I went there were no crowds but a few people scattered about. The floors are polished concrete and one wall is covered with large lush palm leaves and the other is a solid steel blue making you feel like you are sitting between the jungle and the ocean (without that pesky humidity). The cafe has high ceilings with a bustling coffee counter up front where you can order from the window facing the sidewalk or come inside, and pull up a seat. 
Their beverages are made with serious love (not puppy love – it’s the real deal baby!) and they have an assortment of unique teas as well as coffees. They proudly proclaim that they use Sipping Duck coffee (a local coffee roastery and a proud silver medal winner in the Australian International coffee awards) though when I read this all I could think of was an over-caffeinated duck swimming around in frantic circles while sipping a tiny duck sized cup of coffee. Also the duck is drinking a double shot (since the cafe ALWAYS serves a double shot… now if I could just get my bartender to follow this plan). The organic velvet latte sounded unique to say the least. It is made with beet root, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, cayenne, & black pepper. It sounded a tad too unique for my nervous taste buds so I stuck with a classic favorite – chai latte. So glad I did as it was just the right amount of sweet, a delicate flavor that is pure comfort and love (I don’t know that’s just what I felt…). 
There is Creme Brûlée Tea which somehow manages to really taste like a creme brûlée but without the richness. Add milk and voila! You are getting a creme brûlée without the added calories. It was simple, light, and still quite delicious. The perfect tea if you decide you are going for something rich like the crepes. And my advice is… GO FOR THE CREPES!
The crepes are made from a buckwheat flour which initially caused me some hesitation because I associate buckwheat with healthy and healthy with not decadently delicious and I’ll take decadently delicious over healthy any day of the week (as my regular readers are well aware of at this point). Despite my misgivings I ordered the savory breakfast crepe ($13.9) with garlic butter mushrooms, a soft egg (no the egg didn’t have fur, it was a soft over easy egg), vibrant spinach leaves, and of course the price d’resistance – the melted cheese. This was absolutely heaven on a crepe. It was rich, fresh, and the crepe was actually fantastic.
Then came the difficult decision. I couldn’t decide between the traditional lemon sugar crepe ($7) or the salted caramel crepe ($7.5) and the chef was kind enough not to force me to choose and gave me a side of salted caramel to slather on the crepe at will. She mentioned that she absolutely loves both of these and when I took a bite of each, after breaking down in tears of ecstasy, I suddenly understood. The lemon sugar was a sweet and sour burst of flavor that demanded I eat every last bite. The salted caramel was eyes rolled back in your head good. I can’t even begin to describe how good it was (which sucks since I’m a writer and that’s what I’m supposed to be doing here…). I somehow managed to leave a few bites but this was not an easy feat. 
So generally when I go out to eat I have to leave at least one third of my meal so that I don’t become a round food reviewer (the food would’t be round, I would… though crepes are round, and of course there are cookies and those are generally round. Right. Off track again…). If I had a baseball bat held to my head (they don’t have many guns in Australia) and HAD to choose I would absolutely choose the lemon sugar crepe with salted caramel on the side.
I went back another day because despite my desire to try all the breakfast places I could in Cairns, the draw of these crepes was just too strong to resist. On this visit I had the whipped goat’s cheese crepe with homemade onion jam, cherry tomatoes, cheese, spinach, and roasted almonds ($17.9 AU). It was even better than the first savory crepe I’d had here. It was, as they said in the 50’s, “dreamy”. Yes I’m aware that was a phrase generally used to describe handsome guys but given the choice between the most handsome guy on earth and this crepe, I’d choose the crepe. Now THAT is saying something about the super yum factor of these crepes. 
For dessert I really really really wanted to order that lemon sugar crepe with a side of that golden salted caramel sauce but resisted said urge and decided to try the crumpet ($15 AU). I’ve read Alice in Wonderland and they talk about crumpets and since I’ve never had a crumpet I realized it was high time I tried one. The crumpet came with rhubarb and strawberry compote, lemon ricotta curd, dark chocolate and almond flakes. 
It was very tasty and I’m sure I would have absolutely loved it, if only I’d never tried the lemon sugar caramel crepe. I’m afraid it ruined all other desserts for me from now until the end of time (or at least until I find something equally tasty – which is sort of like the search for the holy grail, time consuming and pretty much impossible).
I didn’t indulge because it was 9 am and that “it’s 5:00 somewhere” logic doesn’t work for me – but hey, no judgments if that’s your thing! So if you do want some cocktails to go with your breakfast or lunch they have mimosas, bellinis, Irish coffee, and Bloody Marys at $10 AU each. There are a selection of ciders and beers from $7-8, including beer on tap, as well as a list of a few wines in each category from sparkling, to white, to rose, to red by the glass or bottle.
I give Café Strada 6 out of a possible 5 golden forks… Hey don’t gripe about that score – it’s like getting that extra credit problem right on your test. So it’s not just perfect, it is above and beyond perfection.
Café Strada
79 Lake Street Cairns QLD 4870
+61 7 4028 3860
Open Monday – Friday from 7:30 am – 3:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
VISIT ME ON INSTAGRAM AT @TRAVELEATRINSEREPEAT
Café Seaside Hanon is one of my very favorite breakfast places in Okinawa and of course because it is on my list, you know that means it is dog friendly as well. If you have a big dog make sure you are capable of lifting him/her because in order to get to the dog friendly area you must carry your fuzzy friend through the restaurant. Also if your dog is a non-stop yapper that is a deal breaker (or a meal breaker…) and is about the last thing those who are drinking their first cappuccino of the day want to endure.
Details are key, from a potted olive tree, ceiling fans, space heaters, designated dog bowls, to the baskets stacked with cozy blankets for those who get chilly (or need a nap after a big breakfast). 
The inside of the restaurant is just as beautiful but is dog free (except for the occasional dog being carried through on the way to or from the patio).
Oh and I’d been fantasizing about Seaside Café Hanon’s cheese French pancakes (they blend cream cheese into the batter then dip them and toast them on both sides like French toast) since last time I ate there and tried them but there were no substitutions for the regular Mihama pancakes (touted as being made with whole milk from Hokkaido) that come with the lemon curd pancake order. Of course as I’m an all or nothing kind of girl, I got it all. Yep I got an order of cheese French pancakes as a side on my pancake order. 
I love that the waitress didn’t bat an eye at my carbo-loading shenanigans. I also ordered iced café mocha because that’s just how I roll on Sunday mornings. The beautiful thing about getting there before the crowd is that if you are one of the first few in line they will take your order and have it ready for you shortly after you sit down. Well, I just realized that I’m shooting myself in the foot here by giving up this information and may have a larger crowd to contend with now… Maybe you should just go ahead and sleep in. You’ll get here when you get here – and I’ll be long gone, with my tummy full and happy on my way home for a nap.
Your morning meal starts with a happy little surprise or as the French call it, an amuse-bouche (mouth amuser) in the form of a small serving of crème brûlée that is sheer perfection (the only imperfection is that it is in a teeny tiny little bowl so leaves you craving more – but it’s free so really just stop your complaining already).
Now onto the cheese French pancakes. These are on my list of reasons to get out of bed in the morning, reasons to come to Seaside Café Hanon, and reasons to live. Yes they are THAT good. Again, I left a half portion because of the pants to waist dilemma but the waitress was kind enough to wrap up the remaining halves for me in a to-go box (so I could have my pancake and eat it too). When I’m on my deathbed if you bring me some of these cheese French pancakes I’ll jump up and dance a jig, thank you profusely, then place an order for more to be delivered the next day. Plus I’ll add you to my will. Really. So why pray tell are they that good? I don’t know but I do know that I love cream cheese, I love pancakes, and I love French toast. Now mix all three together and you’ve got the winning trifecta. 
On a previous visit I had these cheese French pancakes topped with a mixed berry sauce (called “Berry berry cute pancake”), throwing the whole experience into overdrive and making my taste buds sing with glee. Ok weird imagery, I’ll try to dial it back a notch. 
Other options for pancakes include chocolate chip, the chocolate banana carnival pancake (it sounds quite festive), apple cinnamon pancake, salted caramel pancake, and purple yam millefeuille. If you needmore than “just” pancakes for breakfast they have the egg & meat pancake (served on the side and not IN the pancake), “chillibeans pancake” (chili cheese beans with extra large sausage with homemade pickles). 
My iced chocolate mocha tasted like decadent chocolate milk for adults and made me so very happy to be an adult (or at least to have people fooled into thinking I’m one). On other occasions I’ve tried their hot cafe mocha and caramel macchiato and both were the perfect blend of warm, rich, and sweet (like I like my men) and a beautiful way to start breakfast. 
They have a plethora of coffee drinks so if you want it, they’ll likely have it. Their other drinks include juices, soft drinks, Italian sodas, granite (sherbet-like icy drink with fresh juice), or if you have that “it’s 5:00 somewhere” mentality, then they have Orion and Corona beer or Awamori cocktails.
Another thing I appreciated was that ordering scrambled eggs for my dog didn’t even produce a raised eyebrow, in fact the waitress came back a moment later with two dog bowls and asked which one my dog would prefer the eggs in (the other was for water). 
I tell you I’m madly in love with this restaurant for these reasons alone. Oh but there is so much more to this restaurant than non-judgmental servers and dog friendly seating.
Seaside Café Hanon is up Tuesday to Friday 11am – 7pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am-7pm, Japanese holiday 9am – 7pm and closed ever Monday or the day after Japanese National holiday. Last order for food is at 6pm and last drink order is at 6:30 pm.
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By the time I decide where I want to eat breakfast I’m usually too hungry to wait in line and then wait for food (as delicious as it is, patience is not generally one of my strengths – especially when my tummy is growling). I was wandering along the Tsunabi Sea Wall with Pickles (not the food, my dog) and searching for a dog friendly breakfast place when I suddenly remembered Coffee Casa.
My stomach wasn’t growling too loud so, despite the fact that it was 0830 on a Saturday morning (the equivalent to morning rush hour at Coffee Casa), I knew I could handle whatever kind of wait time they threw at me – so today was re-discovery day! 
The food is delicious and portions are Japanese size and to me that’s just right (if you are expecting Denny’s sized portions you will be seriously disappointed – but think of all the weight you’ll lose if you start eating normal sized portions again) and the menu is varied enough to appeal to pretty much everyone in your group. Their coffee is delicious and includes the usual suspects as well as banana mocha, almond mocha, coconut latte, and something’s called “SPAZ” which is 4 shots of espresso with chocolate and hazel and is guaranteed to make you spaz out – if not from the delightful taste then definitely from the amount of caffeine… Being more of a traditionalist and a little too sensitive to caffeine to risk the SPAZ, I instead went with my usual cafe mocha. 
I usually get it hot but the sun was blazing and I was sitting on the porch with no shade so instead went for iced. It came out looking like a milkshake and tasted like chocolate + coffee + heaven. The fancy coffee drinks range from 440 yen to 650 yen for the large sizes (yes, that 650 is for the SPAZ) and you can do add ons like shots of espresso for only 50 yen (because obviously having only 4 shots of espresso is for sissies) 
or another shot of syrup (vanilla, caramel, almond, banana, coconut, or chocolate) for 50 yen, a shot of soy for 50 yen (I haven’t quite figured out why I would want a shot of soy but hey I’m sure there’s someone out there jonesing for just one more shot of soy), or if you are living large (and want to get larger) a scoop of ice cream for 100 yen. I just noticed that they have a coffee dessert called Afogato for 300 yen (1 shot of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream). Yum. My dance card was full this time so it’s on my to do next time list. There were drip coffees and you can choose from Mocha French, Brazil, or the monthly special. 
The pancake plates are 750 yen (plain with butter, blueberry, or banana), French toast plates come with banana, blueberry, and whip cream. 
My all time favorite is their bagel plate (or Bagle if you are reading directly from the menu – look stop bitching about the spelling and just be grateful they have an English menu). The bagel plate comes with cream cheese or butter or their very own sun-dried tomato spread (HEAVENLY) and being the little piglet that I am I go over the top and order the sun-dried tomato AND the cream cheese (and when I’m feeling REALLY wild I get all three – yes, I am the occasional high roller). Bagel plate will NOT be pictured here because although it is the most beautiful thing my taste buds have had the good luck to sample here it is the least beautiful thing on the menu. No amount of photo shopping could fix that. Trust me I tried. They have a breakfast burrito which I have had on past occasions and give a two thumbs up. The burrito is 700 yen and has 2 eggs, spicy sausage, cheese, hash browns, and homemade salsa all rolled up in an 11 inch tortilla. 
If you want to be the cool person at your office potluck with the most amazing homemade bread/cake then if you order 5 days in advance you can choose from lemon coconut bread, banana bread, orange & berry bread (each is 1800 yen), or blueberry coffee cake (3080 yen – because YES it’s worth it!). No one is going to know if you try to pass it off as your own… Ethical schmethical. Unless of course they are a Coffee Casa fan, then I’m afraid your cover is blown Betty Crocker.
This is the dog friendly area of the cafe and you can almost always find at least 1 or 2 dogs lounging about with their humans. The cafe has a couple plastic bowls at the ready for just such occasions and since Pickles tends to BYOB (bring your own bowl) for water, I used the extra bowl to serve her scrambled eggs to her (she isn’t called Princess Pickles for nothing…).
There is a short row of movie theater seats at the entrance so that you can sit and wait for your table and watch people ordering at the counter and pretend you are watching the slowest action movie ever. There are about 6 tables inside so, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the place fills up fast during prime breakfast hours on weekends. 
Kaiholo Cafe’s motto is “Good Morning Foods & Pet Friendly!!” It is one of my favorite Onna breakfast spots. They serve excellent pancakes in flavors from Macadamia to coconut to chocolate chip etc. AND you can add extra toppings (like the ice cream I added to my coconut pancakes) for only 100 yen. With the coconut whipped cream and ice cream it tasted scrumptious – a bit like creamy marshmallow topping (though I have a good imagination so you may wonder what the heck I’m talking about when you try it). 
Their cafe mocha is excellent (hard for me to find places that serve a good mocha on island). The theme is Hawaiian and the place has two small rooms one with 2 tables and the other with 3 or 4 tables.
Dogs are allowed and when I tried to bring my Rottweiler years ago they said she needed “curtesy pants” which after some back and forth I learned meant doggy diaper. I didn’t have any at the time so didn’t get to come in. This time I came prepared with curtesy pants but put them in my purse so that I didn’t needlessly put the humiliation pants (how my dog Pickles refers to the diapers). She’s MUCH smaller than my Rottweiler and they didn’t bat an eye and didn’t ask her to put on “pants’. They also brought her a little bowl of water that looked like a teddy bear face. She’s kind of an adorable weirdo and doesn’t like to drink water out of unfamiliar bowls (she’s even iffy about drinking out of her own. travel bowl) so she didn’t touch it until we were about to leave and finally realized she was parched so deigned to drink out of a “strange” bowl.
Items on the menu include Açaí Bowl for 800 yen, Pitaya Bowl for 700 yen, smoothies from 500-600 yen, waffles (original, strawberry & whipped cream, Seasonal fruit, Haupia – otherwise known as coconut, banana & chocolate, and peanut butter) range from 500-900 yen. They also serve Omelettes that come with 2 original pancakes or ½ original waffle for 700-900 yen. You can also get extra toppings with these for 100 yen and you can get the 200 yen add on for a drink to be included.. They have sandwiches with French fries (BLT, Ham & Egg, Fish, Crispy Chicken) all for 700-800 yen. They have a category called “Muffin”and I’m guessing they mean English muffins since they offer both eggs Benedict and bacon eggs chili muffin (800-900 yen). The side menu is 500 yen for anything listed and includes fried potatoes (French fries), garlic potato, chili & cheese potato, fish & chips, chicken nuggets, crispy chicken, Macaroni & cheese. Extra toppings are 100 yen and it seems as though you can add them to anything you want – your pancakes, waffles, omlettes, sandwiches, etc. (ice cream, whipped cream, Hawaiian honey, 100% pure maple syrup, chocolate, caramel, bacon, sausage, spam, eggs, chili). Yummy – I think I’ll have maple syrup on my eggs Benedict… LOL. Add a drink to any of the meals for just 200 yen.
There’s a list of the usual coffees you’d expect to find on a breakfast menu as well as honey latte and cold pearl latte (350-400 yen each). Teas include regular, honey milk tea, or cold berry apple tea (350-400 yen). There are some fruity sodas (berry, pineapple, mango, or lilikoi) for 350 yen, several kinds of juices (300-350 yen) and beer to include either Hawaiian beer or Orion beer (800 & 400 yen respectively)
They have a little fluffy dachshund (Hana) who wanders around the restaurant pleading for food (despite all the signs CLEARLY saying please don’t feed her since she was dying from food allergies – obviously Hana cannot read so is oblivious to the fact that she is not supposed to be eating people food. 
People seem to be quite good at resisting her adorable pleading (the idea that you might kill her if you feed her probably helps). Their other dog is a sweet and shy old Shelty named Aki and only comes out when beckoned by his owner.
HOURS: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm and they seem to be open daily
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You can sit facing the street on one of the benches outside or at the small table for 4 also outside on the lanai (see how I snuck that Hawaiian word for balcony in there…) if your timing is right and you have a party of at least 3-4. This is perfect for those who enjoy bringing their dogs to breakfast. 
If you want to spoil your pup you can even order a side of scrambled eggs (300 yen) for Fido/Spot/Pickles (just tell them it’s for your dog so they put it in a plastic container). 
The inside of the restaurant is small but welcoming and there are maybe 6 wooden tables so the place fills up fast. It is a light filled space and the entire front wall of the restaurant is actually not a wall but is instead floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the front porch. 
The café boasts hardwood floors, a giant Hawaiian beach mural painted on one wall with the opposite wall a soothing butter yellow, hung with pictures with the same theme. 
Small crystal chandeliers hang throughout the dining room and on the wall behind the cash register is a chalk board listing smoothies (Ginger Ninja, Beet it, Berry Berry, Power Green, and Tropical Sunrise all priced from 500 – 650 yen), drinks to include Orion beer for 700 yen if that’s what you consider part of a healthy breakfast… or more morning friendly drinks like orange, mango, guava, or apple juice (all 400 yen), and the specials. The other drinks listed include Hawaiian blend coffee, coconut coffee (this one gets 2 thumbs up from me), café latte, cappuccino, and a variety of Hawaiian teas. There is usually a wait if you get there after 9:00 am, so just add your name to the waiting list on a clipboard outside and check out Maybe Bakery next door (it’s definitely a bakery, no maybes about it) if you need something to tide you over while you wait.
Another favorite of mine is their signature French Toast – Hale Noa French Toast (1100 yen) with mixed berry sauce and crème brulee sauce drizzled generously over the top. 
If you prefer your French Toast without the bells and whistles (less noisy that way), plain old French Toast is only 500 yen.
It is extra for sides like toast, rice (yes I told you they love this stuff), country potatoes (OMG if you like breakfast potatoes these are sheer deliciousness and only 300 yen), bacon, sausage, or salad. 
One star of the menu is their eggs benedict (1200 yen). They have 4 varieties to choose from: bacon, Kalua pork, smoke salmon, or avocado and best of all you can mix and match (try 2 different ones or stay in your comfort zone and just have one kind). I highly recommend the Kalua pork – it was surprisingly good! I was expecting that I was going to take a bite and then leave the rest while inhaling the bacon eggs benedict but I was so very wrong and at the end of breakfast my plate was remarkably clean (yes I licked my plate when no one was looking).
I found this place on Okinawa Foodies page on Facebook and with all the rave reviews knew I had to try the place. My only fear in writing this review is that I’ll never get back in here due to the flocks of people hungry for a great burger that are bound to descend upon this place once they discover it. That’s the selfish part of me talking. The share the wealth of knowledge of deliciousness part of me caved in and has decided to share despite my fears.
It had modern hanging bare lights, some huge lights that look like those old school hair dryers that ladies would sit under with curlers in their hair. 
There’s a rustic wooden bar with 7 stools and yes, they serve alcohol for those in need of a libation. There’s free Wi-Fi as well.
And the homemade grilled brioche bun was delicious, that alone would’ve been enough to make me swoon. The only downside was that it was so soft that the bottom got a tad soggy. The burgers are served with shoestring fries that were a homemade version of my shameful favorite secret addiction (McDonalds fries). I could only eat about half the burger and ⅓ of rhe fries because it was wonderfully rich and filled me up. 
Also, if I’m going to be honest here, I was saving room for one of their desserts. Hey it wouldn’t really be right for me to go to the trouble of reviewing this place and not try the dessert… I’m looking out for YOU here – it’s a purely selfless act.
I was torn between the brownie and ice cream and the coconuts lemon tart (¥390). On the recommendation of the owner I went with the coconut lemon tart (though he did look torn, noting sadly that the tart didn’t come with ice cream). 
It was phenomenal just sweet enough with a beautiful lightly sweetened crust, sweet and tart lemon filling, and a thick coconut cake/crust base. Definitely the right recommendation, though I will have to return to test the brownie and ice cream as well as the umami burger with truffle oil, mushrooms, Parmesan, and Gorgonzola cheese.
The road outside the restaurant is under construction but to make up for the inconvenience they do free valet parking. The restaurant is in a big old brick warehouse where several other restaurants and shops also do business. We were taken to the 2nd floor and given a table in the middle of the small space. 
The menu has a section of small plates to share as well as a small section of very large courses to share. We decided on 7 dishes for our table of 4 people and this turned out to be perfect, and left a bit of room for dessert. During the meal our waiters were attentive and their movements seemed like a specially choreographed dance, clearing plates and silverware and bringing new along with the next delightful bit of our meal. The first dish was Pimento cheese and was my absolute favorite. 
It came with a small jar of pimento cheese topped with roasted anaheim pepper, bacon jam, and served with insanely delicious grilled bread. The combination of the perfectly toasted bread along with the cheese was heavenly. The waiters were kind enough to bring more bread when they saw that we’d inhaled the bread yet still had more cheese with nowhere to spread it (perhaps they sensed that I was getting ready to slather it onto my plate and lick it off). The next course was coal roasted beets, basically a beet salad, that was surprisingly tasty, especially considering I’m not normally a fan of beets at all. It had goat cheese, arugula, carmelized dried dates, and radicchio.
The dressing had just the right amount of tanginess and the veggies were shredded and curled (not sure how just know it gave it a nice texture and the taste was just right). The wood fired baby yams were not as fabulous as I’d hoped since I’m a huge fan of all things yam. This dish came with cashew, sesame, mandarin, sherry, and puréed yams. 
The meatballs were lackluster and tasted like, well, like meatballs. No pizazz, no umph, just meatballs. Pricey ones with uninspiring flavor. 
There was a clam course which I was not a fan of but then I don’t like clams so I’m not a good judge. 
My mother, whose birthday we were celebrating absolutely adored them but she is also very easily pleased (a WONDERFUL characteristic by the way when someone is just as thrilled to go to Red Lobster as they are to go to a Michelin star restaurant). There was a course that had kale and gnocchi and other ingredients that I no longer remember but what I do remember is that we all gave it a thumbs up.
The waiter was kind enough to also bring deconstructed s’mores for her complete with birthday candles! These were pretty good but not phenomenal (how phenomenal can one make marshmallows, drizzled chocolate, and graham cracker crumbs taste though?). What I loved the most was the service. It was spot on and spectacular. This restaurant is a well-oiled machine with some very tasty dishes and others that may leave you unimpressed. 
The restaurant has a high open ceiling and is not at all cozy or romantic (it was a birthday dinner for my mom so definitely no problem with that, just wanted to let you know it’s not a romantic night out kind of place).
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