Squires Loft Cairns — Local services in Cairns City

We had booked a week in advance and even called ahead to say we’d be about 15 minutes late, but were still asked to wait while our table was “set up.” We were then seated directly under what felt like interogation lamps the lighting was harsh and uncomfortable, leaving us all seeing yellow spots. After asking four different staff members over about half an hour, we were finally moved. When placing our order, the waitress mentioned that when the restaurant gets busy there can be a 12–15 minute gap, so “it’s best to serve everything together.” We assumed she meant all entrées together to avoid any delay between dishes; but to our surprise, she meant entrées and mains together. As someone who manages a fine dining restaurant, that’s a confusing approach; a 15–20 minute gap between courses is normal and expected. Now to the food: Eye Fillet (Blue): I was told it would be cool in the centre; mine was completely cold. Scotch Fillet: Whatever it was basted in overwhelmed the flavour and left an unpleasant aftertaste. Side Sauces: The creamy garlic was far too sweet, and the “blue cheese” sauce was brown and oddly tasted like tomato sauce. Caesar Salad: Completely drenched in dressing. Chips: Cold. To top it off, when my partner and son got up to pay the bill, my daughter and I were still seated. Within seconds, multiple staff members swarmed the table, clearing everything to the point that I couldn’t even reach my handbag, I had to ask one of them if I could please retrieve it. For a venue with Squires Loft’s reputation, this experience was a letdown from start to finish. The food, service, and overall communication need...

I want to start this review by congratulating the girls from the service team — they welcomed my girlfriend and me in such a warm way, and their attention during our stay was wonderful. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make up for the bad experience we had with the food.

To begin with, the portions were extremely small. We paid $40 each for a steak dish that was supposedly 250 grams. The meat wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t delicious either. I was surprised that for a $40 dish, it only came with the steak and one side (we chose salad), when usually you get three. If we wanted fries, we had to pay extra; if we wanted sauce, we had to pay extra too. I understand that being a restaurant next to the aquarium, prices are going to be high — that’s fine — but when the food arrived, it was a total disappointment.

The “salad” was literally just lettuce! It’s the most expensive portion of lettuce I’ve ever paid for — nothing special at all. The mushroom sauce, which we also paid extra for, had maybe three mushrooms in it, and honestly, it just tasted like plain cream.

In the end, I left with a really bad impression because of the food. The service was great, but other than that, I don’t recommend this place.

It feels like what you’re really paying for is the view of the big fish tank. For that price, there are much better places to eat in Cairns — and then, sure, you can go to the aquarium afterward to see the fish. It’s cheaper that way.

Very average food, nothing special, expensive, tiny portions — you’ll most likely leave disappointed and hungry, just like we did.

I don’t...

Save your time and money. If you’re looking for a good quality steak and service, go to Water Bar and Grill.

My partner and I opted for trying out a new place and we are sorry we did. The service from staff is the only positive about this place.

We ordered drinks, and had to wait 20 minutes for them. Once they arrived, my Coke Zero had a strong amount of alcohol in it. We were obviously given the wrong order. I sent the drink back and was then given just a normal Coke Zero which I originally ordered. Just thankful this was not given to a child or someone that cannot consume alcohol.

After waiting an hour for our meals, the scotch fillet steak I ordered medium, was still rare. I notified the waiter and they sent it back. They then brought the same steak back to the table not even 5 minutes later doused in extra baste. The steak was still the same, rare. I notified the waiter again to which it was sent back for further cooking. By the time I received the steak finally, drowned in basting, very chewy and now it was fully brown and well done. My partners beef ribs “slow cooked for 16 hours” were stuck to the bones and he struggled to get the meat off. They offered complimentary dessert which we declined and just wanted to pay our bill and leave. Upon paying our bill, they did not charge for the scotch fillet steak due to the mistake and in the end I did not eat it, however we were still out of pocket $150 for a very low...