Yaya’s Hellenic Kitchen and Bar — Restaurant in Cairns City

26 March 2023 I chanced upon this restaurant during a morning walk and this was my first night in Cairns dining out. I have very fond memories of Greece while backpacking in the 1980's and have occasionally visited Greek restaurants over the years. I have to say that my go to dishes, Arni lemonato (tender lamb slow baked with lemon and herbs, served with oven baked potatoes, carrots and celery) and Galaktoboureko (semolina custard in filo sweetened with honey syrup) for dessert, were the best I've enjoyed. Fair to say that while my one and only visit to Greece was some time ago the flavours and textures of these dishes are worth a repeat visit, or two, before I leave Cairns. The staff were amazing and so nice to be treated so well. Thank you xo

So ... updates. I returned to Yaya's twice more. My inclination was to repeat my first meal, the arni lemonata and galaktoboureko, but family suggested that I needed to stretch out from my comfort. So, I came back again and had George's Tigani, a hot pan of seafood, accompanied by a cob of bread, and then a baklava ice cream dessert. Yet again I was impressed by the intensity of flavours, textures, and overall composition. That created a dilemma because I had a further opportunity to return. Did I finally have a repeat meal??? Well ... no. On my third outing I decided to have the moussaka and one of the dessert specials, bougatsa. I spoke to Costa several times, and also Trudi (with an "i" :) ), about the dishes and my selections. Both were more than happy to explain and describe the dishes. I'm not going to go into the detail because every dish I ate changed my perceptions of what was good and I suppose unique to Yaya's recipe and presentation. My perceptions are influenced by my past experiences, and my mood and general state of being at the moment. My experience of these meals needs to be qualified in that regard, but with every meal and the warmth of the staff and the general manner in which I was treated, my concern was could, and by how much, might my expectations be exceeded. They continued to be stretched. I thank my family for encouraging me to explore the menu further, but I will reiterate that eating at Yaya's was a fantastic, and repeated, experience. That only happens when something is worth repeating, and it was. So, once again, deep thanks to Costa and Trudi, and the rest of the staff who made my experiences so appreciated....

🌟 Absolutely blown away! 100/10 experience! 💯🎊⭐

I went for Friday dinner at 5:30pm and was the first to arrive 🙋‍♀️

I hadn't made a reservation, but called on the day just to try my luck and was incredibly lucky to get the very last spot! The person who answered the phone (maybe the owner?) was already so warm and kind, and that call made me look forward to my visit even more.

From the moment I arrived, the service was flawless. Everyone was kind, attentive, and welcoming, and I felt truly happy throughout the evening. I truly felt like I was being gifted a little piece of joy. 🥹🫶🏻

The lovely lady who took our order was extremely professional and helpful. When we asked about the portion sizes, she suggested the perfect amount so that we didn’t overeat or feel unsatisfied.😮 ✨

And the food was honestly amazing🥹✨😭 From the very first bite to the last, every dish was absolutely delicious. I couldn’t stop saying "this is so good!" "Perfect!" with each bite 😭🫶🏻 I usually don’t like olives in salads and never eat them, but here they were perfectly marinated and full of flavor. I enjoyed every one.🥹🫒

The place filled up quickly, and even though it was busy, the speed of service, the quality of the food, and the attentiveness never dropped. Everything was just perfect.😭✨💫

I've been living in Australia for nearly two years now, and for the first time, I genuinely wanted to give a tip. Coming from Japan where tipping isn’t part of the culture, that feeling says a lot.✨✨ This place made me feel truly happy and satisfied on every level 😍❤

If you're visiting Cairns, this restaurant is an absolute must. I wholeheartedly recommend it!! And be sure to make a reservation in advance!

Thank you so much for such an unforgettable evening, amazing food, and outstanding...

I wouldn't recommend this place at all. We have been to Greece many times and have friends there, so I can tell you that this food is certainly not authentic! Whilst we thought the service and food was very poor, upon paying when the manager/ owner asked if we had enjoyed it, we realised that his attitude was even worse. When telling him the truth, unfortunately he didn't like it, and resorted to excuses and lies. I had asked twice 2 separate waitresses to put the fans on as we were all hot, I got told they would but then didn't bother, the manger lied and told us it was because other people were cold! Who exactly? I think he made it up and didn't put them on in order to save money..Talking of money, my husband ordered zucchini fries, which was about 6 'shavings of a zucchini with the cheapest parmesan cheese you could find, not the real stuff, they charge $ 17.90 for that! It wouldn't feed a fly! Absolutely ripping people off! The portions are very small, and yes it's very expensive for what you get and the quality. The potatoes that were served with my small portion of chicken were cold and horrible. Although I was told that they were done fresh everyday? They should be fresh every order! All of our food came out at different times also...But the manager didn't care less, didn't want to know, just wanted the money and kept talking over us in a very defensive way. My advice go elsewhere, the Italian downstairs is 100% better and they care about they clients and return business! Thank you...