About
Curlew Cafe sits on Coochiemudlo Island, a short ferry ride from the Queensland mainland, and serves as a casual spot for fish and chips, breakfast, coffee, and lunch. The setting has a tropical, quirky character all its own, with wild curlews known to wander through the outdoor area and a laid-back island atmosphere that draws families, day-trippers, and locals alike. Dine-in and takeaway are both available, and the cafe is well set up for families with young children.
The fish and chips are the signature draw, and on a good visit the food hits the mark. The coffee gets consistent praise, and the friendly staff mentioned across a number of visits add to the experience. Breakfast is a popular choice too, with some visitors rating it a genuine highlight of a day on the island.
Honest note: the cafe is popular and wait times can stretch out, particularly at busy periods, so building a little extra time into a visit is sensible. Experiences do vary, and the cafe works best when it’s not at full stretch.
For anyone making the trip to Coochiemudlo Island, the cafe is a convenient and often enjoyable place to stop for a meal. Phone ahead during busy periods to get a sense of current wait times.
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Dine-In Available?
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8 Reviews on “Curlew Cafe, Coochiemudlo”
I’ve downed one star because I ordered hot chips at lunch time and was told it’d be a 25min wait. I’m glad I was told so I could choose not to wait, however there were no other savoury options instantly available (only cakes/sweet pastries). We arrived earlier in morning & had nice coffees and scone, beaut curlews awandering! Then we walked to beach on the other side of Coochie and back to this (only) cafe for lunch but didn’t want that 25min wait so headed back to mainland. Quality of service, scone/coffee/sorbet, atmosphere, toilet facilities all great.
Loved our visit to Curlew Cafe on Wednesday. 4 friends, lovely coffee, excellent food, and great service – thank you Sarah. The atmosphere is divine, with the Curlews wandering through, and the tropical, quirky decor.
Just 10 minutes from the mainland on a pleasant Amity Ferry ride.
Definitely going back again.
Thanks Curlew team.
Our first trip to Coochiemudlo, had a wonderful walk around island then called in to lunch. It was certainly busy on Monday the FOOD was excellent.
Looking forward to returning
Food.was ok for price , fresh ingredients like salad etc. Wait in line to order 25 mins and then 1 hr for 3 meals to be served. 4 tables that ordered after us similar meals came before ours. Still good food so recommend, better to get in before 12pm
Had brunch at Curlew Café during our visit to Coochiemudlo Island. The place was quite busy, and while service was friendly, the ambience wasn’t the most relaxing — it felt a bit cramped for a beachside café.
We ordered the steak sandwich and Atlantic salmon, both of which were nicely cooked and enjoyable. However, the salt and pepper calamari portion was quite small and a bit disappointing compared to the rest of the dishes. On the bright side, the ice creams were absolutely lovely — creamy, refreshing, and the perfect treat after lunch.
Overall, a decent spot for a casual meal if you’re visiting the island, but a few tweaks could make the experience even better.
#CoochiemudloIsland #LocalEats #BeachsideCafe #LocalGuide
Congratulations to Joe, his chef & his friendly staff, you have taken quality to the top level & I felt that I had to give you a glowing review for your efforts. My breakfast was mouthwatering my delicious & gave me that boost of energy that I needed to face a busy day.
The best tasting, best presented & the best sized breakfast that I have had the joy of eating.
I ordered the vegetarian breakfast stack, Joe was there & served me & adding extra tomato & an extra egg to my order was not a worry.
The meal was generous size & every bit of it was fresh & perfectly cooked.
The presentation was as good as you would expect from a high end restaurant, see attached picture.
The atmosphere is chilled & relaxed.
After eating that I decided that that was 10 out of 10 perfection!
I highly recommend trying this meal with the couple of extras I added. Absolutely beautiful taste combination.
Congratulations to Joe, his chef & his staff. I will definitely be back to order that again…my stomach is wanting me to go back now it was so delicious!
Yet again a repeat performance of food excellence. Chris the chef did a fantastic job with great presentation.
Try them you will not be disappointed!
Terrible service by staff serving at the counter. Confusion with orders as well… got given a burger initially when we ordered 2 works burgers and small chips. Eventually got 1 works burger and chips arrived. The old cold burger arrived with it also but because we had waited for so long my partner accepted it. Waited for one hour. The 2 people that created the problem came and apologised whist we were eating.then proceeded to get us to move the chairs and table in… we were still eating our lunch. Well, thats when I proceeded to explain they made a error with the order and we just received it after an hour wait, but got some stupid excuse and attitude. This business really needs a better system for customer orders and needs to find a good barister and cashier. If people brought their own food to barbecue you wouldn’t have to put up with this crap. Sooooo unnecessary. So many other customers were still waiting for their orders. They came in before us. Never going back. To end on a good note, the guy clearing up with the moe and mature lady serving did their jobs well.
Location is perfect. But be careful if you need gluten free food. Or just don’t risk it. I asked for the gluten free option for one burger, and the bread was swapped out, nothing more. There was a battered onion ring on the finished burger. The food was returned without the onion ring. The risk is high. Make your own assessment. Feedback to the cafe went unanswered.