Merchant

Merchant is an excellent little cafe tucked away in the Reef Casino. It has a great outdoor section with day beds and integrates nicely in the hotel foyer. Some quirky decor with a steampunk wall, brickwork and navigational branding make the atmosphere really interesting. The coffee here is of a high standard as the baristas are well training and the beans come from the award-winning Wolff Coffee Roasters. It is most impressive that they regularly service good filter coffee here as not many Cairns cafes have this on the menu. The BEST thing though is the food. I love the tapas menu and have returned many times to try more goodies. The selection of cakes and treats is also everchanging and are usually decadent and indulgent with generous portions for the pricing. Well worth a try.

Great coffee, but English waiter is rude and gives poor service. She delivered 2 coffees from the coffee shop located in the Pullman Reef Hotel 10 minutes before opening time but refused to serve me until 6.30am. Patiently, I went for a short walk and returned at 6.28 to find other customers seated with tea and then a hot meal at 6.32 whilst I was ordering. I placed my order then whilst I was paying the waiter then took another order from a customer who arrived after me. Then she proceeded to have a full in depth conversation with that customer about her 29yo husband who had just undergone a back operation to remove his lower disc. I was patient as I assumed my 2 coffees were next in line. I was surprised when the waiter delivered the coffee to the customer behind me, then I had to wait another 5 minutes for my order. The coffee might be good but I won’t be returning after that sort of treatment. I am a paying gust at the hotel.