Root Vegetarian

Down a laneway off Lake Street in central Cairns, this small counter turns out a hundred-per-cent plant-based menu that changes with the week. The cooking is built on the owner's family recipes and local farmers' vegetables — hot Asian dishes, fresh salads, vegan sushi, steamed buns and snacks, most of it priced for a quick and honest lunch. Trade runs from mid-morning to early afternoon, Monday to Saturday, and the tropical produce of the far north does much of the work. There is no dining-room theatre here; the appeal is freshness, value and a rotating blackboard that rewards regulars. In a city where plant-based options often mean a single line on a larger menu, it stands out as a genuinely dedicated vegetarian kitchen. Instagram is the best guide to what the week is serving.