Hungry Wombat 58 Lake Street, Cairns City, Queensland 4870

"The best Japanese food I found in Carins so far, the people there are very friendly and nice, feel like home! Definitely good experience of eating there! The noodle is creamy and delicious, big potion! You will be really satisfied! I always like the creamy mentaiko with the udon noodle is really chewy, it just amazing! I definitely recommended! Beef noodle soup is also very nice, the soup is light but rich! Definitely wanna come back if I’m in carins! *The Fried food I think it is not bad but if you not that hungry you don’t have to order, it just like standard Japanese fried food so don’t need to necessary to try here if you’re not really hungry"

"FANTASTIC. We went for lunch and everything was great. The service is nice and easy, not pushy and welcoming. Food is well served, with all details in mind and with great flavour. Definitely the best place for a good lunch in Cairns :)"

"Fantastic noodle and Japanese food in Cairns. They make their own noodles here. I went to lunch on a Sunday and even though it was around 15 minutes for a table the wait was worth it. Plain udon noodle with prawn and seafood stick tempura which was so fresh and clean. They also serve iced water and Japanese iced tea which is nice and refreshing. The staff here are so sweet, accommodating and really lovely to interact with. You can see they care about customer service and their food. I would come back here in a heartbeat."

"HUGE 5 STAR recommendation for this amazing little Japanese restaurant. My friend saw reviews and said we should go. So happy we did. Returned a week to the day later with my Mum. Exactly the same amazing service and food second time round. You may have to line up if you go when they first open (it's worth it!), as inside the restaurant they only have 3 x tables seating 4 people and a long table of 8 that can be a communal table. They also have outside tables in Orchid Plaza, but the 2 Sundays I went, they were not serving outside tables. There are menus provided with pictures of each dish (or you can just look in the window as they are pictured there too) whilst you wait AND a list of what's NOT available if they have sold out of anything. V helpful when trying to make a decision whilst patiently waiting. When you are seated, you receive a jug of cold black tea too. Excellent on these humid, hot days. Now, to the most important bit, the delicious food! I highly recommend the HANDMADE chewy noodles. Cannot tell you how good these are, you have to try them yourself. Decadent, silky and delicious broths. The BEST and CRUNCHIEST Chicken Katsu curry EVER! The cold Tan Tan Noodles were absolutely my favourite - the broth... the mince... the noodles. Just heaven in a bowl. I also ordered a side of the stewed beef. Tender, falling apart in your mouth just so meaty, tasty... the stock with the softened and sweet onions. My goodness...SO GOOD! My friend had the tempura veg and said it was the best. When I took my Mum the next Sunday she said it was by far THE best Chicken Katsu Curry and rice - ever. NB: it's served with melty grated cheese on the top of half the curry sauce. Makes for extra tastiness. Next best thing about this amazing restaurant is THE friendliest and most efficient service. It's a 2 person operation, the diligent chef and his enthusiastic and genuinely friendly, smiling wife. Feels like you're eating at your favourite family members house for dinner. They both serve when busy but it is predominantly Mrs Chef who is front if house. She is always smiling and literally so quick clearing tables and taking orders. Couple of other notes to mention. They do takeaway, and if your eyes are bigger than your belly, you are given takeaway containers for your leftovers. They have EFTPOS, not AMEX though. Will take cash. Wheelchair accessible. Kids welcomed and a kids meal selection available. Soft drinks and some alcohol available (see photos as I took a picture of the fridge). Air conditioned inside restaurant but the kitchen is open and visible so not always the coolest, but who cares? If you run hot and get a bit sweaty from eating too much curry or chilli flakes over your food, there are tissues on each table to assist. Better than sitting in the open air of Orchid Plaza with zero air con. Seriously, try this place, you will not be disappointed. So happy to have found such an amazing Japanese noodle place to eat in Cairns. Will be going back again and again."

"I was attracted by all the 5 star reviews and the noodles lived up to expectations, being made from scratch after you order. The perfect consistency, such a delight to bite into and slurp. I got the tan tan noodles which had a good kick and came with optional extra spice you can add. If you want tempura along with your noodles, you'll need to pick individually - the bowls come with rice as well which will probably be too much food. The Tempura Prawn was a bit thick but the mixed vegetables was a really interesting dish with how they presented it. The hosts are extremely welcoming and there was a homely feel with some cute table decorations. I'll definitely be going back next time in Cairns to try one of the cold noodle dishes."