"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

After the first few conversations with mother and son team, Mary and Nick Roberts, I knew that their new café was going to be something special. Nick has worked as a barista around the traps in Melbourne and recently made the trek to sunny Cairns, keen for a sea change. Combining Nick’s coffee knowledge and Mary’s avid foodie bent, developed through hours of cooking show research, they opened Ever After Café Bookstore in the Cairns CBD.

On the main pedestrian strip in Cairns, Ever After sits unassumingly next to a busy bus stop. The clean, minimalist exterior opens up to a vibrant and cosy interior. Working with an existing site, Nick and Mary made some great tweaks to the set up, with splashes of bold red bench tops, funky light shades and shelves packed with an eclectic mix of books.

Getting a retail space to work with a combination of products and services is often chancy, but Ever After is one of the few places which work this together seamlessly. The bookshelves are certainly accessible; they’re cleanly integrated into the café design, not distracting those who are ducking in for a quick takeaway coffee before catching the bus, but allowing those who want to browse the selection the space to do so.

While the rest of the crew is reasonably new to the café scene, their enthusiasm and casual chats with customers create a great atmosphere. There’s a simple but well thought out breakfast and lunch menu. The Ever After scramble hit the spot for me, along with a rich long black. The array of salads and baguettes looks delicious and they obviously have their following.

Nick and the team’s passion for coffee is obvious, from the way they obsessively grind to order to the way they only fill the cups ¾ full. “I love the cup design, but I wanted to make sure we could taste the coffee!” Nick said. On my recent visit, I had a great time hanging around with the staff after hours, tasting single origin coffees, nursing a beer and discussing coffee ideas.

As with anywhere a bit off the beaten track, the specialty coffee scene in Cairns hasn’t had a huge amount happening in past years, but with Nick and Mary’s addition to the scene, locals are being offered the option of something special — definitely a far cry from the average. It’s a great feeling to know that out there in regional centres, there are hidden gems like Ever After Café Bookstore dishing out some great coffee. Drop in next time you’re on a tropical adventure and say hi to the crew!

Ever After Café Bookstore
Shop 10
85 Lake Street
Cairns Qld 4870
(07) 4031 5955
Opening Hours
Mon to Fri: 6.30am – 4.30/5.00pm(ish)
Sat: 8.00am – 2.00pm(ish)