The Grand Hotel on Thursday Island, is a historic pub known for classic meals, cold drinks, and relaxed island hospitality, making it a favourite with locals and visitors alike. The hotel also offers accommodation, but for this post, join me as I explore what the food is like here.
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I’d been staying and working on Thursday Island for a few weeks, and it’s simply stunning. Buying groceries on the island can be expensive, though, so I often ate out, plus it was sometimes too hot to bother cooking. One of my favourite places to eat was The Grand Hotel.
Thursday Island lies in the Torres Strait, just off the northern tip of Queensland, positioned between mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea, and serves as a key cultural and administrative centre for the region.
The Grand Hotel is one of three on the island of around 2800 people and it’s one of the most popular. The bistro at the hotel is great. It’s typical pub food, offering familiar, comforting dishes you’d expect, prepared simply and designed to satisfy rather than surprise, with classic flavours, generous portions, and a relaxed, casual dining experience.
There is both an indoor dining area and an alfresco space overlooking the Torres Strait toward Horn Island, the main island you fly into before reaching Thursday Island.
For an entrée, I tried the cheese arancini with garlic aioli and parmesan. They were excellent. packed with cheesy flavour and surprisingly filling.
I’d spotted the Caesar salad on other tables and thought it looked impressive, although the price was less impressive once I added chicken. The cos (or romaine, for my North American friends) was a little yellowish, likely from being transported from Cairns or the southern states. The croutons were quite hard, the kind you can’t easily pierce with a fork, and the bacon was the small pre cut pieces. That said, the chicken and house made Caesar dressing were absolutely excellent.
The chicken schnitzel is one of my favourites. I order it with mash instead of chips, alongside a salad. It’s real chicken breast, not processed supermarket stuff, and comes with a choice of sauces—pepper, gravy, or mushroom. I opt for the mushroom sauce, which is a great addition and makes it one of those satisfying pub classics.
I spy with my little eye something beginning with O—onion rings! They’re stacked on top of a beef burger loaded with a beef patty, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and smoky BBQ sauce on a brioche bun. It’s a big build, and the bun struggles to hold it all together, but every bite is packed with flavour. As are the chips, perfectly cooked with the right amount of crispy on the outside versus fluffy on the inside.
The beef ribs and chicken wings were a December special, and at $29 they’re great value. I especially loved the ribs, which were wonderfully meaty and rich, with just the right amount of rendered fat for maximum flavour. Sadly, the wings were a let down as they were a bit dry and some ranch dipping sauce would have been great. Still there was the great salad and perfectly cooked chips.
The Grand Hotel offers great food, but what truly stands out is the warm, friendly service. If you find yourself up this way, I highly recommend stopping in for a meal, a drink, and genuine island hospitality.
The Grand Hotel Thursday Island
Matty Somewhere 