Quickly becoming a top culinary destination in Australia, chefs throughout the city aren’t afraid to break the rules when it comes to pairing unconventional flavours and crafting meals from locally sourced ingredients. Fair warning, this guide may make your mouth water as we take you on a tasty journey of the best bars, cafes, restaurants, breweries, and wineries in Canberra.
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Before your trip, be sure to check the ACT government website for the latest COVID-19 travel advice and restrictions. Contact any venue you plan to visit in advance as they may require advanced bookings.
Taste the best coffee in Australia in Canberra
Caffeine hits are taken seriously in Canberra and locals have a high bar when it comes to coffee standards. Take a stroll down Lonsdale Street in Braddon, a foodie precinct in Canberra, and be greeted by the smell of freshly roasted beans. Lined with some of the city’s top cafes, each brunch spot competes for the title of best coffee on this popular eat street.
Ask a local for their favourite coffee spot or trust the experts and head to ONA Coffee House in Fyshwick, home to a Barista World Champion. Two Before Ten, a café obsessed with the finer details of coffee bean roasting, will provide the perfect start to the day before a full morning of sightseeing.
Hearty appetites are rewarded at brunch
Big breakfast fans will rejoice at the array of brunch-friendly cafes and restaurants throughout the city. Famous for its Insta-loved freakshakes, come hungry to Patissez Café. Their hearty menu features breakfast platters for two, stacked bacon and egg burgers, and of course, the classic avo on toast.
Sweet Bones, a rock ‘n’ roll inspired vegan café in Braddon, also offers all-day breakfast with a can’t-miss plate of banana bread loaded with nuts, fruits, and maple syrup.
Enjoy creative cuisine made by top tier chefs
With Canberra’s gamut of art galleries, it’s no wonder that the city’s chefs are famous for beautifully crafted meals that look almost too good to eat. For dinner, head to XO, a lively restaurant that serves traditional Southeast Asian dishes with their own flair. At Pilot., a hatted restaurant in Ainslie, enjoy an eight-course set menu that is only revealed upon your arrival—but is guaranteed to be delicious. Veggie lovers, take a seat at Monster Kitchen and Bar where the chefs create masterpiece dishes from cauliflower, carrots, and broccolini.
To discover more local champions of the Canberra food scene, book a spot on an Eat Canberra Food Tour, where your friendly guide can show you the best local flavours and fresh finds.
Raise a glass at the hidden bars locals love
There’s plenty to toast over in Canberra, and no better place to do so than at the hidden bars known only among locals. In true speakeasy fashion, Molly can only be found by testing your map reading skills and navigating to its GPS coordinates. To celebrate finding this underground bar sip on one of its 500+ types of whiskey on offer. Bar Rochford, a wine and cocktail bar tucked away in a 1920s heritage building, is where you’ll find fine food, sour beers, Australian wines in a setting that speaks to the history of Canberra.
And if you long for the 80s—or are keen to belt out a classic tune—venture to 88mph, an underground bar with karaoke rooms and cassette tapes. Puff sleeves and sweatbands welcome.
Sip your way through a winery wander or a brewery crawl
Did you know Canberra is home to the most popular craft beer of 2020? Voted #1 in the GABS Festival Hottest 100 Beer Countdown, BentSpoke Brewing Co’s Crankshaft brew is the perfect drink to start your local beer journey.
From full-scale breweries with nationwide distribution chains to tiny brewhouses that make beer on a keg by keg basis, there are enough pints going around to ensure nobody goes thirsty. After BentSpoke’s Braddon brewpub head to Zierholz Premium Brewery, a family-friendly joint famous for its traditional German wheat beer. You’ll love the casual atmosphere and German food platters.
End your impromptu brewery crawl at Capital Brewing Co., a short five-minute ride share away from Zierholz. Take a tour or spend an afternoon sampling their many award-winning beers on tap.
Sampling cool-climate wines is a staple of any trip to Canberra with more than 140 vineyards and more than 40 wineries within 35 minutes’ drive of the city. For a fun day out, join Dave’s Tours to see three local wineries, a gin distillery, and a chocolate factory. For a deeper dive into the winemaking process, join a Vines & Wines tour and learn about the ins and outs of wine tasting.
Join in on a truffle hunt
Feel the thrill of uncovering a rare black winter truffle with the help of a bunch of friendly dogs at the Truffle Farm Canberra. Once a prized truffle is found, the farm’s chefs create an array of dishes and pair them with a local wine. These tours run from June to August, making Canberra a great place to visit once the weather cools down. Keep an eye out for Canberra’s Truffle Festival, a multi-day event that highlights the region’s best truffle products, wine pairings, chefs, and farms.
Decadent desserts are bound to make your trip even sweeter
Satisfy your sugar cravings at one of Canberra’s many specialty dessert shops, where treats range from simple ice cream cones to elaborate cakes. A new sweetheart to the Canberra scene is the Spilt Milk Bar, a traditional ice cream parlour that makes their own gelatos and sorbets in a mix of traditional and innovative flavours. Also making their own ice cream is Frugii Dessert Laboratory, a family-owned operation that doesn’t shy away from offering off-the-wall flavours like vegemite on sourdough, a tangy mandarin sorbet, and gin and tonic. If these don’t suit, you can browse their range of cakes and handcrafted chocolates.
Though we haven’t officially crunched the numbers, there are rumours afloat that Canberra has the most restaurants-per-capita of any city in Australia. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that restaurants, wineries, breweries, and sweet shops put their best food forward competing for a hungry stomach’s attention. Our only word of advice? Come hungry to Canberra.
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Excited to let your taste buds guide you around Australia’s culinary capital? We’ve also revealed the best art galleries and museums to explore. Or, if you’d rather escape into nature, check out our top picks when it comes to outdoor adventures you’ll love in Canberra.
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