The best restaurants in Canberra right now

Canberra's restaurant scene has matured faster than most Australian cities over the past decade, driven by the public service income base, the growing population of culinary-literate Melburnians and Sydneysiders who've relocated for careers, and the proximity to the Canberra wine district, Murrumbateman, and the NSW tablelands produce that regional dining depends on.

Aubergine

Ben Willis's fine dining institution on Barker Street in Griffith has held its position as Canberra's most formally accomplished restaurant for more than a decade. The tasting menu format showcases Australian produce with European technique and the kind of precision that earns the restaurant its consistent hat recognition in the Good Food Guide.

Pilot

Pilot in Ainslie has done more to shape contemporary Canberra dining than any other restaurant of the past five years. Chef Mal Hanslow's ingredient-led, technique-confident cooking in a dining room that seats 35 people creates an intimacy and quality that regularly competes with Sydney and Melbourne at the same level.

Italian and Sons

The Braddon institution has been feeding Canberra's inner city for more than 15 years with a Roman-inflected menu that revolves around pasta, charcuterie, and the Italian wine list that few restaurants in the country can match in terms of depth and curation.

Temporada

The seasonal Spanish-Mediterranean menu at Temporada on East Row changes with the market and is consistently one of the most exciting and genuinely Spanish restaurant experiences in Australia. The vermouth and sherry selection at the bar is worth an early arrival.

Lonsdale Street Roasters

For the best breakfast in the city, Lonsdale Street Roasters in Braddon sets the Canberra standard for specialty coffee and the kind of breakfast menu that Melbourne visitors will recognise as serious. Queue on weekends; it's worth it.

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