Canberra's best dining neighbourhoods: where to eat right now

Canberra's dining scene has become one of the most surprising in Australia — the diplomatic population, the public service middle class, and the Canberra region wine country (Murrumbateman, Hall, Bungendore) create a food culture that the city's critics-per-capita ratio reveals is more sophisticated than the population size alone would suggest.

Braddon — the capital's food precinct — Lonsdale Street in Braddon has become Australia's most talked-about inner-city food strip over the past decade, with the espresso bars, the contemporary restaurants (Pilot, Monster Kitchen and Bar, Bad Frankie), the Asian food the diplomatic population demands, and the independent retail that the former light-industrial block's transformation has created.

Kingston Foreshore and the boatshed — the Kingston Foreshore waterfront provides the lake-view dining that the deliberate city planning of Burley Griffin's design created, with the restaurants and bars along the foreshore (Italian and Sons, Belluci's, Onzieme) using the lake outlook and the water access in a way that makes Kingston the most relaxed premium dining environment in the ACT.

Manuka and Kingston shopping village — the Manuka shopping village provides the neighbourhood dining for the inner south suburb's diplomatic and professional population, with the cafes, the Italian and Thai restaurants, and the weekend brunch culture that the leafy suburb's character creates. The Manuka Oval precinct adds the sports bar dining that the Raiders and Brumbies match days generate.

Canberra wine region — Murrumbateman and Hall — the 30-minute drive to the Canberra wine district provides the cellar door dining (Eden Road Wines, Nick O'Leary Wines, Clonakilla) that the cool-climate Shiraz and Riesling reputation of the Canberra region has created. Clonakilla's Shiraz Viognier is consistently rated among Australia's top 10 red wines.

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