Canberra’s food and dining guide: Where to eat now, from Kingston to Braddon

Canberra’s restaurant strip in Braddon is humming again. On a Monday night last week, every table at the Italian wine bar on Lonsdale Street was full by 7pm. Two doors down, the new Korean fried-chicken joint had a 25-minute wait.

The capital’s food scene has been building momentum for years, but locals say 2026 feels different. There’s a confidence in the air, and a lot of new places to try.

Three new openings worth booking now

The biggest debut this winter is the long-table dining experience at the National Museum of Australia‘s lakeside terrace, which launched in May. Chef Tom Phillips, formerly of Mr. Wong in Sydney, is running the kitchen. The menu leans into native ingredients: wattleseed damper with macadamia butter, kangaroo tartare with desert lime, and a smoked eel brioche that’s already a signature. Booking is essential, and Friday-night tables are gone four weeks out.

In the city centre, the refurbished Canberra Centre food court now hosts a rotating pop-up from local producers. This month, it’s a four-week residency by the Pialligo Estate smokehouse team, serving wagyu brisket rolls ($18) and smoked-trout rillettes. That runs until August 2.

Down in Kingston, the Fyshwick Markets have a new permanent tenant: Bar Casta, a Spanish-inspired wine bar from the group behind the beloved Italian place, Salottino. The opening menu includes a jamón ibérico plate ($34) and a montadito of anchovy and roasted pepper. Wines are all Spanish, with 12 by the glass from $13.

Weekend highlights: markets, truffles and a closing date

The Canberra Region Truffle Festival runs through August, with the next weekend hunt on July 25 at the Truffle Farm in Majura. A morning forage followed by a three-course truffle breakfast costs $145 a head. The farm says it’s already 80 per cent booked for the season.

For a cheaper Saturday, the Capital Region Farmers Market at EPIC in Mitchell is the place. It runs 7am to 11.30am every Saturday, with more than 150 stalls. Expect seasonal stone fruit right now, as well as cold-climate strawberries and the first of the spring lamb. Parking is free.

One closing to note: the popular dumpling house Doughheads in Braddon will shut its doors on August 15 after six years. The owners said they’re focusing on their new noodle bar in Manuka, which opened in May. Their xiao long bao, the soup dumplings, have a loyal following, so get in before the end.

The word that keeps coming up from local chefs is “confidence.” More Canberrans are staying home on weekends, and they’re spending money on dinner out. The combination of new openings, established favourites and seasonal events means the capital is no longer a stopover town for food. It’s a destination.