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Canberra's best restaurants: our reviewers name their top dishes

Your essential guide to dining out in Canberra.

The Brod Burger. Picture by Jeffrey Chan
The Brod Burger. Picture by Jeffrey Chan
Amy Martin
Jasper Lindell
January 5, 2026

Heading to Canberra and want to know where to get the best dishes in town? Or where to go if you're looking for a great cocktail?

We asked our reviewers, Chris Hansen, Jasper Lindell and Amy Martin, their tips of where to go in Canberra.

Beltana Farm. Picture by Gary Ramage
Beltana Farm. Picture by Gary Ramage

Best steak

CH: Either Beltana Farm or the three-kilogram Picanha rump cap beef that Louis at Onzieme cooked me on my birthday - must be pre-ordered.

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JL: Charcoal on London Circuit. A steak is always improved in concert with a Crown Lager.

AM: Rebel Rebel's rib eye with wakame butter. Even non-steak-lovers will be wanting more.

Best chicken parmigiana or schnitzel

CH: German Club Vienna Schnitzel.

JL: Edgar's Inn in Ainslie does an excellent parmi, with thick slices of ham off the bone. I think the menu describes it as "Christmas ham", which, let's be honest, should not be confined to Christmas.

AM: I love the George Harcourt Inn's Tuesday parmi deal. There's always a choice between a classic or a special parmi, plus there's plenty of chips and a real side salad (not a token piece of lettuce on the side).

Best burger

CH: Brod with blue cheese.

JL: Beware imitations: it's still Brodburger. I'm a sucker for adding brie cheese.

AM: I am an equal fan of a Greasy's burger and a Brod with blue cheese - different burgers for different vibes. But as for a non-burger place selection, I had the dry-aged cheeseburger at Bar Outro the other day and I have been thinking about it since.

11er Cave, underneath Onzieme. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong
11er Cave, underneath Onzieme. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

Best cocktail list 

CH: 11er Cave, underneath Onzieme.

JL: Can't go wrong at Volstead Repeal.

AM: Bar Beirut.

Best wine list 

CH: Either Capitol Bar & Grill or Rizla.

JL: Is it cheating to say Clonakilla's cellar door?

AM: Rizla and Romanee Wine Bar

Best beer offering

CH: It's pretty hard to go past Capital Brewery!

JL: Capital Brewing Co. at Dairy Road and Bentspoke in Braddon are the classic contenders in this category, and rightly so. But a stop at the George Harcourt Inn at Gold Creek will reveal a cornucopia of revolving taps and a lovely place to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Capital Brewing head brewer Wade Hurley. Picture by Keegan Carroll
Capital Brewing head brewer Wade Hurley. Picture by Keegan Carroll

AM: For revolving taps, I love the Old Canberra Inn.

Best dessert

CH: Raku's Ochita Remon - it looks exactly like a lemon that has been picked from the tree and includes lemon curd, white rum cream, ladyfinger sponge, yuzu and salted white chocolate, almond crumb.

AM: Such and Such's salted liquorice ice-cream with preserved strawberries, yoghurt and mint. Do not let the liquorice scare you off - the aniseed taste is really only a hint at the back of the palate. Instead, you get this phenomenal salty-sweet ice-cream.

Best cheap meal

CH: Flavours of Jiangnan. Order the fresh seasoned cucumber, lamb dumplings and handmade noodles with brisket and you'll get change from $50.

JL: Two perennial suggestions: Mama's Trattoria (sit outside on West Row on a warm evening in summer and let the inter-war Mediterranean style of the Melbourne Building and a more-than-generous serve of pasta transport you) and Kagawa Japanese Cuisine in Dickson (try the edamame, agedashi tofu, three-mix sashimi and a don of your choice for an affordable, slap-up meal). Money's even tighter? Stop by the Mandalay Bus in Haig Park.

AM: For a brunch/lunch option, I love the BLT at Café Mamé. It's the crispiest bacon I have ever had. As for dinner, I love Raijin, a little Japanese restaurant in McKellar. I recommend trying the black curry.

Amy Martin
Words byAmy Martin
As the lifestyle reporter, I love finding out what makes people tick and giving insight into the different ways that you can enjoy the city we live in. Email: amy.martin@canberratimes.com.au
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.