Why You Should Add Canberra to Any Food-Focused Australian Itinerary

ETHIOPIAN WAT STEWS, Peruvian ahuaca-molli, Japanese sake karupacho, Chilean paella, Australian ‘bistronomy’ and more. The inland capital of Canberra, not generally on most tourists’ itineraries to Oz, is making waves in dining these days, with echoes of how Melbourne’s menu went global with growing immigration a few generations ago. Multi-award winning Aussie chef Shaun Quade is in the thick of it, preparing to open new restaurant Ballyhoo and alfresco bar Rosa’s. “Canberra’s food scene has taken off in the last few years,” he says, “transforming into a wide and really fun choice of cuisines, which reflects the cultural diversity of the city.”  

Here’s our insider’s guide to the best restaurants in Canberra for global eats. T+L Tip: follow the ambassadors and your stomachs will thank you. 

Koto  (Japanese)   **OUR TOP PICK** 

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Guests enter Koto’s beautiful ‘floating’ pavilion through a perfectly raked Zen garden, guarded by grassy banks and emerald-leafed Japanese maples, and designed by the Japanese Embassy’s horticulturalist. This new restaurant is a handroll’s throw from Old Parliament House and surrounded by the National Rose Gardens, making it the most serene dining spot in the city. 

The entire experience is spectacular, with one divine dish after another: melt-in-the-mouth hiramasa kingfish usuzukuri with Australian saltbush, super-tender ebi (prawn) tempura with a mouth-watering yuzu kosho, and a memorable traditional strawberry shortcake dessert. The standout surprise is a wonderful wagyu taco with creamy wasabi and a jalapeno salsa. 

Koto is very special, the new jewel in the city’s culinary crown – we dare say the best restaurant in Canberra right now. No wonder the Japanese Embassy team are regulars. 

www.kotodining.com.au; approx. A$250 for two 

Inka (Peruvian–Japanese)

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Peruvian-Japanese cuisine was created by migrants who left Japan for South America in 1899 and were known as the Nikkei. Two Nikkei descendants are right here in Canberra running Inka kitchen and serving up dishes such as Hokkaido scallops with Peruvian mint and an unmissable Ceviche ‘Clasico’ with kingfish, tiger’s milk, chilli and roasted Peruvian corn. The food’s so good the Peruvian Embassy team drop in regularly for a taste of home.

www.inka.com.au; approx. A$190 tasting menu for two 

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Multi-award winning Chilean chef Angel Fernandez delivers big, bold flavors at this new steak-focused fine (and fun) dining joint. This New Zealand brand (despite the African name) focuses on local produce and has great wines, most of which are organic or biodynamic. 

The tuna cones with wasabi, salmon roe and capers are delicious starters, followed by warm octopus salad, dry-aged steak with red wine and bone marrow sauce, and flathead fish with piquant salsa verde. The tomato salad with pickles is so delicious it could be a main dish on its own, as is the perfectly balanced mango and passionfruit meringue – an Aussie twist on New Zealand’s famous pavlova. 

www.canberra.botswanabutchery.com.au; approx. A$200 dinner for two 

Fekerte’s (Ethiopian) 

Get ready for a taste sensation. From a simple galley kitchen on the ground floor of the Nishi building in the suburb of New Acton, delightful Ethiopian chef Fekerte Tesfaye serves fabulous dishes from her homeland on lunchtimes Tuesday through Friday. Would it really be a list of best restaurants if you didn’t have to search a bit for at least one place – this one tucked in Canberra’s small suburb of Acton. The chase is totally worth it to dine on her Key Wat spicy beef in red pepper sauce and sublime Boloke slow-cooked kidney beans with herbs and spices. Fekerte’s Ethiopian is a riot of flavours, tonnes of fun and hands-down the best taste value in town.   

2 Phillip Law St., Acton; +61 2 6241 0022; approx. A$35 lunch for two  

Onzieme  (Australian–European) 

Combine Parisian ‘bistronomy’ with Australian ingenuity and you get Onzieme, a charming restaurant where the menu is tweaked daily depending partly on what the chefs can source and forage nearby. There is a strong focus on what the Paris-trained owner Louis Couttoupes calls “conscious food,” delivering fabulous dishes using mainly seasonal, local produce, and finding innovative ways to reduce waste. The Murray Cod with preserved lemon butter is the standout dish along with haloumi with white peach, basil and Szechuan sauce. There’s also a cool Parisian-style bar in the basement, where cocktail guru Brett will whip you up a delicious honeydew and lime leaf martini. 

www.onzieme.com.au; approx. A$160 dinner for two 

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Mario Gonzalez runs a small but super-tasty corner stall in Verity Lane Market called La Cocina Pura (Pure Kitchen). He serves an authentic global paella inspired by his Chilean mother (a former Chilean Embassy employee) and his Spanish stepfather. He has also brought experience from running a catering company for the Spanish-speaking embassies around town. At A$40 for a two-person shared plate, the paella is crazy good value. The flathead fish taco with citrus slaw is another winner from this creative little kitchen. 

www.veritylanemarket.com.au/vendors/la-cocina-pura/; approx. A$40 lunch for two 

We first tasted Bamiyan’s food at the Afghanistan Embassy’s annual open day and immediately booked for dinner at their restaurant. The chefs deliver a real taste of this fascinating nation, with flavoursome dishes such as Kabuli Pallow (slow-cooked rice with cumin and cardamom, grilled chicken, sultanas and almonds) and Banjan Boranee (fried eggplant with tomatoes, yoghurt and mint). 

www.bamiyanrestaurant.com.au; approx. A$80 lunch/dinner for two 

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If you only have one dish at Mrs Wang make it the Chairman Style Barramundi. Head chef Nelson Kong and his team steam this wild-caught fish so it’s beautifully light, and then ramp up the flavour with a black bean, radish and Hunan chilli sauce. Mrs Wang takes centre stage in Tiger Lane, Canberra’s fun and colourful homage to hawker-food centres that is one of the best collections of Asian restaurants in the city. 

www.mrswang.restaurant; approx. A$140 dinner for two 

Rye (Nordic) 

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Don’t be surprised to see representatives from the Danish, Swedish or Norwegian embassies tucking into an Atlantic prawn Skagenöra or a bowl of poached eggs with beetroot skyr in the corner of this cute Nordic café run with skill by owner Bhavya. It’s minimalist in design but rich in flavours, and the Five Senses coffee is possibly the best in town. 

www.ryecafe.com.au; approx. A$60 breakfast/lunch for two 

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This lovely little local eatery in South Canberra makes our city’s best restaurants list for serving up French iconic dishes with an Aussie twist. The beef bourguignon and vanilla bean crème brulée are as good as any in Paris and don’t go past the gruyère Malakoff croquettes. 

www.ondine.com.au; approx. A$130 dinner for two 

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Lede and hero image courtesy of Koto.

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