7 Best Restaurants in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

The menu at this longtime fusion favorite garners universal praise for its innovative mix of Asian and Western flavors against a backdrop of artifacts from Maoist China. Menu standouts include the sesame-crusted salmon with cinnamon-infused soy, and pork chops with red dates, ginseng, and honey. Finish with a delicious dessert, such as cinnamon-and-star anise crème brûlée. Watch for the special deals, such as the two-course lunch for $39.50, and lunch and dinner banquets from A$62.50 for seven courses. The service and wine list are outstanding, and you're welcome to bring your own bottle as well.

Creative food served in spacious, sedate surroundings is the specialty of this popular restaurant on the city's outer edge. The seasonal four-course menu (A$88) has such dreamy dishes as prosciutto-wrapped pan-seared scallops for starter, or, for a main, the crispy-skin snapper, fennel puree, and Balmain-bug-filled zucchini (also known as courgette) flower. Leave room for the decadent warm Belgian chocolate fondant with raspberries and vanilla bean ice cream. The restaurant also serves a three-course lunch menu for A$66, which is a bargain for a restaurant of this acclaim, and one with such an impressive wine list.

Its name is Italian for bicycle and the motif is carried through his funky restaurant housed in the hip Peppers Gallery Hotel, with two-wheeled images on the big umbrella-shape light fittings and pieces of memorabilia. The popular dining spot for lunch, dinner, and weekend breakfasts was once a student dormitory, and the interior's distressed look (featuring old bathroom tiles and shabby walls) has been left to add to the venue's funky feel. The menu features antipasti, pasta, a long list of pizzas, salads, and a smattering of meat and fish dishes. Start with the yummy large olives stuffed with savory mince, crumbed and lightly fried; or try the slow-cooked pork and veal meatballs. Thin-crust pizzas include the "fantasia": mozzarella, spinach, sausage, cherry tomatoes, and gorgonzola. Pop in early for great pastries and good coffee and use the free Wi-Fi while you eat.

This lively restaurant calls itself a modern version of the traditional Roman trattoria. It serves regional Italian cuisine using local produce, much of it from the owner's farm. Sit among the hanging salamis at tables covered in white paper and feast on antipasti such as chili and garlic prawns. Move on to one of the delicious pizzas (Sicilian anchovy, black olive, and baby caper are standouts), or one of the dishes of the day, like wood-roast suckling pig with apple and sage. Finish with Ligurian honey panna cotta, or one of the imported Italian cheeses. Buon appetito.

Everything about this cozy romantic restaurant speaks of attention to detail. Savor the melded flavors of prawns, clams, and crab chowder to start things off, then consider the duck confit and Toulouse sausage or pork belly cassoulet among the mains. Later you can linger over such delicious desserts as honey-rum panna cotta with baby figs and ginger ice cream. You can build your own degustation menu from the à la carte menu, choosing from four to seven courses. The four-course, for example, is A$60, or A$95 with paired wines.

It's not unusual to find a queue of hungry Canberrians waiting to take away some of the delectable homemade pastries (try the black-currant and Cabernet tart) and breads. It's also possible to sit down for breakfast, brunch, or lunch at one of the few tables. The eggs with chili jam are popular, as are the asparagus and smoked eel omelet with horseradish salsa and mouthwatering thin, crisp sourdough pizza topped with a mixture of mushrooms and hint of blue cheese. Many people complain about the rude staff, but don't let it keep you from going—the food, especially those pastries, can make you forget the brusque service. Still, don't expect a place where you can linger for hours over brunch and the papers.

At this swanky eatery tables are set with fine linens and crystal, and huge windows look out over the sparkling waters of Lake Burley Griffin. The menu cleverly blends French and Mod Oz influences with dishes such as duck breast and pressed leg confit with potatoes and rosemary gratin and sautéed sweet cabbage, and a luscious dessert of passion-fruit soufflé and coconut–and–kaffir lime sorbet. An impressive wine list has many by-the-glass vintages.