Best Restaurants
in Canberra

Canberra has been underestimated for most of its existence. The planned capital, built between Sydney and Melbourne to resolve their rivalry, has always suffered from comparison with its more glamorous neighbours. But the city's dining scene has been quietly accumulating genuine excellence for a decade, and the national food press is finally catching up with what Canberrans have known for some time: this is the most interesting place to eat in Australia right now.

The defining address is Pilot in Ainslie — a two-hatted restaurant that has earned its reputation through absolute commitment to seasonal produce sourced from the Canberra region. The kitchen's fried whiting chips served with potato dip and the blue mackerel preparations demonstrate a lightness of touch that the hat count suggests and the food confirms. For a city of 450,000, holding two hats is remarkable; operating with the focused intelligence that Pilot brings to each service is more remarkable still.

Beyond the flagship, Canberra's dining scene reflects the characteristics of its population: highly educated, internationally minded, with genuine interest in food and wine that goes beyond the casual. The Canberra wine region — the cool-climate vineyards an hour from the city — produces Riesling and Shiraz of extraordinary quality that rarely appears on national wine lists but is poured generously in the city's better restaurants.

Lake Burley Griffin, the artificial lake at Canberra's centre, provides waterfront dining settings that the city uses with increasing sophistication. Water's Edge operates from the lake shore with a hat-recognised kitchen and views across to the National Gallery precinct. The city's diplomatic community — every embassy is here — creates a consistent demand for internationally competitive hospitality that has raised the general standard considerably.