The Best Brunch Spots in Canberra

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With more cafés, bars and restaurants per person than any other city in Australia, it’s no surprise that Canberra’s café culture is among the best in the country. Brunch is not just a meal in this city, but a key part of the local lifestyle. From trendy eateries to sun-soaked cafés, you are never far away from a frothy cappuccino or an avocado toast. Here’s our guide to the top 10 brunch spots in Canberra.

The Cupping Room, owned by specialty roasters Ona Coffee, is serious about its caffeine. The talented baristas at this popular spot have won a slew of International coffee awards, but it’s the tasty food that continues to bring in crowds of regulars every weekend. The seasonal menu is always fun and fresh with surprising flavours; the gochujang aioli in the egg and bacon roll is a revelation.

This cosy, sun-filled café is the brunch equivalent of a big hug. The unfailingly friendly staff serve up a multicultural mix of dishes on their menu, with the okonomiyaki pancake and the Egyptian-style ful as stand-out dishes. The café’s French toast special changes weekly and has developed a well deserved, cult-like following among locals.

Tucked away between the local Cook shops in Belconnen, Little Oink is charming and friendly. The retro interior pops with hanging macramé plant holders and a colourful mural surrounding diners. The menu is full of porky treats like Get In My Pork Belly and The Wild Boar Brekky. Vegetarians are still accounted for and will love the crispy corn fritters or the refried beans with smashed avocado.

Crowds flock to this popular inner-city café every morning for the impressive and entirely vegan menu. With breakfast burgers, blueberry pancakes, Tex Mex burritos and smoothie bowls, along with home-baked sweets and kid friendly dishes, even the biggest carnivore will be enamoured by this local gem.

Red Brick roastery opened its first relaxed café in Curtin, and has since grown into a small empire, with Red Brick beans served in cafés around Canberra and five shopfronts with the Red Brick name. The original shop in Curtin still serves up a very tasty bircher muesli, great zucchini fritters, and delicious toasties. Even more impressively, most of the ingredients are still sourced fresh from the organic grocers next door – you can’t get fresher than that.

Hall Village is only a 20-minute drive from the centre of Canberra but you’ll feel like you’re miles from anywhere. The kitchen at this cosy restaurant makes almost everything from scratch. Try the Crempogs (Welsh pancakes) or avocado on homemade soda bread. Finish off your brunch with a Red Brick coffee and a Bombolini doughnut.

It may be famous for the over the top and oh-so-Instagrammable freakshakes, but the rest of the Patissez menu should not be overlooked. Staples like Eggs Benedict have been upgraded with pulled pork – though also on offer are a wealth of healthier options, such as the Green Goddess Bowl, for those recovering from a freakshake sugar rush.

Busy Lonsdale street has no end of trendy cafés to sample but Rye has proven itself to be a reliable local favourite. The Scandi-chic menu features dishes like a smørrebrød open sandwich and Dutch skillet pancakes. The baristas serve reliably great coffee and there’s even a wood-fired oven to curl up next to in winter.