Neighbourhood: Griffith
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One of the best things about Canberra is its multitude of neighbourhoods – each with its own individual charm and attractions. And whether you’re looking to make that suburb your home or just explore its offerings, it’s always good to have an expert guide to show you around.
Griffith is a gentrified inner south gem, combining the red brick cottages of early Canberra to the vast minimalist constructions of today. Leafy, quiet, refined, it has a small but enviable shopping strip with specialty stores to draw visitors from the surrounding suburbs.
SUBURB SNAPSHOT
A prestigious “old Canberra” suburb, Griffith was established in 1927 and is subject to considerable heritage listings on homes which housed Canberra’s historical movers and shakers – as well as Griffith Oval, St Paul’s Church and some of the city’s earliest planned streetscapes. The suburb is greener than green, growing Canberra’s oldest trees and containing 20 parks covering 12 per cent of the suburb. Home to some of Canberra’s highest paid professionals, Griffith is a tightly held real estate belt, close to the city’s premier private, Catholic and public schools as well as being blessed with architectural icons, including the Art Deco Manuka Pool.
Griffith also technically contains Manuka’s bustling commercial district but for today’s purposes we are shining a light on the colourful strip that makes up the Griffith shops
EAT
Where do we even start? There is a taste for everyone and every budget within a gentle stroll of this quaint single row of buildings on Barker Street.
Griffith shops are full of hidden gems
But we will begin our journey with an homage to a single reason to visit Griffith on its own – the Buttermilk Pancake at Recess (6B Barker Street). Within this uber hip café, which only opened in 2024, comes a DJ booth, record collection and merch shop. But you will also find all manner of delicious reasons to stay.
Recess, hipper than hip with its little DJ set up and vinyl collection
The most compelling of which is Recess’s iconic plate-sized pancake, crispy edged and golden on the outside and fluffier than a summer cloud on the inside. With nothing more than a gigantic dollop of butter and a full jug of maple syrup to accompany it, this truly is a dish to prioritise at the top of your breakfast food bucket list.
Words really fail in describing how delicious this is…
We would also suggest the great brekkie burrito and the superior egg sandwich (spinach and fetta eggs, gruyere, roquette, pickled fennel and chilli mayo) and the very serious approach to home-roasted coffee, but we have run out of room. Just go.
So let my facial expressions do the talking
Gryphons Caffe and Bar (16 Barker Street) is the corner pub Griffith-siders love to call home. They wander in for a coffee or beer, grab a long table and do serious catching up. The pub menu is solid and caters for breakfast lunch and dinner (and all the in between snacks you may require).
The much-loved local corner pub of Gryphons
There’s schnities, burgers, steaks and parmies, all served with salad and fries. Kids are welcome and may prefer pizza. It may be casual, but you can score a very decent bottle of wine here too. Under new management, we are seeing the place looking a lot fresher and will keep you posted.
Coffee, wine, beer, or all of the above…
Mountain Creek Wholefood and Bakery (14 Baker Street) has been operating for over 40 years and is THE go-to place for health-conscious and environmentally aware Canberrans who like to buy ethically and in bulk. From pulses and nuts to vegan cosmetics, natural skincare and chemical-free cleaning products, Mountain Creek caters to every aspect of gentle and conscious living.
Mountain Creek for all your healthy alternative needs
There is a massive range (8000 products from 200 suppliers) and if you are looking for Gluten-Free or organic or vegan options, if these guys don’t have it, it’s likely it doesn’t exist. Bought recently by Giada Peloso and her husband Ignace Diompy, the duo behind the L’epi Bakery stores, the wholefood shop is continuing to run as usual, but the pair have hived off the lifestyle alcove down one side of the store to create a dedicated bakery. It’s everything a carb-lover could hope for. Read more here.
L’epi has moved into Mountain Creek Wholefoods and quite frankly, we love
Griffith Butchery (10 Barker Street) is a family-run institution that proves provenance matters where meat is concerned. Richard O’Dell opened the shop in 1989, and he and his sons Mike and Tim run this gourmet operation which includes a selection of beef, lamb and veal as well as home-made pies and pastries.
Mike and a biodynamic carcass. This family-fun business sets the bar high
Their quiches and large family pies are a beautiful way to feed a family with no fuss involved (they weigh a tonne and use quality ingredients and meat is smoked on site). Speaking of, meat is sourced from a private farm (Ron Ward of Bellevue Farm in Cootamundra) which employs free-range practices where livestock feed on grass and are hormone, pesticide and herbicide-free. The sausages are truly superior and the swag of awards is testament to the store practices. We just love the friendly faces and banter each time we are there.
The best pies in all the land at Griffith Butchery
For special evening meals, there’s Rubicon (6 Barker Street) which has been a stalwart of Canberra’s fine dining scene, established 25 years ago as one of the first suburban gems. With its moody interiors and fairy-lit courtyard space, its chef and owner Owen Kenyon passed the baton onto his sous chef and the modern Australian menu and comprehensive wine list continues to draw a crowd.
Aubergine brought fine dining to the suburban strip and still goes strong.
Formerly the home of hatted restaurant Aubergine, The Lotus Indian (18 Barker Street) is taking things in a spicier direction. From Sesame Chilli Paneer, to Masala Lobster Tail, to a cracking Vindaloo, this expansive menu is elevated and served within the confines of and ambient and beautifully designed dining room.
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Sonamu (4 Barker Street) is a Korean Teahouse providing an authentic experience within artful surrounds. With a calming wooden interior and peaceful courtyards, this is a popular spot with locals and draws in all those who are currently obsessing with K-pop and Korean culture around the city (we know a few…) and serves traditional dishes and side dishes such as tteokbokki, house-made kimchi, and grilled eel. Well worth some cultural exploration.
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No 8. Thai on Griffith (8 Barker Street) is a reasonably-priced to grab a table and fill it full of classic Thai staples – starting with a Tom Yum soup, progressing to a chicken larb, roast duck curry or laksa. Cool down your mouth with a taro sticky rice.
SHOP
First opened in 1987 as The Hierophant – named after the tarot card symbolising a bridge between the spiritual and the everyday – The H Dispensary (6 Barker Street) has long been part of Canberra’s natural health landscape and the Griffith community.
Nearly four decades on, it continues to support local families with a holistic approach to wellbeing, blending traditional knowledge with contemporary understanding.
Inside, shelves hold an extensive range of practitioner-grade herbal and homeopathic remedies, supporting everything from sleep and immunity to digestive health and general vitality.
Led by experienced practitioners, including Timothy Thomas – who has nearly 40 years of experience as a homeopath and co-founder at The H Dispensary – the team offers guidance across natural medicine with a holistic approach to care, alongside services including naturopathy, menopause support, reiki, kinesiology, energy healing and fertility support available under one roof.
H Dispensary has something for every ailment
Organic Energy (8A Barker Street) is your spot for certified organic fruit and veg laid out in a rustic indoor market. Grab a cane basket and peruse the produce which has that slightly odd-beat and misshapen organic appearance we seem to have lost sight off in the highly waxed environs of our supermarkets. If the level of choice has you parched, you can pause for a fresh squeezed juice or a wheatgrass shot as required. Such a lovely way to stock up on goodness.
Grab your basket and rejoice in organic and package-free fruit and veg
Griffith Shop-Rite (2 Barker Street) is the sort of local supermarket that defies its small size to deliver a wide range of local and imported products that favour the gourmet chef. Independently owned, this supermarket is cuter than your average big chain and will inspire you in the kitchen.
The supermarket has a gourmet edge to stay in good with the locals!
Sweet Little Café (12 Barker Street). You need to walk through a tiny arcade to get here but there is plenty of space to pull up a comfy lounge chair and read a newspaper. Spreading to a courtyard behind the shops you can grab a coffee, all day breakfast and lunch, and light meals. It’s the sort of relaxed place where the young and old can gather – lots of space, and nice and quiet.
Sweet Little Cafe is a perfect spot to rest
PLAY
While the strip along Barker Street is all about taste, once you find the alley way to get upstairs, there’s far more to Griffith shops than meets the eye. Movewell Studio (1/12 Barker Street) is a compact and light-filled space run by Tash, who instructs classical Pilates methods. The focus is on individual instruction and small classes and can cover newbies to experienced practitioners.
Tash is Griffith’s resident Pilates expert
Essence (4 Barker Street) is a calming and dark spa where the women of the inner south have been coming to maintain their complexions for more than 25 years. Moving with the times, the salon employs new technologies including micro-needling, IPL, enzyme peels, microdermabrasion and more. Alternatively, you can indulge in some old-fashioned skincare via brands such as and Sothys and Ultraceuticals which are also stocked for at take-home luxury or just pop in for a relaxing massage.
Book in for an afternoon of indulgence at Essence
If a facial doesn’t feel quite enough, Studio Bliss ( 6/12 Barker Street) can take things to the next level with lash tints, extensions, brow tints, shaping and laminations. Owned and operated by Cat, the salon also offers teeth whitening. By appointment only.
Zovia Beauty and Cosmetic Tattooing (12 Barker Street) specialises in cosmetic tattooing including ombre brows, microblading, lip blushing, lash line and eyeline enhancement, nipple tattoos (for breast reconstruction) as well as colour refreshing of all of the above. Also offering dermaplaning, lash extentions and teeth whitening, Alyssa is on hand to make the process and aftercare go smoothly.
If you want your body art to be fine line, head on into Dahk Inc (12 Barker Street). Take inspiration from anywhere, be it a poem, name or symbol or choose from the many designs that Dior has on hand. You can get your nails done there too.
Finally, if you have searched all over Canberra for the perfect wedding dress or formal gown to no avail, visit Ashleigh Switalski at La Belle Bridal Boutique (2-12) for a couture gown custom designed to fit to perfection. Operating for more than 20 years, Ashleigh can create the dress you never knew you craved, or you can check her glorious range of dresses for something that will make your big day perfect.
I will never tire of perusing wedding gowns….
