Bougie food experiences for when you’re on a budget
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This is ideal for the nights when you want to spoil yourself without breaking the bank.
The cost-of-living crisis is hitting us where it hurts – our social lives – so going out for dinner sometimes feels like a luxury that a lot of people can’t afford. But we’re here to tell you that you can still be bougie when on a budget, and we’ve found the food experiences to prove it.
Perfect for special occasions, long overdue catchups with loved ones or when you feel like being a little bit fancy, all of these restaurants offer affordable and delicious dining options for under $100. So, pull out that Excel sheet, plan your budget for the week, and know that you don’t have to wait until pay-day for some premium food.
Golden hour at Midnight Bar
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Hidden in Midnight Hotel in the heart of Braddon, Midnight Bar offers a sophisticated feel with its dark panelling and mood lighting – but it’s the carefully curated Golden Hour offering that makes it ideal for a bougie and budget-friendly food experience.
Grab yourself a leather booth and sip on a $10 glass of bubbles, white or red, a $8 schooner of the Midnight Bar x Bentspoke Brewing Co. ‘Braddon Ale’ or a $12 bartender cocktail (which is made to order) while snacking on a $15 grazing plate, loaded with sliced salumi and pickles.
Available between 4 pm and 6 pm seven days a week, the next time someone wants to catch up, simply say “meet me at Midnight”.
Seven days a week | Ground Flood, Midnight Hotel, 1 Elouera Street, Braddon | midnightbar.com.au
Live seafood at natural nine
Nothing feels more bougie than indulging in some live seafood – and at natural nine (the delicious Pop Chinese restaurant at Casino Canberra) you can have your crab without feeling the pinch of the price tag.
Order from their menu of live mudcrab and rock lobster, served with a decadent array of sauces like chilli garlic, Chinese salt and pepper and ginger, and shallot. Available at market price seven days a week, it’s a little taste of luxury.
Seven days a week | 21 Binara Street, City | natural9.com.au
The Hyatt’s Grazing Table Buffet
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Looking for a location that offers service, luxury, and flair for under $100? The Hyatt Hotel might be famed for its seafood buffet, but for those on a budget you can’t go past the midweek offering of a Grazing Table Buffet, which allows you to indulge in countless dishes over two hours for $49 (not including drinks). And with children amply catered for at just $24.50, families will get bang for their buck.
From a charcuterie station of aged cheeses, salami, pickles, and stuffed peppers to a salad station, a mouthwatering dessert station, and more, every taste is catered for – and who doesn’t love a fine dining experience at an extraordinary price?
Tuesday to Thursday | 120 Commonwealth Avenue, City | hyatt.com
The Share The Love menu at Kivotos
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Hungry for a pre-fixe dining experience but only have $100 (or less) to spend? Showcasing the best of Greek gastronomy, at Kivotos Wine Bar their Share The Love menu will have you rolling out the door.
For just $70 per person, the talented team will treat you to a bespoke dining experience like no other. Serving you seven mouth-watering dishes (if you want dessert it costs a little extra), the value for money is outstanding.
Tuesday to Saturday | 33 Mort Street, Braddon | kivotoswinebar.com.au
Louis Social Club
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Louis might be known as a local fine dining darling, but on Friday nights this fabulous Ben Willis helmed restaurant is bringing some affordable fun with Louis Social Club.
From 5 pm until 7 pm every Friday, Louis is buzzing with live music as the talented team serves small cocktails for $12 (think: teeny martinis and pocket-sized negronis), snappy wines for $10, bar snacks for $10 and more. And at a petit price, why wouldn’t you want to get social?
Every Friday | Ground Floor, 18 National Circuit, Barton | louisdining.com.au
The pre-fixe menus at eightysix
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A beloved location by Canberra foodies, you might think dinner at eightysix north and eightysix south is out of your budget – but here’s where you’re wrong. At both locations you’ll find two distinctly different fixed-price menus – and both are worth a try.
For $100 per person, at eightysix north you can eat your way through seven of their iconic dishes (like the banoffee pie) while at eightysix south, the prix fixe ($55 per person) and tasting menu ($90 per person) have more of a classic direction, taking your tastebuds to Italy with eggplant parmigiana and tiramisu.
eightysix north: seven days a week. eightysix south: Wednesday to Saturday | Corner of Eloura & Mode3, Lonsdale Street Braddon and 45 Furzer Street, Phillip | eightysix.com.au
