First Look at Giralang’s new neighbourhood local, Hungry Beagle

Posted on 12 August, 2026

Hungry Beagle is bringing pizza, pasta, coffee, wine and a kid and dog-friendly community feel to the long-awaited Giralang Shops precinct.

There is something instantly cheerful about a suburban café named after a food-obsessed beagle – and for owner Sanam Shrestha, that is entirely the point.

The hospitality operator behind Giralang’s newest neighbourhood local, Hungry Beagle, says the name came from very close to home: his own beagle, Beans, who is, unsurprisingly “always hungry”. It is a fitting mascot for a venue built around the idea that good food, good coffee and a relaxed place to gather are exactly what this pocket of Canberra has been craving.

Hungry Beagle owner Sanam Shrestha

Opening at the revitalised Giralang Shops, Hungry Beagle is part café, part pizza restaurant and part suburban bar – a place where locals can drop in for coffee in the morning, snacks after school, dinner with the family or a glass of wine that turns into staying a little longer, or a cocktail that turns into a celebration.

“I wanted somewhere nicer, more community-supported,” Sanam says. “The city is very different now. The suburbs are where it’s at.”

Sanam, who has spent years in hospitality after starting out as a barista and later working across cafés, franchises and spending several years with Ginger Catering, says Giralang felt like the right place to create something warm and useful for locals. He also owns East Row in the city but says Hungry Beagle is deliberately pitched at a different pace.

Here, the focus is not on busy, rushing workers. The idea is to make room for the rhythms of suburban life: parents arriving early for school pick-up, children needing an after-school snack, friends catching up over coffee, couples sharing pizza, and family dinners when, frankly, no one wants to cook.

“People haven’t had anything in this area for the last 21 years,” Sanam says. “They’ve been missing out quite a lot. They’ve had to do a bit of a drive. Here, they can just pop in.”

While Hungry Beagle will still pour the morning Redbrick coffees, the heart of the venue is its evening offering: pizza, pasta, desserts, drinks and a full bar with beer taps.

Hot honey pizza for mum and dad and the kid’s pizza…

The kitchen is built around a fully electric Italian deck oven, capable of turning out up to 12 pizzas at a time. Sanar says the choice to focus on pizza was simple because “everyone loves pizza.”

On the menu, locals can expect the extensive handmade pizza list, fresh pasta including a Miso Carbonara, Rigatoni alla Vodka, fresh fish of the day, Scotch Fillet and frites, Chicken Kiev, beef and chicken burgers and a fried curried cauliflower with romesco and kale. Snacks include olives, garlic pizza, hot wings and Szechuan squid.

Behind the pizza is chef Omar, who brings 20 years of experience making pizza across Italy, Sydney and Perth before settling in Canberra. He provides some Italian theatre behind the pass where diners can watch him spin his giant doughy discs, taking a bow when they nearly reach the ceiling.

A kid and dog-friendly restaurant that means what it says! All are welcome at Hungry Beagle.

Having opened just this week, Hungry Beagle is already doing a brisk trade in takeout pizzas. But Sanam wants the neighbourhood to understand it is also a destination point, with seating for 50 inside and another 30 outside, and the warmth and buzz of a trattoria.

For Sanam, the hope is that Hungry Beagle becomes the kind of local where people do not need a special occasion to visit. They can come for a coffee (Red Brick), linger over dinner, or stop in after school with the kids. That’s another thing to note about this place. It really truly is kid-friendly, and the kid’s pizza, shaped like a bear, is sure to draw fans. The outdoor area will also be dog-friendly – another nod to Beans.

Exceptional Tiramisu to cap off the night.

That approach feels especially well suited to the new Giralang Shops precinct, which is being revitalised as an urban destination for living, shopping and dining, with free on-site parking and a mix of everyday essentials and casual dining options.

Judging by the early interest, the locals are ready. Sanam says the venue already had dozens of bookings before opening, with nearby suburbs including Lawson, McKellar, Crace and Kaleen expected to be part of its core community. And despite Omar’s best efforts at prepping enough fresh pizza dough to feed the hungry masses, they ran out on the first night of opening. Now he is fully prepped. And that surely bodes well for the neighbourhood.