First look at Roy Jr.—a new frontier in inner-city hospitality

Posted on 24 April, 2023

There’s a new kid on the block, his name is Roy Jr and he is open from today!

As Civic development around City Hill creeps west, a huge and ambitious new hospitality venue will be catering to many needs, namely business people looking for a serious lunch, city workers grabbing a bite, residents in surrounding apartments keen for a wholesome weekend breakfast and Australian National University students looking to refuel between classes.

Yes, that sounds a lot. And it is.

Designed by architects AMC Architecture, it is all marble tiles, leather banquettes and signature lighting. But that’s not even the half of it.

The 200 square metre parcel of real estate at the bottom of 7 London Circuit has many dimensions. The sun-drenched deck at the entrance is a spacious place for dining al fresco, while inside you’ll find the restaurant proper with seating for 150. But wait, there’s more. Behind the restaurant appears to be Canberra’s coolest new co-working space, with elegant lounge chairs, large communal round tables, sofas and benches all arranged like a business lounge setting. Imagine having access to charging ports, wifi, and coffee straight from the custom Italian hand made custom La Marzocco machine.

Coffee, which is always a serious business in this town, will be the domain of former head barista at Harvest Nick Toze who will be prepping the Duke’s Blend any way the customer likes it.

The best bit? Roy Jr. wants students next door at the ANU (or students from anywhere at all) to know they are welcome. With lounge seating for more than 50, there is always space for long-stayers who want to settle in for the day.

Nor will there be any rush on the weekends when the brunch menu will cater for many tastes and the six-storey atrium provides sunshine for reading the newspapers.

For the foodie community, the best bit is the serious firepower going into the kitchen.  Lia Esa, formerly the chef at Vincent, will bring a slightly more elevated feel to the menu, while Ben Kusumahdi is the current head chef at Maple and Clove, and is well versed in creating the colourful, wholefood and healthy dishes that attract crowds to Barton.

Opening for breakfast and lunch seven days a week, Roy Jr.’s breakfast menu is sure to attract a following offering everything from a Blue Swimmer  Crab Omelette, Chilli Scrambled Eggs, Buttermilk Waffles, and Granola with Honey Panacotta, to Beef Croquettes, Maple Porridge and the Good Life Bowl.

For the serious business lunch there are options such as the classic Steak Frites, with a 200 gram Grain-Fed Hanger Steak with chips, salad and bordelaise sauce, a Prawn and Crab Meat Linguine with peas and pangrattato, or a Grilled Barramundi with Coconut Curry, baby bok choy and black sesame rice.

And if you are hankering for more of a comfort food experience, there are always the beef and chicken burger choices, the Soft Shell Crab Tacos or the Soba Noodle bowl.

Want to refuel without a meal? There’s a truly extensive and luxe smoothie menu with six varieties (we will be ordering the Super Nut of peanut butter, walnut, cacao, flax seeds, banana, roasted coconut, dates, coconut milk and maca at our earliest convenience…)

Meanwhile, for office workers wanting to grab and run, a counter of Three Mills pastries, pre-made sandwiches and salad bowls will be a quick and easy option.

Fully licensed, Roy Jr. will also operate a bar and feature an assortment of wine, beer and breakfast cocktails. This way, everyone is going to get exactly what they need when they visit.

Booking encouraged for groups of all sizes.

All photos by Pew Pew Studio