Acton: One suburb, nine ways to dine + drink
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With soaring offices draped in living greenery, low-rise heritage buildings, bars, restaurants, cafés and hotels, Acton and its hipster slice, NewActon, is a precinct ripe with cultural experiences—and amazing food.
CAPITOL BAR + GRILL
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Located at the base of the QT Hotel, Capitol’s vast space oozes fun, energy and style. Broken into sections including a breakfast buffet and cosy bar flanking a fireplace, the sleek dining room serves up prime cuts and wood-fired theatrics.
Slide into a luxe corner booth and get a taste of modern Canberra dining with slight Italian accents.
ILY
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Pretty and pink-hued, the decidedly funky ILY (short for I Love You) promises home-style simple food which will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
The brainchild of those clever folk behind inner south hotspot XO, ILY is open for lunch Tuesday to Friday and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. It’s hard not to feel the love.
HIGH JINKS
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We love an underground bar. High Jinks takes out a cosy concrete bunker underneath ILY restaurant.
Settle into a table and order something brooding, like the Low Rider, using Patrón Silver tequila, Poor Tom’s Imbroglio, mezcal, ginger and pink peppercorn with a dash of fresh ruby grapefruit and lime. Tapas-style snacks are on hand, as are cheese platters.
BICICLETTA
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Bustling Italian fare sourced locally and cooked seasonally, Bicicletta (within Peppers Gallery Hotel) is the perfect place to enjoy great coffee, homemade pizzas, pasta and gelati.
Choose your seat on the floor, at the Library Bar or the sculpture-laden outdoor courtyard (with blankets in winter).
PARLOUR
If you want to be swept away in the romance of old Canberra, Parlour is the place. A beautiful rich interior design—think velvet sofas, heavy drapes, art deco furniture—it really feels like you’ve entered a grand manor.
But things get interesting when you find a cocktail in your hand and can choose from the Spanish- inspired tapas menu.
POLLEN
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Truly a destination place to eat, Pollen is set amid the magnificent plant life that constitutes the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
It promises a small but delicious breakfast and lunch menu to enjoy while you look out from the large deck onto wildlife happily cavorting in the sunshine. A selection of local wines enhances the tranquillity that this setting provides.
MOČAN & GREEN GROUT
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If you love watching your friends throw together a meal in an open kitchen then this is the place for you. More home dining room than commercial restaurant, there is an air of warmth and informality here, with an added bonus of expert cooking.
The menu is small but perfectly formed, but who cares when you can just look over and see what is being rustled up at the bench and take your pick that way.
REBEL REBEL
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Soaring ceilings ribbed with salvaged beams set the scene for an almost religious experience. But the restaurant run by Chef Sean McConnell and his wife Jenny Harders has a vibe which is decidedly non-conformist once the food arrives (just like the David Bowie song which inspired its name).
Flavours are bold and treatment is simple. Professional service and a harmonious wine list will soon have you singing from their song sheet.
MONSTER KITCHEN + BAR
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Come for the staircase, stay for the food and ambience. Monster has been consistently pushing the culinary boundaries in Canberra since it opened as the show-stopper venue within the Ovolo Hotel.
Monster gets props for both its menu and wow factor with its luxe industrial fitout.
Want even more inspiration?
Check out VisitCanberra’s Neighbourhood Guide to the Inner North + City here.
Feature image: Capitol Bar & Grill at QT Canberra. Photography: Lean Timms
