Gang Gang Café and Bar has launched a cosy evening menu—pizza with a side of live music anyone?

Posted on 16 June, 2023

Nestled in the suburb of Downer, Gang Gang  has grown something of a cult following since brothers Sam, Riley, and Max Conway took over the space to bring good food and music to the Inner North.

Providing the perfect Melbourne-esque (and dog-friendly) location for breakfast and lunch—as well as a venue to enjoy some of Canberra’s best live music acts—the good news is that, following a recent renovation to double capacity, Gang Gang is now open for dinner and drinks after the sun goes down.

And it sounds delicious.

Still serving seasonal modern Australian breakfast and lunch options with locally roasted coffee from Prism during the day, when they dim the lights and showcase the best of the capital’s live-music scene by night, gig-goers will now be able to treat their tastebuds to a cosy new evening menu until late.

Describing the menu as “grandma inspired but chef elevated”, according to Sam the aim is for Gang Gang to continue to be a community-oriented venue that welcomes everyone, day or night. 

“We originally bought the café to do live music and quickly realised there was a lot more to running a venue than putting on gigs. The main thing that took us by surprise was the support we received from the community. We definitely got lucky. Whether it’s gigs, markets, or exhibitions, people back it. When the opportunity came to expand, we knew we had to take it.”

Featuring everything from share plates (that include rosemary and sea salt focaccia, Gang Gang spiced calamari with preserved lemon aioli and house-marinated olives), to larger fare such as caramelised pumpkin with walnut tarator, date butter, herb and freekeh salad and the half chargrilled pasture-raised chicken with chilli oil and ginger shallot sauce. 

And then there’s the pizza. 

With options that range from roasted carrot, pickled heirloom carrot, parsley and agrodolce to sauteed leek, crispy speck, caraway, and scamorza (just to name two of the seven currently available), Sam says that the pizza offerings perfectly fit the vibe of the renovated venue—casual but elevated in ways you don’t expect.

“For the style of food we want to do, pizza just fits,” he says. “Pizza nudges you into sharing but keeps it casual.” 

“Even though none of us are vegetarians anymore—we all fell off the wagon—we really want to push this type of vegetarian food, because it’s yummy. You’re not doing it for sustainability reasons, you’re ordering it because it’s delicious.”

With a passion for sustainability—which is why the pizza is cooked using an electric pizza oven instead of a traditional wood fire—will be continuing to focus on using local produce to create an expansive range of  menu items (including dessert options like apple, hazelnut, and buckwheat crumble with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream and white chocolate mousse with mandarin, roasted rhubarb, and pistachio. Yum). 

As for drinks, the beer and wine menu includes local, interstate, and international offerings that are perfect for washing down a meal. 

Planning to change the menu seasonally and start offering takeaway pizza options in the winter months, Gang Gang is also hoping to extend and elevate its live music line-up, aiming to increase interstate touring to Canberra.  

“It would be nice to see the room fill up,” says Sam. “We’re excited to get some big gigs happening and to focus on the food. It’s nice now that the renovation is over, we can go back to actually focussing on fun little tweaks around the place.”

With the new menu and upcoming shows, Gang Gang might just be the place to be on a Saturday night. After all, who doesn’t love cosy local food, live music, and good drinks?  

Images supplied.