Tucked into the small enclave of Kingston shops is the Durham Castle Arms; an English style pub…read morewhich offers a variety of beers on tap and a bistro for the less liquid-based hunger satisfying creations. 12 beers on tap provide good variety to choose from (including some dark ales) in addition to plenty of bottled sorts, wines and spirits for those wishing to diversify their selection of drink. The bistro serves standard pub fare, tried the Guinness pot pie which was delicious put down with a dark ale. The pub is divided up into a number of areas with seating on the bar side, kitchen side, and outside. There is also a stage and small dancefloor. A band was playing the night we came down. The bar population went from 2 of us plus a handful of others at 9:30pm, to overflowing with people and packed some 30-45mins later. Quiet to epic in under an hour - something which surprised me for this small Canberra venue.

I went to the Durham on a Tuesday night, and they happened to have pub trivia that night. I enjoy…read morepub trivia nights, so I liked this about the place. There were a lot of people there that night; the only seating I could find was at the bar, which was fine. Other than that, the atmosphere was very positive, everyone seemed to be having a good time. The Durham has the feel of an old English pub, which I thought was pretty cool. Overall, I liked the place. The only negative I have is the price of a beer. Maybe it's because Im an American and Im used to different prices for a beer, but the beers here did cost a bit more than they do back home. Other than that, Im a fan, and I would definitely go back here, especially on trivia night.

Best local find in Canberra, so far! Walked in randomly after doing errands in the city center…read morejust before 5pm on a Friday, just in time for happy hour. Super cute atmosphere, warm welcome by staff, and amazing daily and happy hour specials. We took advantage of the $5 fries, delicious and well priced bao buns, happy hour beers / house label tap wines and the all-day-every-day $10 on tap espresso martini. Everything was gorgeous. Super efficient, kind, and unpretentious service coupled with a nice crowd, lovely room, comfortable patio, and overall great experience. They seem to have themes and yummy specials for each day of the week so just trying to decide how to best space our visits!

I have a huge soft spot for Tilley's. Even though it opened doors only in the early 1980s, it is a…read more1950s piano bar kind of vibe. Think plush carpet, dark wood paneling, brass and mirrors, thick velvety drapes. I know this isn't quite a fair comparison, but it feels very old school LA to me (a la The Dresden, even). Yes yes, I know; I just compared a venue in Canberra to an iconic LA institution and that is crazy talk, but it's the best that I can do. This is a great place to sit and sip, with a friend or alone, at any time of the day. There is a huge variety of people here, betraying any attempt to cast it as a "scene" -- old couples, young couples, guys, gals, families, hipsters, tradies, lawyers, students working on laptops -- you name it. It's the kind of place where you'd run into people you know, and probably make new friends (at least with the bartenders). I know I'd be a regular if I lived here. Bottom line: we all know Canberra can't compete with Melbourne or Sydney in the restaurant and nightlife departments, so why bother trying to reproduce a night out in either of those two cities? A couple glasses of red wine at Tilley's will help you embrace the Canberra experience as its own thing.

Best eggs on sourdough in Canberra that I've tried and I've lived here my while life. The coffee is…read morepretty really good too.

Most of you know about the Wig & Pen, the awesome brewery in Canberra's city centre. However, not…read moreas many know about Canberra's other local brewery, Zierholz. You can try a full lineup of their German style beers (their "paddle sampler") for 12 dollars and this includes a half pint of your favourite. Some of their beers are available in 5L mini kegs for 40 dollars. Unfortunately I did not try their food, but their desserts looked very good (very large, so either save room or share)

Madras tofu curry lacks depth and complexity in flavour. It tasted like jarred curry sauce from…read moresupermarket shelves added with Greek fennel seeds, pickled lime and blanched vegetables. Pub grub quality, nothing impressive.

Fantastic lunch at a charming winery overlooking Lake George…read more I can't even begin to express how excited I was to move to a city with so many wineries and vineyards close by! It's been something I've wanted as a local feature since visiting family in the Finger Lakes of New York State a few years ago. And Lerida didn't disappoint! We spent a chilly spring day enjoying a charcuterie plate and couple of glasses of wine, it was our first family meal out in almost two years! (Not that we haven't eaten out, just doing a lot of takeaways to keep the COVID out!) To set expectations, if you're like me, a certain vision comes to mind when you think of an "estate." French Chateau-like, to be exact, especially if like me your wine education largely lies in the "old world" class of wines. You approach the estate from a sharp turn-off on Federal Highway, and drive up a narrow-ish dirt track and approach a humble-looking building that at first can't possibly be a tasting room. A short stroll through the vineyard takes you to the tasting room and restaurant, which, once inside, is actually quite welcoming. A bit industrial, with a heavy concrete aesthetic, but balanced by the large windows that overlook the vines outside. There's also an exceptionally charming barrel room with tables set amongst stacks of promising wine barrels. There's also a coffee bar and a separate tasting bar. They managed to comfortably accommodate a lot of features into what is otherwise a fairly small space. The lackluster bathroom, however, reminds you that you are actually just at a farm. They offer a small but well-curated food menu, of course with glasses or bottles on-offer to accompany. You can also do a separate tasting flight of, if I recall, 8 or so wines for $10 total. Nice deal! The one drawback is they don't serve the tasting flight with the food. Probably so the food doesn't negatively affect the taste of the wines, which is understandable. Seeking lunch and traveling with our young child, we skipped the tasting this time, and instead each enjoyed a delicious glass of Shiraz, for which Lerida is award-winning. It paired very nicely with a charcuterie plate that was heavy on the umami flavors with cured meats and lots of truffle influence! My son enjoyed his first-ever hot chocolate and was very, very pleased. Not their fault of course, but for awareness, flies were a bit troublesome even on a cool and cloudy spring day. Probably much worse when warm and sunny, so be warned! But do stop in here and enjoy!

Excellent for the morning breakfast. There coffee is of good quality as well. Relaxed atmosphere,…read morefriendly staff. Highly recommend this cafe!

Great little place to have lunch. Freshly baked bread and cakes. Try their sandwiches for a quick…read moresimple lunch.

Great place for lunch and coffee - just a shame the other reviewer couldn't place it correctly -…read moreit's on the corner of King George Terrace and Parkes Place

The legendary eightysix restaurant has two locations now, serving both sides (identities?) of…read moreCanberra! The original, in Braddon, and now eightysix South in Woden. The small and classy establishment serves a changing menu of fresh pasta and other Italian-inspired dishes and absolutely does not disappoint. They even offer takeaway! I stopped in here to grab dinner to take home to my family on a Friday night. They usually open at six but opened a few minutes beforehand, and I was able to order immediately. The restaurant interior is dark and cozy, with a modern and minimalist feel. The menu is scrawled on a chalkboard that takes up a wall the full length of the restaurant, which is a really cool touch. For takeaway, I ordered a broccolini starter, pumpkin tortellini, eggplant parm, and a lamb pappardelle. Unfortunately, I didn't receive the lamb, instead I was given the duck gnocchi. Disappointing, but didn't really matter as it was fantastic. I can't manage to make gnocchi appetizing cooking at home, but this was what every cookbook says it should be. Soft, pillowy potatoey goodness. The same for the tortellini, which though a bit sweet for my taste, was really nice. For dessert we ordered tiramisu and a banoffee pie. Most will be aware tiramisu is made with booze, but I could actually taste the booze in this example, so be warned it is boozy for sure! The banoffee pie, which on sight I expected to be sickly sweet, was really well balanced by a salty graham cracker crust. The most impressive part is that pasta doesn't usually travel well. By the time it gets home it's cold and stodgy. That was not the case with eightysix. Everything was absolutely delicious. Can't wait to dine-in!