Despite its relatively small size, Canberra has increasingly gained a reputation in recent years for its dynamic and diverse fine dining scene. There are so many exceptional, award-winning restaurants from a wide range of cuisines in the Canberra CBD that it can be hard to know which one to pick. To help you narrow down your options and avoid decision paralysis when planning your next big night out in the city, we’ve assembled a list of the 5 best restaurants in Civic for fine dining! Each restaurant offers something different and is widely recognised as the best Canberra has to offer, with exceptionally great food, service and drinks.
Capitol Bar and Grill – Elevated, Modern Australian Steakhouse
You can find Capitol Bar and Grill on the ground floor of the QT Canberra, a luxury hotel on 1 London Circuit, the heart of the capital’s city centre. They specialise in classic grill-style cuisine, refreshed by modern Australian twists. Although they are one of the pricier steakhouses Canberra has to offer, they have the accolades to back it up: they just recently won best ‘Steak Restaurant’ and ‘Restaurant in a Hotel/Resort’ at the 2023 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence in the ACT.
Location and Cuisine
The dinner menu offers a variety of cuts of the grill, from tender sirloins to flavoursome ribeyes. These classic cuts are all sourced from premium local suppliers and range between 40 and 80 dollars. If you’re looking for something even more special, they also offer a range of dry-aged steaks. Dry ageing is the process of storing fresh beef in a humidity and temperature-controlled environment for a determined period of time in order to enhance the flavour and tenderness. These premium, dry-aged steaks are priced between 80 and 180 dollars.
They also offer a range of gourmet sides and entrees to complement their exceptional steaks, including Sydney Rock Oysters and roasted bone marrow on sourdough. Everything is guaranteed to be as fresh as possible, with plenty of local produce. To top it all off, they have a 24-page wine list with some of the best wines you can find, both local and international. If you’ve still got room left after all that, they have classic desserts like tiramisu on offer and a range of digestifs, amaro and dessert wines to wash it down with.
As for ambience, the decor is modern but cozy, with dimmed lighting and plush leather seating. Although it’s a large restaurant, the tables are placed far apart enough that you can still have an intimate dinner and hear your company clearly. This makes it the ideal place for a date or special occasion.
Popular Dishes
The sirloin steak with a side of carrots is said to be mouth-wateringly good. Reviews say the dried aged steaks are well worth the price, with one TripAdvisor reviewer saying: ‘We ordered one of the Dry-aged steaks, they take a bit of time to cook being such a big piece of meat, but boy was it worth the wait! DELICIOUS! We also had the king prawns and scallops, which were so well-balanced. I had a dessert to finish and loved it.’
Opening Hours:
Breakfast: 6:30am to 10am Monday-Friday. 7am to 11am Saturday-Sunday.
Dinner: 6pm to 9pm every day except Sunday.
Website:
https://www.qthotels.com/canberra/eat-drink/capitol-bar-grill/
Inka – Japenese and Peruvian Fusion
Inka is located in the heart of Canberra’s CBD, on Bunda Street, and offers one of the most unique fine-dining experiences you can find in the capital: a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. This is known as ‘Nikkei’ cuisine and dates back to the 19th century when thousands of Japanese people immigrated to Peru to work as miners or railroad workers. They brought their traditional Japanese culinary techniques with them, and over time, this blended with the bold flavours of South America to create one of the most interesting fusions out there. Nikkei has been gaining popularity in recent years, and well-seasoned foodies were thrilled when Inka opened in 2021.
Location and Cuisine
If you’re tired of your old regular dinner spots for special occasions and want something more exciting, Inka is certainly the place to go. In quintessential Nikkei style, all the plates are designed to be shared. The menu is expensive, with a range of maki rolls, ceviche, sashimi, and Tiradito (the Peruvian version of sashimi). They offer a tasting menu at $95 per person, which is a pretty standard place for a fine diner in Canberra and offers the chance to leave with a firm grasp of Nekkei cuisine. If you’re after a more cost-effective way to sample the menu, they offer an ‘express’ lunch menu at $55 dollars per person that includes the chef’s selection of sashimi and maki rolls, Peruvian tempura, and your choice of either lomo saltado or tai sakamushi.
As for ambience, dinner at Inka is like visiting New York City for a few hours. The interior is grand, including a main dining area on the ground floor, a bar in the mezzanine, and a charcoal grill area. The decor exudes quiet luxury, with moody lighting and dark wood furniture and flooring, contrasted by pops of colour that show off the restaurant’s South American influence.
Popular Dishes
One of the most popular dishes on the menu comes from the charcoal grill: the 250-gram Wagyu sirloin stake, soaked in mushroom miso butter. On reviewer from the Canberra Times described it as ‘quite possibly one of the best cuts of steak’ they’d ever tasted. It is pricey, at $80, but if that review is anything to go by, it’s certainly worth a try! The guacamole with plantain, classic ceviche, and brussels sprouts with yuzu glaze also pop up time and time again with glowing reviews.
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11:30am to 2:30pm every day except Monday.
Dinner: 5:30pm to 10pm Sunday and Monday. 5:30pm to 10:30pm Tueday-Thursday. 5:30pm to 11pm Friday and Saturday.
Website:
Home
Monster Kitchen and Bar – Funky Environment and Entirely Vegetarian
Monster Kitchen and Bar is located on the ground floor of Hotel Hotel in the Ovolo Nishi building at NewActon, home to some of the most eclectic and acclaimed architecture and decor in all of Canberra. Monster is Canberra’s only entirely vegetarian fine-dining restaurant, but don’t let that turn you offer if you’re a big meat eater. The talented team at Monster says their aim is ‘to turn the innocent veg into the life of the party,’ and they certainly succeed.
Location and Cuisine
All of the produce is locally sourced and as fresh as possible, and the executive chef Ian Curley is constantly coming up with new and inventive ways to introduce them to the regularly changing menu. The all-vegetarian menu is inspired by modern French cooking, with influences from Japanese cuisine for an extra twist. Monster offers both an A La Carte and a seasonal set menu, with most plates designed to be shared. This winter’s seasonal tasting menu costs $89 per person for six small courses, and they’re also currently offering a ‘winter feasting’ menu with 6 courses at $80 per person. They require a minimum of 6 people to book for the winter tasting menu, so gather a crowd!
The decor in Monster is modern and chic, blending contemporary design elements with artistic and colourful flair. The restaurant’s interior design is characterized by clean lines, muted colour palettes, and tasteful use of materials like wood, metal, and glass. The result is high-end space that still feels cosy and unpretentious – a balance that is often difficult to strike. However, Monster is located in the lobby of a hotel and is often bustling with big groups, so the ambience is better suited to a more lively dinner with friends than an intimate date!
Popular Dishes
The corn ‘ribs’ are a must-try to start – with a heavy dose of paprika and dried kelp, make it like no other corn on the cob you’ve ever tried. As for small sharing plates, the burrata with brown butter, sage & pine nuts is always a crowd-pleaser. Good burrata is often hard to come by in Canberra. so jump on it whenever you have a chance! Add a side of the charred broccolini for a bit of salty vegetable goodness. To get the full experience, start with one of their distinct cocktails like the ‘Monster Breeze’ and ask the friendly staff for the ultimate wine from their extensive menu to pair with what you order.
It’s important to note that the menu is very nut-heavy, perhaps to compensate for the lack of meat – however, they are happy to accommodate and remove nuts from dishes wherever possible if you have an allergy. Monster also offers takeaway if you prefer a cosy night in!
Opening Hours:
Breakfast: 7am to 10:30am everyday.
Dinner: 6pm to 10:30pm everyday.
Website:
Monster Kitchen
Raku – The Best Japanese Cuisine Canberra Offers With A Modern Interpretation
Raku is a fine-dining sushi bar and grill on Bunda Street – it’s ideal if you love a seafood-heavy menu with modern Japanese cuisine and fresh, Australian ingredients. The menu is extensive, and every single dish is elegant both in taste and presentation – if there’s one word to describe Raku, it would be ‘refined.’ The care and thought put into every dish and the overall dining experience has earned them a reputation as one of the best restaurants in Canberra, with accolades to show for it. They won Restaurant of the Year, Best Asian Restaurant and Restaurateur of the Year at Rest Catering 2021 ACT awards.
Location and Cuisine
On the menu, you can expect Japense classics brought to a new level: Think a huge range of Sashimi using Australian fish, truffle-heavy options and some of the best wagyu you can find in Canberra. You have the option to order A La Carte, or choose between two tasting menus: The chef’s tasting menu, curated by the captain of their helm Hao San, or the royal tasting menu. The chef’s tasting menu will cost you $100 dollars per guest, and includes nine share plates and scoop of sorbet for dessert. If you’re looking for something even more decadent, the royal menu is the way to go: for $160 a head, you get 10 share plates (including Tajima wagyu 8+ striploin) and the chef’s selection of desserts.
In terms of ambience and decor, expert a blend of sophisticated, modernist decor with traditional Japanese influences. You can choose more private, tucked-away seating or a table in the middle of the restaurant to watch Hao Sao work his magic through open kitchen that serves as a centrepiece.
Popular Dishes
Raku’s robata-grilled dishes come highly recommended, including their 150-day grain-fed Scotch fillet and Wagyu striploin. However, seafood is definitely the star of the show: trying their nigiri with New Zealand scampi, foie gras, truffle oil, and soy jelly is a must. Pair it with one of their iconic cocktails, like the Osaka sour, and finish the meal off with the yuzu and matcha pannacotta for the full experience.
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11:30am to 2:30pm everyday.
Dinner: 5:30pm to 9pm everyday.
Website:
https://www.rakudining.com.au/
Brunello, Classic Italian With A Modern Take and Australia’s Best Wine List
You can’t go wrong with Italian, and Brunello is one of the best options in Canberra. Brunello is a combined wine bar and European-style bistro on City Walk in the heart of Canberra and has something to please everyone. This includes one of the most extensive wine lists you can find across all of Canberra’s best restaurants, with over 400 wines from the ACT, NSW, and across the globe. This earned them multiple awards, including the Best Listing of ACT Wines at the 2023 Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards. Their modern Italian cuisine hasn’t gone unnoticed either – Brunello just recently won the award for Best Italian Restaurant in the ACT at the Restaurant & Catering Awards for 202
Location and Cuisine
The menu offers a variety of share plates and large mains, inspired by a nonna’s cooking and designed to show off the best of Australia’s local produce. Most of the components are made in-house – from the bread to the farfelle and condiments. Whether you’re a pasta lover or a sucker for steak, Brunello has something for you. The one thing they’re missing to complete the picture is woodfired pizza – but maybe the huge amount of Canberra pizzerias already have that market covered.
You can order of the menu, but they also offer two degustation menus. Their smaller one will set you back $90 per person, and it includes 6 courses and a petit four for dessert. Wine pairing is an additional $65 dollars. If you feel like going all out, their larger degustation menu will run you $130 a head. It includes 8 courses and a chocolate tart with pears for dessert. Wine pairing is an additional $80.
The decor is modern and sleek with a light and airy feel, comfortable chairs and white terrazzo top tables. The real star of the show, though, is the Enomatic Wine Tasting System that covers an entire wall: this a state-of-the-art system that allows guest to sample an ever-changing selection of 40 wines by placing their glass under one of the spouts and choosing the size of glass they’d like.
Popular Dishes
Reviews recommend starting with the lightly fried eggplants topped with black & white tahini and goat’s cheese mousse. The ragu is definitely a good follow up: housemade farfalle and braised rabbit is hard to say no to. Finish your meal off with the sourdough gelato and honey-glazed breadcrumbs to go home as full and happy as possible. It goes without saying to wash it all down with a glass of wine! All you have to do visit every day for a year and a half and you’ll have tried the whole wine list in no time.
Opening Hours
12pm to 10pm everyday except Sunday.
Website:
Home
Happy Fine Dining!
We hope this article helped narrow down the many fine eatery options Canberra has to offer. It’s important to note that this isn’t by any means an exhaustive list – we chose to only focus on the CBD and pick 5 of the best for brevity’s sake, but there are dozens more in the city centre. Bar Rochford and Bar Beirut, Rebel Rebel, Akiba, and Mu Omakase are just a few more in the city centre and Braddon that all deserve a try.
Fine dining restaurants aren’t just limited to the CBD either – Les Bistronomes in Campbell, for example, just won the 2023 award for Best Restaurant of the Year across all of Australia. They’re a small restaurant tucked away in the Campbell shops known for their traditional french food and classics like escargots and duck a l’orange. It’s no surprise they took home such a prestigious award – Clement Chauvelier, the man behind Canberra’s favourite restaurant, is a Gordon Ramsey alumni and has been associated with multiple Michelin Star restaurants.
It’s clear to see that Canberra attracts talent from all across the globe, culminating in a vibrant and world-class dining scene. In fact, Canberra has more restaurants per capita than any other city in Australia!
If you’re interested in more casual dining in your area, check out our articles on the best restaurants in Gunghalin, the best restaurants in Belconnen, the best restaurants in Tuggeranong, and the best restaurants in Woden. We’re massive foodies at The Canberra Post, so remember to check our dining in Canberra page anytime you get stuck on where to eat next. We regularly post reviews and comprehensive food listicles like this one.