5 October 2018

Best of Canberra - Pub food

| Bec Cuzzillo
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beer and burgers at pub

There are three certainties in life – death, taxes and getting a generous, well-priced counter meal at a pub.

Steaks, schnitzels, burgers or seafood – whatever your choice, a good pub feed is never regrettable. While it might not be the fanciest or healthiest of cuisines, when you order food at a pub, you are pretty much guaranteed to not leave hungry.

This week, I am looking for Canberra’s best pub food. Whether you like your steak rare and still bleeding or so well done that you can’t get a knife through it, tell me where you go when you’re looking for some down to earth pub grub.

To vote, let me know who serves up your favourite pub food in the comments below. I’ll try the two most popular places and let you know the verdict in next Monday’s Taste Off article.

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wig & pen is brilliant . Great service, great food and that odd random tasting as well. Surely One of the bests.

Holden Caulfield said :

jrsubs said :

The Durham at Green Square, Kingston. The closest thing we’ve found to a real English pub,…

The George Harcourt Inn is more English to me, simply for the fact you have to drive there, just like you would if you were visiting an English pub in a small village.

I haven’t been to the George Harcourt for a long time, so will have to try it again though it’s on the other side of town. But driving there is not a prerequisite for English-pubism! Plenty of pubs in London. However I share your enthusiasm for a pleasant drive to somewhere in the country as the perfect way to spend, eg, a long Sunday afternoon. We really don’t do good pubs or eateries of that style in Australia, and worst of all around Canberra (George Harcourt possible exception if it counts as a Sunday drive).

I wrote to the Times and the Chief Minister at the time they were trying to work out what to do at the Cotter reserve after the fires. I suggested replacing the burnt down pub with a real pub, something with outdoor tables and grass sloping down to the river and ducks and pleasantness all around. Stanhope replied privately to his staff that ‘there’ll be a pub at the Cotter over my dead body”. They carried out a big research effort re facilities at the Cotter and came up with the brilliant idea of … of … a sandwich bar! Which never happened anyway.

I can’t believe such a perfect location is not used for a good English style family-friendly destination for drinks and food. Part of the total lack of imagination that goes with peri-Canberra planning, almost as bad as Canberra urban planning.

I have eaten at the Hotel Queanbeyan (aka Top Pub) a few times since the renovations were completed. I am yet to be disappointed.

Can’t speak from experience, yet, but I’ve noticed the new owners of the Pot Belly in Belco are starting to do food – at this point only on Sunday arvo I think. They’ve taken the (perhaps brave) approach of only selling teh craft beer as I think the owners are homebrew nerds, so I’ll be interested to see what they do for food. I expect to see at least ein kraft schnit on the menu.

If your using Scnitty’s as your yardstick, (though not technically a pub…) Eastlakes AFL club in Kingston/Griffith gets my vote for $12. Great value given the size of it.

The Royal in Queanbeyan serves up pretty good fare, my favourite being a portion of ribs you struggle to climb over. Walshes Hotel pretty good too, though at $30/plate for most things. Honourable mention to George Harcourt, OCI & the Durham as previously mentioned by others.

The eagle hawk hotel in sutton at the united servo does an awesome hot stone grill. (Ie you get the raw meat and cook on hot stone at your table). Its a bit country bogan at times, but thats authenticity. So take a burly male friend if you go there Bec. The gundaroo pub on a friday summer evening is pumping. Edgars is good, basically anywhere with a special of a weeknight, sometimes you can get a $10 feed.

Bentspoke, The Durham and Civic Pub all do decent feeds. And for the best schnittys can’t go.past the Austrian Club.

ilikecake said :

Another vote for Bent Spoke – love that place! Edgar’s in Ainslie is also very good.

Yep, the food at Bent Spoke is great! The beer is more of an acquired taste…

Holden Caulfield5:10 pm 02 Jul 15

purple diva said :

Forget anything wanky in Kingston/Braddon/Civic …. they’re not REAL pubs, and if you’re paying >$20 for a burger then you’re being robbed!

The Durham is not wanky. Nor was the Belgian Beer Cafe (while it was operating). Both in Kingston.

jrsubs said :

The Durham at Green Square, Kingston. The closest thing we’ve found to a real English pub, good value and good food ($10 burgers for lunch).

The George Harcourt Inn is more English to me, simply for the fact you have to drive there, just like you would if you were visiting an English pub in a small village.

Another vote for Bent Spoke – love that place! Edgar’s in Ainslie is also very good.

The Durham at Green Square, Kingston. The closest thing we’ve found to a real English pub, good value and good food ($10 burgers for lunch).

purple diva said :

PJs in Tuggeranong do great steaks.
I haven’t been back to the Old Canberra Inn since the new owners took over earlier this year, but their burgers were always awesome!
Forget anything wanky in Kingston/Braddon/Civic …. they’re not REAL pubs, and if you’re paying >$20 for a burger then you’re being robbed!

Semantics mate but I’d take Civic off that list. I avoid hipster joints like the plague but I’d consider PJ’s and King O’s “real pubs”.

But yes…as Charlie says in Scent of a Woman: “A twenty-four dollar hamburger? What’s the story??”

PJs in Tuggeranong do great steaks.
I haven’t been back to the Old Canberra Inn since the new owners took over earlier this year, but their burgers were always awesome!
Forget anything wanky in Kingston/Braddon/Civic …. they’re not REAL pubs, and if you’re paying >$20 for a burger then you’re being robbed!

The Durham Castle Arms

T-bone steak, medium rare, mushroom sauce plus chips & salad.

For the price it is easily the best steak in canberra – in my experience it’s always perfectly cooked

(Plus awesome crafties on tap)

Civic Pub food is pretty good, Bentspoke is a bit more upmarket. I quite like the Durham in Kingston too.

Conan of Cooma10:34 am 01 Jul 15

Steaks at PJs in Tuggeranong are hard to beat, especially the slow cooked Bourbon one. Mmmmm.

Hi Bill!

The George Harcort gets my vote, but the best pub meal I have ever had was at the Snow Goose Hotel in Adaminaby.

I always thought the schnitzel (pronounced ‘shnitty’) was the universally accepted unit of measurement for pub food. And also note a certain irony in being unable to suggest a suitable venue …

…and Edgar’s is another favorite. Great suburban pub.

second for old canberra inn

Walsh’s Hotel in Queanbeyan has the best parma I’ve ever eaten. Good steaks too.

It’s not strictly Canberra but I’ve found the Royal Hotel in Qbn to have the best pub food, certainly the best beer-battered chips.

+1 to Edgar’s in Ainslie.

The Wood Duck Inn out at Hall and The George Harcourt Inn are my two favorites.

Edgar’s at Ainslie

Holden Caulfield said :

The Dock, Kingston Foreshore.

They do the standard burgers and schnitzels pretty well, but you can choose the more adventurous items on the menu with full confidence. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food at The Dock and it’s certainly streets ahead of Walt & Burley.

The standard burgers at The Dock are all >$20 if I recall correctly. That’s too much for what is essentially a bun with a meet patty and some salad, IMO

Holden Caulfield said :

The Dock, Kingston Foreshore.

They do the standard burgers and schnitzels pretty well, but you can choose the more adventurous items on the menu with full confidence. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food at The Dock and it’s certainly streets ahead of Walt & Burley.

I went the other week to Walt and Burley and I must admit I wasn’t particularly impressed. The food was nice, but I would call it outstanding at all – just ok pub food and nothing else really.

Holden Caulfield11:20 am 30 Jun 15

Also try Edgar’s Inn, Ainslie.

pink little birdie11:07 am 30 Jun 15

Civic pub. Never had a meal there I didn’t like.

Every weekend (without fail) we stop by Bent Spoke in Braddon. Awesome bespoke beer (no pun intended) and a great selection of food from nibbles to meals. Try the chicken wings! Can be a bit busy but worth it.

Old Canberra Inn in Lyneham blew me away with a burger late summer.

Holden Caulfield9:25 am 30 Jun 15

The Dock, Kingston Foreshore.

They do the standard burgers and schnitzels pretty well, but you can choose the more adventurous items on the menu with full confidence. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food at The Dock and it’s certainly streets ahead of Walt & Burley.

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