What's a good cafe/restaurant operating at this time of year where a group of friends can have breakfast/brunch

Just Quitly (spelling?) Strange name, great food, service ranges form OK to excellent.

And the Hello cafe ant Campbell Shops

the chef there is a friend of a friend and is very passionate about using top produce, he doesn’t give his customers anything he wouldn’t eat himself and the coffee is drinkable (bonus)

Well the Riot Team were hoping to have a nice lunch out today but just about all the places mentioned above were shut. Bum. Was really looking forward to visiting Zierholz again.

Still they all deserve a good rest and a break from work the same as everybody else.

Am looking forward to trying Podfood, the Piallago Winery and Delissio sometime soon though.

The Wine and Cheese Providore in Manuka has been hit and miss — two truly excellent breakfasts, and one fairly rotten. I highly recommend the banana bread however, and the bread (from Croissant D’Or) is excellent. The eggs are super fresh and local, and the local bacon was twice a stand-out, and once a miss.

Podfood in Pialligo has been consistently excellent this past year, and the setting is really lovely. For the price, lunch is better value than breakfast, even though they do a fantastic breakfast. A really lovely place to sit and chat for hours. I think bookings are essential though.

Du Jour in New Acton does really great eggs for brekky — three poached come standard, which is really too many, but they are delicious. Good bacon and spinach too. The Big Breakfast is terrific. I would not recommend the pancakes (American style hotcakes) or the fruit bread (TipTop). The service however is some of the most forgetful in Canberra — not maliciously bad like in Verve in Manuka (where they treat you like you’re a real nuisance) — but incredibly slow and vague. No excuse either, as on none of the five occasions I’ve been has the place been full to even half capacity. Go when you have a bit of time to sit and chat and not worry about snappy service — the setting is relaxing. The pastries and tartlets are lovely, and the coffee is fine.

As Nature Intended in New Acton has some of the worst eggs in Canberra — microwaved, I think. The setting also leaves much to be desired — half supermarket, half café. Very crowded and noisy on weekend mornings, and if you’re unlucky enough to be seated at the big communal table in front of the automatic door, it’s highly distracting to have customers streaming in and out behind you.

Surprised no-one has mention the cafe at the National Library

Pizzaz cafe in Kingston is pretty good. The ricotta hotcakes are wicked. Gets very busy but you can’t book a table.

Don’t know if it’s open over the hols, but Pork Belly cafe next to The Lobby in Parkes, opposite the front of Old Parly House, has a terrific location with lots of outdoor tables under the trees. Indoor seating too of course. Plus Zierholz on tap! They do brekkies and lunches.

I-filed said :

Hyatt Hotel breakfast – exxy but worth it for quality, atmosphere and comfort … you need to book …

I must admit it has been a few years since I’ve had a breakfast at the Promenade, but I can say, the few times I have “dined” there have been some of the most underwhelming culinary experiences I have had.

Bettie said :

As Nature Intended in NewActon is my fave new breakfast spot. http://www.outincanberra.com.au/natureintendedacton

I can second Bettie’s recommendation though. Here is the link to their website proper:
http://www.asnatureintended.com.au/

ant said :

The chef is some local famous chef-person, apparently.

Love it!

Hyatt Hotel breakfast – exxy but worth it for quality, atmosphere and comfort … you need to book …

Ona Café (previously Kona Café) in Manuka is great. not a heap of space though, so call up Aaron the manager before you actually show up! 🙂

As Nature Intended in NewActon is my fave new breakfast spot. http://www.outincanberra.com.au/natureintendedacton

Pod is very good usually. I’ve been there a few times for lunch. It’s not cheap, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

If you’re out that way, I think Rodneys has a cafe too. I’ve never been there though

Axis at the Museum, not exactly southside, but fits your other criteria and is accessible and, I’m guessing, will be open.

If all else fails you could do McHotcakes by Lake Tuggeranong, haha.

I like the botanic gardens caf., but it is really noisy if you have an inside table.

Pesty said :

kaydo said :

Du Jour in new Acton.
http://www.diamant.com.au/diamant/canberra-pages/restaurants.html

crap

@Pesty – got a more insightful comment? I had brunch there in the courtyard last weekend and thought it was great, what did I miss?

fabforty said :

I saw this place last weekend and vowed to come back and check it out. I can’t vouch for the food as I haven’t tried it yet, but I have heard others say its good. It is in the Piallago Plant Farm and set in amongst the gardens there. The outside seating is on a lovely leafy verandah. Also the staff were friendly and more than happy for me to poke around and have a look, even though I said I wasn’t dining with them that day.

As well as the nursery, there is an interesting gallery and gift shop.

http://www.podfood.com.au/

Please come back with a review no matter where you go. Always interested.

Now that IS friendly!

kaydo said :

Du Jour in new Acton.
http://www.diamant.com.au/diamant/canberra-pages/restaurants.html

crap

Can’t get more outdoor than

http://www.yourrestaurants.com.au/guide/the_oaks_brasserie_yarralumla_gallery/

..while you’re thinking Pialligo, the winery in Kallaroo Road has a good cafe and the views back over south Canberra are lovely (Pialligo Estate), and Rodney’s cafe is also very good.

Podfood is excellent, a bit of a hidden place. It’s a full-on gourmet place, kind-of a surprise when you expect a normal cafe style experience. Have a look at their menus on line, you’ll see what I mean.

The chef is some local famous chef-person, apparently.

The Yarralumla Nursery is also very nice this time of the year.

che said :

Try something different and go to Zierholz Brewery, it’ll be a gathering to remember rather than just another brunch out thats forgotten by Tuesday.

Thanks che, that actually sounds really good but perhaps not for this particular group. I’ll remember it for another occasion though.

“Gah! A – loud- group of 40ish year old women!! Stay away from Kona, Essen and Pizazz. Back to Koko Black and My Cafe!”

hhhmm, I kinda knew something like this would come along sooner or later. I was going to reply with some cutting, witty remark but really, I just can’t be bothered.

The Aft is Southside in Tuggeranong, near the lake – you can sit out on the deck which is quite nice, but I can’t always vouch for the friendliness of the cook.

Try something different and go to Zierholz Brewery, it’ll be a gathering to remember rather than just another brunch out thats forgotten by Tuesday.

I saw this place last weekend and vowed to come back and check it out. I can’t vouch for the food as I haven’t tried it yet, but I have heard others say its good. It is in the Piallago Plant Farm and set in amongst the gardens there. The outside seating is on a lovely leafy verandah. Also the staff were friendly and more than happy for me to poke around and have a look, even though I said I wasn’t dining with them that day.

As well as the nursery, there is an interesting gallery and gift shop.

http://www.podfood.com.au/

Please come back with a review no matter where you go. Always interested.

Has anyone been to the Botanic Gardens cafe recently? Can’t beat the setting, and it used to be pretty nice. Watersedge seems to have gone back to doing normal lunches, shame, their breakkie/lunch things were great.

If you could stand going all the way to Jindy (!), Wilfred’s Big Breakfasts on the deck are unbeatable. Well, that’s southside!

Gah! A – loud- group of 40ish year old women!! Stay away from Kona, Essen and Pizazz. Back to Koko Black and My Cafe!

Kona Coffee, Manuka. Make a booking though

That sounds like to kind of thing I was thinking of, thanks crabb – but I would really prefer breakfast/brunch than lunch.

The Palette Cafe at Beaver Gallery at Deakin has a lovely ferny courtyard, and does all day brunch on the weekend. Only been there for lunch but the food is great – a cut above standard cafe fare.

Whoops, sorry, it is closed until 12 January.

Try Delissio in Theodore St, Curtin – http://www.delissio.com.au/

I suppose when I was saying city, I was more meaning park and lake than city. I spend my working life there – don’t need to go back when I am on leave 🙂

Du Jour in new Acton.
http://www.diamant.com.au/diamant/canberra-pages/restaurants.html

All with a fair amount of outdoor space in Civic:
Milk and Honey’s always good for brunch. As is Gus’.
Mama’s has lots of outdoor space too.

And I’m never really on the south, so I couldn’t say…