Canberra is famous for its roundabouts and grand government buildings. These days, the coffee scene is drawing attention from around the world.
LessThe Cupping Room is owned by Canberra’s largest speciality coffee roaster, ONA Coffee, the company that was founded by award-winning Sasa Sestic. Part cafe and part educational hub, The Cupping Room is the go-to to learn a thing or two about coffee, taste, and flavor with their tasting sessions. Their seasonal menu features all-day breakfast—it could be a bacon and egg roll or something heartier like beetroot cured salmon with herbs and greens such as pickled fennel, asparagus, and cucumber.
Opened in 2015, Barrio Collective Coffee Bar may be tiny in size but it packs a punch in the local coffee scene. Located in the hip neighborhood of Braddon, the coffee menu has been tailored to reflect the cafe's traditional and contemporary brew methods. Their motto is to keep things simple, and the food at Barrio ranges from tasty coffee-pairables such as stroopwafels to hearty and warm grilled cheese sandwiches.
On the top level of Canberra Centre is Greenhouse Coffee and Co. Coffee is locally sourced from ONA. With multiple blends available, drinks include filter coffees, single origins, and cold brews. Just as much as the coffee variety changes, the food menu also rotates each season. Dishes in the past have included pork benedict with braised pork hock, Béarnaise sauce, and pickled beetroot, and banana fritters with cardamom anglaise, vanilla malt crumble, and pineapple sorbet.
Harvest is a multi-roaster, with coffee sourced from roasters like Industry Beans (Melbourne) and local favorites Barrio Collective. Filter coffee options here include pour-over, siphon, cold drip, or AeroPress, serving up some of the city’s very best coffee. The ample low-stool seating and vibrant service that’s offered at Harvest has made it a favorable hangout for crowds to sip away over a few cups in the corner.