Canberra has, in the last fifteen years, transformed itself from a fast-food backwater into a genuinely interesting eating city. Two factors have driven the change: the rise of a cohort of small ambitious operators in Braddon and Kingston, and the strength of the surrounding ACT and southern New South Wales food region — particularly the cool-climate wines of Murrumbateman and Tumbarumba.
The main eating districts are Braddon (Lonsdale and Mort streets), Kingston (Giles Street and the Foreshore precinct), Manuka, and central Civic. Standout restaurants over recent years have included Pilot, Aubergine, Such & Such, Lazy Su, Bar Rochford, and Monster Kitchen and Bar (in the Hotel Hotel building). For coffee, Lonsdale Street and the inner-north suburbs around Dickson and Lyneham are reliable.
The Old Bus Depot Markets in Kingston on Sundays and the Capital Region Farmers Market in Exhibition Park on Saturdays are the main weekend food markets; both are very good.