Good Neighbour Cafe is a great option for anyone walking around the lake. Photo: Ben Calvert.
If you thought Braddon was the king of brunch in Canberra, then think again! The North no longer has a monopoly on great coffee and bougie smashed avo. From the inner-South neighbourhoods serving lake-walkers and the Kingston set, stretching all the way to the deep south of Kambah and Tuggeranong, the South side of Canberra knows how to brunch.
Here’s a handful of our favourites.
Good Neighbour, Kingston
Just on the south side of the lake, Good Neighbour is owned by the team behind Canberra’s iconic Gus’ Cafe.
A fast favourite among lake walkers and locals, Good Neighbour offers a range of dangerously delicious sweets and a top-notch brunch. The chilli crab folded eggs with paratha bread is particularly good, and the huevos sucios (dirty eggs) is a hangover cure on a plate: jalapeños and cheese croquette, with fried eggs and chorizo.
The coffee is great, and I’m reliably informed that the matcha is too. Don’t leave without a massive New York-style cookie.
Old-school buttermilk pancakes make a comeback at Recess. Photo: Supplied, Ash St George.
Recess, Griffith
There’s a timelessness to Recess’s effortless cool. There’s vinyl playing on an outrageously good quality sound system. With warm wooden fittings, terracotta tiling and stylish lighting, the interior manages to be cosy without being stuffy, and the service is friendly and casual but never flippant.
Their menu feels simultaneously grown-up and playful: Scandi-chic plates of smoked trout and pickles, but also a cheeky fried chicken sandwich and properly good pancakes.
Lunch offerings of crumbed pork cutlet and a hundred-layer lasagna would be right at home at a fine diner. And there’s usually a stunning cake at the counter too.
Jose recommends the tostadas on the menu at Cafe Blanco. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Cafe Blanco, Kambah
This Kambah venue is a ray of sunshine among south side cafes.
The warm interior decorated with Colombian art provides the perfect setting for a cosy brunch. The menu changes regularly throughout the year, but anything that riffs off chef and owner Jose Blanco’s Colombian heritage is guaranteed to be delicious.
The team pours a ripper of a Redbrick coffee, and the vibes here are immaculate. Jose and his family are local to the area, and it shows: the cafe is embedded in the neighbourhood, and it’s clear the community has backed this family-run venue.
Brett Waslin is the new owner of A Bite to Eat. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
A Bite to Eat, Chifley
Recently taken over by local hospitality young gun Brett Waslin, A Bite to Eat has been reinvigorated. There’s a lovely garden out back, and an airy, spacious dining space.
Start the morning with a fresh juice or smoothie, or enjoy a long lunch with local beer and wine. The menu has also had a shakeup. Breakfast classics like cauliflower fritters, eggs benny and summer fruits pavlova pancakes are on offer, or tuck into a soba noodle salad or Tennessee hot honey fried chicken burger.
It’s a pleasure to see a new generation breathing life into this Canberra institution.
The kimchi scrambled eggs are the signature dish at Cafe Beetroot. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Cafe Beetroot, Greenway
In an unassuming location diagonally opposite the Bunnings at Greenway, Cafe Beetroot is a hidden gem for those in the know.
Owners Wonjin Kong and Bella Yu run the space together and there are a few nods to their Korean heritage on the otherwise classic brunch and lunch menus.
The kimchi scrambled eggs are a signature dish, with the chilli-tang of kimchi complementing the creamy eggs and flavourful toppings. Hot sausage rolls are available at the counter for the tradies to grab and go, and there’s an array of tempting sweets to accompany that second cup of joe.
The coffee is top-notch, the service is friendly, and the food is great: who cares about the location!?
What are your favourite South side brunches?
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
