Canberra

The strawberry matcha is the drink Kingston's FYP has been pushing for weeks, and Good Neighbour — from the Gus' Place crew — has the queue to prove the algorithm right. Order the chilli crab folding eggs while you're in; they're the dish nobody expects to outshine a pink drink.

Order Viral strawberry matcha, chilli crab folding eggs, specialty breakfast dishes, ONA coffee

The Rainbow Bagel is the order every Gungahlin table photographs before anyone takes a bite, and Sunday leans all the way into it. Get the French toast under its fairy floss if you've got a sweet tooth and no shame about it.

Order Rainbow Bagel, French Toast with whipped cream cheese, fresh fruits, Biscoff crumbs, ice cream and fairy floss

The duck-egg green cups have been Canberra's most-photographed crockery since well before the city had a cafe scene worth the name. A 2024 refit added room to breathe without touching the French toast or the avocado that built the reputation.

Order French toast with butterscotch, mandarin, yuzu mascarpone and chocolate almond, Avocado with goats' cheese and pomegranate, ONA coffee

Bunny Beans trades after dinner rather than before work, which is the whole pitch — a Japanese-style dessert cafe for the hour most Canberra kitchens have already closed. The Milo bingsu is the one doing numbers, though the mango holds its own.

Order Mango Bingsu, Milo Bingsu, Japanese-style desserts, specialty drinks

On Lonsdale stacks its sandos on shokupan soft enough to feel like a structural risk, and the Nanban chicken with yuzu aioli is the one Braddon keeps coming back for. The ONA coffee means the sando isn't carrying the whole visit on its own.

Order Nanban Chicken sando with sweet soy and yuzu aioli, Sando-O-Fish, matcha drinks, rice bowls, poke bowls

The cloud matcha latte is what Manuka started lining up for not long after Brew & Crust opened its doors late last year. Pair it with one of the New York-style cookies — chunky enough that calling it a cookie feels like an undersell.

Order Cloud matcha latte, New York-style chunky cookies, specialty coffee, cafe classics with creative twists

Caffè al Lago is an Italian deli that happens to look out over Yerrabi Pond, and the pistachio mortadella schiacciata is assembled in front of you while you wait. Walk-ins only, so time it for a weekday unless queuing by the water is your idea of a morning.

Order Pistachio Mortadella schiacciata with stracciatella, basil pesto, arugula and pistachios, freshly baked Italian sandwiches

Bite & Savor bakes with French Lescure butter six days a week, and the egg tarts go fast enough that mid-morning is already pushing your luck. The charcoal pistachio cream croissant is where the kitchen stops behaving — order it before the mochi sells through.

Order French egg tarts, Melting Choc Brown Sugar Mochi, Charcoal Pistachio Cream Croissant, buttery croissants, sourdough

BUNA opened on Rudd Street late last year and quietly became the city worker's coffee run, helped along by a Canberra Fog — Earl Grey, steamed milk, vanilla — that drinks better than it reads. The Australian bush honey latte is the other reason the 8am line moves slower than the queue would like.

Order Australian Bush Honey Latte, Canberra Fog (Earl Grey, steamed milk, vanilla), Mango Panna Cotta French Toast

Greenhouse moved into the Canberra Centre in 2025 and built a garden in a shopping centre, terrace pointed at Mount Ainslie and all. The guava-maple pancakes are the order that justifies breaking a retail trip for a sit-down.

Order Pancakes with guava maple syrup, strawberries, strawberry sorbet, rose mascarpone and marshmallow, ONA coffee