Where to get the best coffee in Canberra

To put it simply, Ona is a Canberra coffee staple; possibly a national one. The roaster with a cult following supplies beans all over Australia, but the Coffee House in Fyshwick is the source of all the deliciousness. Here, Ona serves its signature house blends – the Aspen and Raspberry Candy are our faves – made with love by its talented baristas (the founder even won the World Barista Championship in 2015). The café itself invites you to stay for a good time and a long time (remote workers welcome) with its soft-toned interior of blue hues and timber touches – there’s even a deck where you can cosy up beneath the ever-so-necessary heaters. Ona’s kangaroo latte art is one to admire beside a pillowy bacon and egg roll – adding the hash brown is a non-negotiable. But if that doesn’t cut the mustard, Ona also stocks takeaway beans from the attached roastery.

Time Out tip: Ona offers weekly barista classes that’ll have you mastering the tools in just one day. Ideal if you’re visiting the Bush Capital short-term or running a tight schedule.

Address: 68 Wollongong St, Fyshwick

What began as a tiny espresso bar and coffee roaster in Curtin back in 2011 has grown into one of Canberra’s proudest specialty coffee spots, now boasting three locations spanning from the city centre to Curtin in the east and Fyshwick in the west. At Redbrick’s roastery in the latter locale, you can watch the roasting action through large glass windows, using beans sourced from sustainable farms in Central and South America and Africa. Their flagship café in Civic is our favourite spot for a cosy cuppa, offering four distinct blends – classic, sweet, rich and complex – plus a rotating selection of single origins, available as filter or espresso.

Time Out tip: If you’re on the hunt for tried and tested coffee equipment, Redbrick offers a range of apparatuses on their website that’ve received the seal of approval, so you can live your best bean life at home, in the office or wherever you see fit, really.

Address: Locations in the city, Curtin and Fyshwick

If Highroad’s extensive opening hours don't cut it for your late-night caffeine cravings, this Indonesian diner dishes up delicious coffee at truly ungodly hours. Yep, all night long. There are no reservations here, but you’ll be ushered inside pretty fast with the quick turnaround of 60-minute slots (well, depending on how busy they are). Once seated, you really can’t leave without trying a Hot Joshie – a melted Oreo-oat milk concoction topped with more crushed Oreos. The soy-infused chai, Kita affogato and triple hot choccie are also serving big dessert energy, whether it’s 10pm or 3am. The savouries are just as fab too, think big bowls of fragrant mie goreng (fried noodles), otak-otak (grilled fishcakes) and soto ayam (herbal chicken soup of the best variety). It’s all a little confusing, but somehow it works.

Time Out tip: If you’re on the night shift, Kita is the place to be for winding up or winding down for the night, wait, day.

Address: 59 Boolimba Cres, Narrabundah

This newcomer to Canberra’s coffee scene in 2024 is brought to us by hospo veterans Anthony Iannelli (ex-Terra) and Scott Brewer (ex-Barrio). With vinyl records spinning laid-back tunes all day (cue plenty of The Beatles and 50 Cent, too), an intimate courtyard with heating and an impressive brunch menu, Recess is the ultimate spot to settle in for a freshly brewed coffee, where dunking your doughnut is encouraged. Recess sources its beans from small-scale farmers, roasting them locally in Canberra and packaging some for sale in its quirky retail shop – a little slice of caffeine paradise. 

Time Out tip: Recess Coffee also happens to serve up some dang tasty fare, including diner-style pancakes complete with bacon and maple syrup, as well as scrumptious cheesecake specials that’ll knock your socks off.

Address: 6B Barker St, Griffith

You’ll find Two Before Ten cafés speckled well across Canberra from the north, south, east and west, including a dedicated roastery in Mitchell. Their blends are roasted in small batches, so you can expect some great attention to detail and sustainably-sourced, single origin beans from Brazil and Costa Rica. One of the coolest features of this local coffee roastery is its urban farm in the western suburb of Aranda, complete with a commercial composter, oil recycling and a fermenting room so that they can reduce their food miles and get a second life out of all of those coffee grounds. Whoever said chains are bad news?

Time Out tip: After something a little stronger than the good beans? Head on over to the Aranda outpost to experience the brand’s eatery and wine bar, 10 Yards. Here, there’s a focus on local and seasonal produce with a farm-to-plate heart paired with Canberra-region tipple.

Address: Multiple locations, including Aranda, Barton and Dickson

Remember the legends at Ona? Another one of their flagships is The Cupping Room, or The Cuppo, as it’s affectionately known by Canberrans. You can swing by their University Avenue outpost seven days a week and on public holidays too, for when you need that caffeine hit the most. Ona’s complex roasts hail from all around the world, and this Ona branch is inspired by the age-old practice of ‘cupping’, where little cups of coffee are judged and compared to get their flavour profile. The Cuppo demands your adventurous side to lurk out of the shadows and go all out with the Christmas Trifle reserve milk-based coffee, which hints at vanilla custard, brandy and baked stone fruit, or perhaps the Panama Bambito reserve espresso with whispers of strawberry jam, cherry and dark chocolate. We’ll take the lot.

Time Out tip: Just when you thought you’d seen it all, The Cupping Room has come out with a new initiative in collaboration with Ikigai Film Lab – photography nerds, we’re looking at you. In one fell swoop, you can order your morning brew and put your film into be developed at the cafés dropbox. How’s that for two birds, one stone?

Address: 1/1-13 University Ave, Canberra

While Barrio's shopfront is on the bustling Lonsdale Street in central Canberra, it roasts its beans just around the corner in Fyshwick. At the café, you can order your coffee black or white – with three types of milk available, including their very own dairy-free cashew and almond blend. For a really out-there cuppa, order yours with unhomogenised milk. It makes for a super popular order with milk as fresh as you can get. If you’re feeling a bit experimental, Barrio is pretty serious about their batch brews, or drip coffee for you Americans.

Time Out tip: Barrio’s Braddon location is where you’re going to want to be for a weekend cuppa, followed by a stroll to the neighbouring Haig Park Village Markets for tasty bites, farm-fresh veg and niche wares.

Address: 59/30 Lonsdale St, Braddon

If you haven’t swung by this specialty coffee house and Japanese-inspired café in Campbell, consider this your sign to fix that ASAP. First-timers can sample Intra’s offerings with a coffee flight, featuring their Staple blend with notes of butterscotch, hazelnut and nectarine. Other single origin blends feature beans sourced from Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Honduras, with all four options available for purchase from Intra’s retail nook. Do yourself a favour and pair your batch brew or chocolate malt shake with Intra’s signature kimchi jaffle for the full trifecta worthy of a mention in the group chat – there’s even vegan, gluten- and lactose-free options up for grabs that are sure to satisfy the hangriest of stomachs.

Time Out tip: Intra PRVN is cashless, so don’t bring your spare change – they simply won't accept it.

Address: 30/12 Provan St, Campbell

Australia is a notoriously difficult place to get a coffee after 3pm. Enter: Ona’s third Canberra flagship store, Highroad. The café is open ‘til 9.30pm from Thursday to Saturday and is all about keeping things natural. The specialty coffee on offer is a part of Project Origin – an initiative creating strong relationships with coffee farmers and producers around the world. A diverse breakfast menu keeps things interesting with everything from Greek tzatziki eggs and Japanese shokupan toast to Spanish omelette. The dinner menu is similar in style with a French-Mediterranean flair, with the added bonus of two coffee-forward desserts that just happen to be dairy-free: the gold chocolate mousse with a shot of espresso (or decaf) and the Ona cappuccino with hazelnut and vanilla cream, espresso syrup and an almond-orange biscotto. We’re comin’ over immediately.

Time Out tip: Into interiors? Highroad's fit-out is inspired by Canberra’s rugged landscapes.

Address: 1 Woolley St, Dickson

The modern interior and exposed brick walls at East Row invite you in to savour your caffeine treat. The specialty coffee made here hails from the one and only Ona and East Row makes sure to put a new single origin coffee on rotation every month. Expect to see milky numbers decorated with latte art like unicorns and swans, which are bound to put a smile on your dial on even the gloomiest of days. East Row Café is named appropriately after the street you’ll find it on the corner of, right inside the heritage-listed Sydney Building. The morning sunlight illuminates the intimate space and your steaming coffee alike on those chilly Canberra mornings. 

Time Out tip: East Row Café is all about adding pops of colour to its menu. Take the potato and cabbage fritters, which sound basic until you hear the accompaniments: poached eggs, maple-glazed bacon, chorizo, mango salsa and house-made hollandaise.

Address: 2/121 London Cct, Canberra

Don’t let anyone tell you that coffee is too expensive to order out. If you keep an eye on Lava's socials, you might get lucky and catch one of the $1 batch brew Fridays. However, we'd recommend visiting this lovely 15-plus-year-old industrial joint any day and enjoying the picnic bench seating out front (which is dog-friendly). Specialty coffee here comes courtesy of Single O and Twin Peaks, with beans from Wood and Co available to purchase. When it comes to latte art, the baristas at Lava mean business. The sense of family is super strong here, so don’t be afraid to ask for advice on your next cup. 

Time Out tip: A glass cabinet sits atop the polished concrete countertop filled with buttery, flaky pastries of all sorts – we’re telling you right now that you don’t want one, you need one (or two).

Address: Locations in Kingston, Phillip, Campbell and Weston

Full marks go to this super cosy cafe in Braddon with indoor and outdoor seating, should you like to savour your cuppa. 10/10 serves up some Maverick Roasters magic in the form of the chocolate-y Old Town Blend. They’re open ‘til lunchtime, so you can grab your caffeine hit after hitting up Canberra Centre – 10/10 is just across the road. Despite the fantastic location, coffee prices are still super reasonable. Our tip? Order the Belgium mocha. It’s their specialty and a perfect ‘treat yourself’ drink as you sit back and do some well-deserved people-watching out over the main drag.

Time Out tip: Bit of a sweet tooth? Get around 10/10’s brioche French toast topped with berries, ice cream and loads of maple syrup, of course.

Address: 1/65 Cooyong St, Braddon