Lined with reclaimed plywood, and plonked in the middle of a food truck park called the Hamlet, is Hutch: the tiniest bar in Canberra, and possibly Australia. This itsy bitsy joint looks very much like a cardboard box, covered in joyful splashes of graffiti and geometric lettering out front. It’s licensed to fit just four people inside, plus your friendly bartender. There’s no door to speak of at Hutch – it’s open to the elements.
Hutch will pour you an Archie Rose G&T or a glass of house white, but the real game here is in the beer. Stocked mainly by locals, you can order up tinnies from the crafty Canberrans at BentSpoke Brewing Co, and they’re pouring Capital Brewing Co’s Evil Eye IPA on tap. The menu pricing is simple – everything costs $8. You can also order a cheap-as-chips mini charcuterie plate for $4, but if you’re after something more substantial, the Hamlet’s rotating cast of food trucks will provide it. Like any good hole-in-the-wall (or in this case, bar-in-a-box) there’s a service window for takeaways too, so you can eat from wherever you want in the Hamlet.
Soul Cartel serves up spicy wings, with a vinegary pucker and crispy onion rings, for that dose of fast-food nostalgia. If you want your insides warmed (and in autumn and winter, you do) hit up What the Pho for a deeply savoury bowl of beef soup, filled with slippery rice noodles that are slimmer and firmer than you might be used to but just as good.