The Monster sits on the ground floor of the Nishi building. Crumpets for breakfast, bánh mi for lunch and some of everything for dinner.

From their open kitchen they serve up shared plates made from locally sourced produce. It’s at once a café and restaurant and wears both hats thoughtfully and with grace.

It's a tiny bit hard to find (just look for the wine bar sign and go up the stairs) but it is so worth the hunt. We love this place. Inside the beautifully fitted out Melbourne building (designed by John Sulman) - cosy booths to eat bistro style food from, a great bar, and records.

Temporada's menu picks up on tastes from Europe, the Middle East and Asia seamlessly. It's fine dining but on the casual end of the spectrum. The staff are always lovely and the food is always good. You can go for a sit down meal or a snacky winey at the bar.

A.Baker serves European bistro style breakfast and lunch that you can easily share, or not. The menu changes seasonally and ingredients are sourced locally.

A long time fave - good people, good food and now, more recently, a good little wine bar tucked out the back, Bacaro. These guys serve trattoria style Italian - hand cut pasta, wood fired pizza, and a plate of the day.

It’s like a formal izakaya. Which is a total contradiction in terms. Modern Japanese and really good quality sake. The chef is Nagasaki-born Shunsuke Ota, formerly of Nobu Melbourne.

An Asian street food menu meant for sharing. Good, good food that caters really well for vegos. They also have a mean bar so you can get silly on cocktails.

Sage is modern Australian fine dining with a few quirks. Expect menu items like sugar cured ocean trout with wattle seed, saffron and capers; duck breast with pickled grapes, red cabbage and black garlic; and beetroot ice cream with chocolate crumb and ginger marshmallow. The restaurant is set in the historic Gorman House, initially designed to accommodate lower paid public servants in the 1920s.

We love this place for breaky, coffee, or lunch. They are coffee mad in a good way, they go the extra mile (like they make their own nut milk) and have a short and simple food offering. 

Contemporary Australian (with some good old classics) served very well with locally sourced produce. The menu is forever changing (according to what is available) and you order one way only - by going in on the four course menu (you can choose whether you want matched wines as well).

Canberra’s original bakery where south side locals get their fix of baguettes, croissants and tarts. They have a cheese room! They serve good and simple breakfast and lunch and they don't look at you weird if you order a mid morning wine. Little and busy so go with someone you like the smell of.

A buzzy vibe in the long dining room, good food and informed service. This place is open for dinner every day.