The capital’s calling: Canberra’s best restaurants

A short walk from the National Gallery of Australia, Rebel Rebel is a must-visit for serious foodies and David Bowie lovers alike.

While it’s true the restaurant was named after the famous Bowie song, there’s nothing kitsch about this place. Anticipate a jaw-dropping dining space – all wood and polished concrete and bold angles, with playfully bold graphics and modern food that wows. A quick glance at the menu is all you need to know you’re in good hands.

If Canberra’s known for being a bit stuffy, Rebel Rebel’s where the foodies go to play. There’s plenty of sun streaming through during the day and the clinking of wine glasses and Bowie-esque covers by night. Fun fact: It’s owned by Melbourne superstar chef Andrew McConnell’s brother Sean.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Wagyu tongue, peppers and PX ($28)

Intimate dining just got even more intimate. Mu Omakase, a tiny 12-seater on leafy Constitution Avenue, offers an authentic Japanese omakase experience of a lifetime. ‘Omakase’ describes a highly personal experience shared with the chef and a small selection of other diners.

Guests surrender completely to the chef’s creativity and in return, receive a multi-course sensory feast of seasonal dishes using only the finest ingredients available. It’s the first restaurant of its kind in Canberra, and as you’d expect – it’s one you’ll remember.

Japanese precision in technique meets fastidiously sourced ingredients and the result is, of course, magic on your tastebuds. In winter, the robatayaki-style charcoal grill fires up market fresh fish, local produce and premium meat cuts.

But it’s not all about food. Sake lovers, rejoice: the short but thoughtfully curated list here sings.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Robatayaki menu ($165pp)

Here’s another trust-based intimate dining experience to sink your teeth into. Pilot is a unique eatery that reveals its menu at the end instead of the beginning of your meal.

It means that beyond providing scope for a fun guessing game with your fellow diners, the character of each dish is genuinely more surprising and intense. So what can you expect? “Nostalgic flavours, complex dishes and produce [the kitchen] are excited by,” according to Pilot.

The award-winning 30-seater delivers the experience via a seven-course degustation menu with the optional choice of a full alcohol or non-alcohol beverage pairing.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Seven course degustation menu ($138pp)

A self-described “progressive Asian BBQ restaurant” Wilma needn’t stop there. With a mix of plush booths, long dining tables for groups and bar side seating – each aglow with the restaurant’s moody take on lighting – it can also lay claim to being one of the sultriest dining spaces in Canberra.

But let’s talk food for a hot second. Wilma marries ethically sourced Aussie produce with distinctly Asian flavours and the mouth-watering char of fire and coals. The result is tender, melt-in-your mouth meat dishes and inventive snacks. To taste the full scope of Wilma’s imagination, we recommend one of the banquet options.

Once your belly’s full, why not scoot on over to Wilma’s cocktail bar The Pearl for a nightcap?

Dish Cult’s top pick: Baller banquet ($95pp)

As Southeast Asia travellers can attest, there’s a whole lot more to Thai food than your suburban green curry (as creamy and delicious as that may be).

Morks is where you can taste the difference. Run by two Thai brothers, the twice-hatted eatery serves an inspired array of unique seafood-based appetizers, claypot prawns, piping hot ribs and arguably the best fried ice cream you’ve ever tasted in your life.

While some flavours will be recognisable as authentic Thai, contemporary spins throw a few tasty curveballs into the works as well. Think ingredients like truffle, Murray Cod saltbush or kewpie mayo.

Our suggestion? Order the tasting menu to try it all.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Spanish mackerel yum, chilli jam, roast tomato & smoked duck fat ($20)