Urban Pantry

We went here for brunch on a Sunday and loved the food, sumptuous French toast with bacon and mascarpone for me and chef’s pan, a much healthier option, for my companion. It was not quiet as promoted but that could be due to a big game on at nearby Manuka Oval. I’d love to return on a quieter day.

Lovely place. Lots of natural light and elegantly decorated.
Peaceful spot to sit and watch the world go by.
I only had coffee. Correct temperature and strength for me. A little butter but very drinkable.
Staff are pleasant.

Overlooking Canberra’s Manuka Lawns this location has two unique factors. Firstly this is one of the most attractive and relaxing locations to eat good food, have a coffee, maybe a drink or just chill! Secondly it is serving excellent Modern Australian cuisine throughout the day; there are four menus Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon and Dinner.
It is one Canberra’s best all rounder destinations, probably the best… do breakfast, do lunch, an afternoon bite, have dinner, a pastry with a coffee or have a drink. It is always good, it is consistently so and a delightful team really do have a sense of care and passion in their service and their output.
This site has had a history of ‘comers and failures’…that theme is now confined to the ‘archives’ as this restaurant sets a new standard. More so, a recent renovation has seen some good improvements like the now enclosed outside area which has a floor to replace the ‘footpath’. The stand alone ‘rotunda’ has a sense of permanency and looks the part. The menu too has had a delightful uplift and been finessed, and the dinner menu in particular has many delicious new dishes. The dinner menu starts at 6pm and the options are the share plates or the large plates. To start we shared the Calamari with an accompanying tasty salad and for mains we had the Seafood Lasagne and the Murray Valley Pork. The former includes sand lobster, prawns, barramundi and saffron while the latter is apple wood smoked and accompanied by citrus polenta, baby vegetables and a tasty berry jus… truly tasty dining. A Spanish Tempranillo from a good wine list rounded off a fine experience.
This experiences being just one of many fine occasions we have enjoyed at this great place.
And coffee… one of Canberra’s best coffee joints.
This is Canberra’s best ‘all rounder’ venue for what ever time of the day you feel like eating, and is set in a great location.

Solid 4 stars, decent, would go back. Chefs Pan was good, reckon the ricotta pancakes were better though.

Fantastic place to come for a high quality breakfast/​brunch! The décor was nice and comforting while maintaining a urban and hip vibe. Ordered 2 dishes and 2 drinks which totaled to around $ 40, so quite a bit expensive for most savvy eaters. Definitely recommend this to everyone.

Urban Pantry is a bit of a hike for me (in Canberra terms so not really) but i enjoy going there for the unique range of brunch options and delicious looking smoothies.
The smoked trout tortilla is a great, high protein way to start the day, while the sausage and egg brioche burger is a significant upgrade on what you could get at other *ahem* breakfast outlets, with crunchy and fresh tasting bread and a rather delicious onion marmalade. I haven’t tried the lemon pancakes but they are on my to-​try list.
The meals are well presented and just right in portion size. The prices are reasonable in Canberra terms but beware the sides– I paid $ 3 for the mushrooms, which was literally one medium size mushroom.
Be sure to make a reservation as its a popular place, and bring cash if you plan on splitting bills.

Unusual and very tasty breakfasts made from high quality fresh ingredients! Superb service in a very comfortable space. Loved the Smoked Trout Tortilla.

Australia may be the best breakfast country in the world! As an American that’s a big concession since we’re pretty smug about our start of the day. The Urban Pantry joins a litany of super breakfast places we’ve been to since moving here. Btw, NZ is also good on this (see my January 2015 reviews from the South Island). We called ahead since we’re a large group and it was Good Friday. They had a table waiting for us when we arrived. Wonderful innovative menu. One benefit of being a big family is that we get to try a lot of dishes. We tried the Urban Avocado, pancakes, truffled baguette, French toast and sausage burger. All super good. Really good coffee too. Attentive pleasant service. We’re here for 3 more breakfasts so we’ll definitely be back!

Great food, friendly, professional service, and you get the pepper grinder ON THE TABLE (not brandished at you by the wait staff).
French toast with berries, compote and marscopone was delicious (if a trifle sweet for me). Toast with poached eggs and avocado was cooked perfectly and served with the freshest lemon.
Coffee was fine in terms of flavour (not «great»), but perfectly extracted and tricky soy microfoam spot on (unlike some more dedicated coffee joints around town).
Best brunch all round. Also enjoyed the low-​key funk/​soul on the sound system today. Nice airy fit-​out and décor, and plenty of outside seating

Excellent café in Canberra! The coffee was delicious and staff were hospitable and professional. The menu is a little exotic for those used to the «classic» bacon, eggs and toast-​type breakfasts, but the meals were still delicious. A fantastic modern setting with a slight hipster vibe make this place a must-​visit when in the area.

I had breakfast with a friend at Urban Pantry and our meals were to die for. I had the Lemon Pancakes with lemon yogurt and it was delightfully different and ver satisfying for the price, that was accompanied by a Mocha Frappé which again was delicious. It had a lovely texture and was a good size for the price.
Other then the food the place had a really lovely atmosphere. The Manuka area is know for its restaurants and the Urban Pantry was no different. The staff were friendly and even though busy we weren’t made to feel like we had too rush out after our meals like in sum restaurants. I know next time I’m in Canberra I’ll be going here for breakfast.

Absolutely atrocious service. I am disgusted by how rudely I was treated. After standing around waiting to be seated for close to five minutes we simply took a seat at the empty table In front of us. After waiting another ten minutes we asked to see a menu. The waiter firstly reprimanded us for not waiting to be seated, then said he would ‘go and ask if we could stay there’ implying he intended to make us leave the table and wait for another. He then returned to tell us we could ‘stay there’, and the rest of our time there included greasy looks from the waiter, our meals being practically thrown down on the table, and whilst paying having a different waiter not even look up at us and simply put out his hand for the credit card.
Disgusting. Horrible. I will be telling none of my friends to return!

Very good. I had the ricotta pancakes with bàked apple, blackberry swirl and ice cream. It was amazing!

Rating for coffee only. We were optimistic given other reviews but the coffee was truly awful. Bad flavour, weak and cold. Avoid if you want a decent coffee there are better options close by.

Loved it. Enjoyed dinner here in our quick capital visit from Melbourne. Staff were very responsive, helpful and knew their stuff! Food did not disappoint. No doubt we will come again.

Have eaten here a few times now a bit pricey, but food is always of the highest quality the service is very attentive and coffee to die for

Great café in the heart of Manuka. A bit crowded on the weekends but bookings are advised if you have a crowd. The corn fritters with salmon are some of the best in the city.

Nice little brasserie with good coffee and fresh baked goodies. Personal faves are the lemon friand, or the home cooked Italian style donuts are good accompaniments to a mug of joe. Funky décor with lots of dark wood and a protected al fresco area overlooking the lawns at Manuka. This is a good place for a business catchup or a catchup with friends. My biggest gripe is a flat $ 2 fee if you pay by credit card… not the 2% added by most businesses.