2025 saw the rise and fall of the upmarket Italian restaurant. Photo: Michael Pham.
Food is like fashion. Fads take over, dishes become new and trendy and then dip into the mundane before recirculating as a retro trend years later (hello steak tartare).
Canberra has experienced its fair share of food fads over the years – “freakshakes” loaded with doughnuts and dripping with sauce, frozen yoghurt bars and burgers as big as your head.
But what’s next for food in Canberra in 2026? I’ve gazed into my crystal ball (okay fine, into my cut glass whisky tumbler) to search out a few predictions for the hospitality industry.
The next big cuisine
There’s been a huge K-Wave in recent years with Korean barbecue, Korean fried chicken and restaurants showcasing the full breadth of Korean cuisine. 2024 and 2025 saw an astonishing number of upmarket Italian restaurants popping up (and popping back down: RIP Carlotta and Bada Bing).
As Canberra’s Nepalese population grows, we’re also starting to see more and more Nepalese food trucks and restaurants. I recently had a great meal with mates at Kathmandu Momo House in the city (I’ll be back for a review) and Timur in Greenway was definitely a highlight of last year.
I reckon we’ll be seeing plenty more Nepalese food before the year is out as those food truck operations start graduating into permanent restaurant sites. It won’t be long before it’s just as common to grab a Nepali takeaway as it is to grab an Indian or Chinese on the way home from work.
I also think it’s high time that some other European cuisines got a look-in. We have plenty of Italian and French venues, yet by my count there’s not a single Portuguese restaurant to speak of (and no, Nandos doesn’t count).
I want Spanish tapas, perfectly cooked paella, pulpo gallego (Galicean octopus) and patatas bravas. And surely the cheesy goodness of Swiss mountain lodges is perfectly suited to a Canberra winter. When it’s frosty and freezing I want some fondue, dammit!
Timur Nepalese Restaurant in Greenway is an exciting example of the future of Canberra’s food scene. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Trends I’d love to see
Really good vegetarian meals. I’m talking really good. Like, forget the steak and have the vego option kind of good. Goodbye mediocre mushroom risotto, so long soggy salads, take a hike haloumi burger: vegetables are the new black. And for veggies to be good, they need to be in season: if someone tries to serve me another tomato salad in winter I’m gonna start flipping tables.
Unfortunately this will likely see more lab-grown meats, vegan protein alternatives and “impossible” foods hit tables in Canberra. Not a trend I’m thrilled about, but they can’t all be winners and I reckon it’s a fad that will fade fast.
Solo dining can be an absolute delight – a big old glass of wine, a good book and the bliss of not having to make small talk – but when menus are entirely made of small plates for sharing, it can be tricky (and expensive) to make a satisfying meal for just one. In 2026 I’m hoping for individual plates that hit the spot, even at trendy joints who seem to be allergic to the concept.
Busy Wanniassa Korean restaurant Hancook is a prime example of a great feed in the southern suburbs. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Location, location, location
The city will continue to be in a tricky situation as light rail construction closes roads, carparks and ultimately, businesses. As a result, I reckon we’ll keep seeing more operators looking to Canberra’s satellite centres and suburbs.
This is good news for south siders and residents of newly constructed suburbs around the far north and western edges of Canberra. And we can expect more cafes, restaurants, takeaways, food trucks, bars and boozers to move south and start serving that huge demographic who have been historically ignored.
I reckon even our close neighbours like Queanbeyan and Googong are going to start morphing into little foodie hubs with craft beer pubs, coffee roasters and more great local restaurants.
That’s what my crystal(ish) tumbler is telling me anyway. What would you like to see in Canberra’s food future?
