Things to Do in Barton, Canberra: The Local Guide

Barton is Canberra’s diplomatic and parliamentary-side neighbourhood, but the supplied venues for this guide are concentrated elsewhere in the inner city: Civic, Braddon, New Acton, Kingston and Majura. That makes this less a list of places in Barton itself and more a useful guide to the city’s nearby drinking districts when you want to make an evening of it.

The good news is variety. Civic has the densest run of options, from a central-square bar crawl to tucked-away laneways and basement rooms. Braddon brings a busier eating-and-drinking strip, while Kingston offers a change of pace beside Lake Burley Griffin. Here’s where each venue fits.

Start in Civic: central, social and easy to combine

If you want the most choice in one central precinct, begin around Garema Place, Genge Street, London Circuit and the surrounding lanes. These venues are suited to a sociable night where the atmosphere matters as much as what is in the glass.

Loquita sits on Garema Place, Canberra’s central city square, and brings a Spanish accent to a lively bar setting. It is worth choosing for the energy and the location: a natural meeting point for after-work drinks, share plates or the first stop before continuing into town. Loquita is the pick when you want a buzzy, open-ended start rather than a quiet, destination-style drink.

Also on Garema Place, Hippo Co is the more intimate choice. It is long known as one of Canberra’s cocktail-and-jazz bars, with quality drinks, a characterful atmosphere and often live music. Go when you want the evening to have a soundtrack, or when a well-made cocktail and a smaller, more stylish setting sound better than a broad, busy bar.

Blue Eyes, also on Garema Place, suits a straightforward city-centre night out. Its appeal is the combination of a strong drinks offering and a stylish, characterful atmosphere. It is a good option for a quality drink in the heart of Civic, particularly if you want somewhere with social energy without committing to a particular theme.

On Genge Street, The Pearl Hotel offers a polished bar experience in the centre of Civic. Its central position puts it naturally among the city’s restaurants, bars and nightlife, while the venue itself is known for a stylish, atmospheric feel. Choose it for drinks and a night out when you want the setting to feel considered but still firmly connected to the city-centre buzz.

For wine and food, Bar Rochford is the standout. It occupies a characterful upstairs space on London Circuit and is known for a thoughtfully chosen wine list, flavour-packed food and a relaxed atmosphere. This is the venue to seek out when you want the drink to be part of a more complete evening, rather than simply finding a place to stand at the bar. Its destination feel makes it one of the more deliberate choices in central Civic.

Civic’s hidden doors and laneways

Some of Civic’s most distinctive bars are not about being immediately visible. These are the places to choose when the act of finding the venue is part of the evening.

Molly is hidden behind an unmarked wooden door down Odgers Lane. The concealed entrance is part of its appeal, leading to a moody bar with a 1920s feel and a serious focus on whisky and expertly made cocktails. Molly is worth the search for an in-the-know atmosphere and a venue with a clear point of view. It is better suited to a planned drink than a casual stumble-in, simply because locating the door is part of the experience.

Tucked into Verity Lane, Squeaky Clean combines a strong drinks offering with a fun laneway setting. It has built a near-flawless reputation and works well for a sociable night in a more characterful corner of Civic. Choose it when you want the atmosphere of a tucked-away bar without the more formal, destination feel of a wine-focused venue.

Devil You Don’t takes the hidden-bar idea underground, in a basement on Edinburgh Avenue in New Acton. Its appeal is the descent into a moody, characterful space devoted to creative cocktails and carefully made drinks. It is a particularly good fit for an evening built around cocktails rather than a broad bar crawl, with the basement setting giving the visit a sense of occasion.

For something more theatrical, White Rabbit Cocktail Room is at 65 Northbourne Avenue in Civic and leans into a playful Alice-inspired world. It is aimed at curious visitors who enjoy presentation and atmosphere alongside their drinks. Go here when a standard bar feels too ordinary and you want the setting to be part of the conversation.

Braddon: a busier strip with cocktail-bar character

Braddon’s Lonsdale Street and the surrounding Mort Street area are the right part of town for moving between food and drinks. The supplied venues here are individual destinations, but they share a more outward-facing precinct atmosphere.

Volstead Repeal sits just off Mort Street on Yamaroshi Lane and takes its name from the end of American Prohibition. The speakeasy-inspired mood is central to the experience, but the reason to go is the combination of atmosphere and expertly made cocktails. It is an in-the-know choice for a well-made drink, especially if you enjoy bars with a strong concept that does not rely on being obvious from the street.

On Lonsdale Street, Rizla is a stylish, much-loved bar with a relaxed but polished feel. Its reputation rests on quality drinks, a characterful setting and the energy of Braddon’s main eating-and-drinking strip. Rizla is a versatile choice: suitable for a catch-up, but distinctive enough to feel like more than a generic stop between venues.

Paloma’s, also on Lonsdale Street, offers another stylish option in the centre of Braddon’s bar scene. Its draw is the combination of quality drinks, a relaxed yet stylish setting and a prime position on the strip. Pick it when you want to stay in the middle of Braddon’s social energy and keep the evening flexible.

For a view, a local beer or a different kind of stop

Not every useful option is in the central bar districts. These two venues are best chosen for their setting or purpose rather than for a classic Civic night out.

The Jetty is at the Kingston Foreshore on Queen Elizabeth Terrace, beside Lake Burley Griffin. Its main strength is the lakeside position: it is a relaxed place for a drink or meal, with the waterfront setting making it particularly appealing for watching the sun go down over the lake. Choose The Jetty when the view is as important as the bar itself and you want a slower change of pace from Civic or Braddon.

At Majura, near Canberra Airport, Capital Brewing Co - Airport Taproom brings the local brewery’s beers to Terminal Avenue. It is a practical choice for beer drinkers who want locally brewed beer in a convenient airport-area location, whether before a flight or as a destination in its own right. The taproom is not a substitute for a central-city bar, but it fills a different need and gives Canberra’s beer scene a clear local option.

Practical tips for planning the night

First, keep the geography in mind. Barton itself is not represented in this supplied list, so treat these as inner-Canberra options rather than Barton venues. Civic is the most concentrated area, with several choices around Garema Place, Genge Street, London Circuit and the nearby lanes. Braddon is the natural alternative if you want Lonsdale Street’s busier food-and-drink atmosphere.

Match the venue to the kind of evening you want: Bar Rochford for wine and food, Molly or Devil You Don’t for a more atmospheric cocktail experience, Hippo Co for cocktails and jazz, The Jetty for the lake, and Capital Brewing Co - Airport Taproom for local beer near the airport.

Several venues depend on atmosphere and discovery — Molly’s unmarked door, Devil You Don’t’s basement and Squeaky Clean’s laneway setting in particular — so check the current venue details before setting out. If you are building a multi-stop evening, decide whether you want central Civic’s cluster, Braddon’s Lonsdale Street run or a single destination with a distinct setting. That simple choice will do more for the night than trying to fit every bar into one itinerary.

Featured spots

• Loquita
• The Pearl Hotel
• Volstead Repeal
• Molly
• Rizla
• Hippo Co
• Bar Rochford
• Paloma's
• Devil You Don't
• Blue Eyes