NOW EXPERIENCING:Parlour

This Canberra classic never gets old. It’s been keeping locals happy in its heritage digs since 2008, yet the clever Euro-leaning wine and food are entirely of the moment.

Interiors at Parlour
Why you goAustralia loves to swarm the new and shiny, so it’s a huge credit to a venue when it carries on well into its smoother, well-polished years. Such acclaim belongs to the wildly loved Parlour, which first opened its heritage doors in 2008, and – aside from a couple of years of closure after a fire in 2011 – hasn’t been able to keep Canberrans away from its doorstep since.
Why you stayMaybe the mismatched grandma sofas, walls draped in green and red velvets, and wax-dripping candles aren’t the most fashion-forward decor statements imaginable, but they are purest comfort, especially if you can grab a space by the fire during autumn or winter. This is old Canberra at its finest – after all, the heritage-listed building is a stately former 1920s hotel. Yet it’s no time capsule when it comes to the contents of your glass or plate: the wine and food are doing some pretty clever things that are entirely of the moment.
A martini at Parlour
A glass of drink at Parlour
What drink to orderAustralia and the Mediterranean share more or less equal real estate on the wine list, with a strong showing from the immediate home team such as a nice Nick O’Leary riesling and Mount Majura’s “The Silurian” bubbles – both by the glass and from the Canberra District. On the bottle front, it’s about drinkable drops from Europe such as verdejo, a white from the Rueda region of Spain, or a bold, jammy primitivo red from Italy. The bar team has done some good work playing around with Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits, coming up with a couple of refreshing mocktails, while a few low-alcohol options feature dilute levels of Aperol, Italy’s bittersweet liqueur, and Saison’s fragrant bergamot vermouth.
What to pair it withThere’s always a good selection of tapas-style snacks made to be enjoyed alongside a drink at the bar – cold cuts, a selection of cheeses and mustard pickles, maybe a little plate of crunchy patatas bravas, Spain’s fried potatoes with tangy red-pepper romesco sauce, or perhaps a bowl of nubby Brussels sprouts on a pool of rosemary butter. For lunch or dinner, share something a bit heftier with your group, such as a Black Angus rib-eye swiped with a brown-butter sauce, or a lamb shank haloed in house-made ricotta gnocchi.
Regular’s tipThe Sunday Sessions, which began in late 2021, are perhaps Parlour’s purest expression – beginning around midday and stretching into a long, lazy afternoon graze. The menu sticks mostly on the snack side of things – meats and cheese with a couple of burgers and toasties thrown in for something a little more substantial – so you can keep a steady order going throughout your stay.
A variety of dishes served at Parlour
Seating at Parlour
Don’t leave withoutChecking out the lime-green wall of heritage ceiling roses. They’re very in step with Parlour’s “grandma’s lounge room” vibes.
Who to takeA large part of Parlour’s appeal is its universality: you’re just as likely to see a group of friends in their 20s taking up a clutch of couches as you are to spot a cross-generational group ranging from grandkids to grandparents at one of the big central tables. Those sofas go quickly for groups – you can reserve them specifically when you book – and counter spots might be snapped up by couples reminiscing about their first date there five, maybe even 10 years prior.