Edgar’s Inn is part of a sprawling multi-venue space that is all things to all people. From Wakefield’s Bar & Wine upstairs, considered one of the best bars in Canberra, to The Inn, where you can join arty locals for afters. But for our purposes, it’s Edgar’s – Canberra’s most under-the-radar cafe – that has us making a beeline for the front door early in the morning.

As the name suggests, Monster is a behemoth of a venue. It’s also cosy, colourful and quirky. The fact it’s perpetually packed to the rafters is also down to the plant-based menu, which is popular with non-vegetarians too.

This industrial-chic cafe is one of the best places to eat with kids in Canberra. The artisan bakery and cafe has an undercover courtyard adjacent to play equipment, which will keep the kids (and parents) from going cray-cray while waiting for their food.

A quick browse of the Little Oink menu gives us permission to be as perfectly pun-tastic as we can. Choose between the Oinko Burger, You’re all I Avo wanted, Scramble Everything For Love, Bun in a Million and Get in my Pork Belly. You can also plump for the Pimp my Meal option, where you can pick and choose additions such as marinated halloumi and gluten-free toast.

Space Kitchen in Phillip levels up with its version, layering it with strawberries, passionfruit curd, mascarpone, strawberry compote, caramelised meringue and white chocolate. You will find space cadets struck dumb with indecision when trying to choose between breakfast corn, zucchini and halloumi fritters or the full signature brekkie with fried eggs, bacon, mushrooms, potato cakes and roast tomato.

Canberrans love a bakery. And this Braddon outlet of the Sonoma chain is a place for breadheads to unite. You’ll see them bonding over their teacup poodles while standing in line at this artisanal bakery located in Lonsdale.

As you press into the New Acton precinct, you will find heritage buildings sitting alongside modern hotels draped in greenery, and some of the city’s hippest bars, cafes and restaurants. Mocan and Green Grout is one of them.

Fyshwick is having a moment. Located in the quasi-industrial fringes of Canberra, it’s where you will find places like Capital Brewing Co, one of the best places for a beer in Canberra and Cup and Coaster, an industrial-chic cafe with loads of charm.

Locate Doubleshot by looking for its ivy-clad walls, which have dressed up Deakin Court with its stylish ambience. The food here makes this one of the best cafes in Canberra. It’s a lovely place to brunch before or after visiting the National Gallery of Australia, one of the most popular attractions in Canberra.

Vegans don’t always want to be virtuous. Enter Sweet Bones, one of the OGs on Lonsdale St, which hits the spot with its vegan treats. The cafe’s cinnabons have a cult following as does the bacon (probs facon) cheeseburger. The rustic Braddon cafe run by Emily and Russell Brindley has a lot of Tex-Mex-style brunch options, too.

It’s easy to fall into a scroll hole while admiring Ricardo Cafe’s Instagram page. It’s seasoned with eye-popping colours and a big dash of deliciousness. But the act of visiting here for a lazy weekend breakfast or brunch in Canberra is far superior to the virtual experience.

One of the best things to do in Canberra is to hire an electric GoBoat. Local Press doesn’t open until 8 am, so you have ample time to pootle about in the water before arriving in style at Local Press on the Kingston Foreshore.Order a glass of the Sublime Pine, a cold-pressed juice with pineapple pear, apple, lemon and mint and toast with eggs, wilted spinach and garlic, and chilli herbs on the side.

If you’re not a big breakfast eater, popular opinion from locals and expats with Sydney/Melbourne caffeine sensibilities has Lonsdale Street Roasters pegged as the best purveyors of coffee in the city. The coffee is good enough to have two stores on the one street.

Arrive early to claim a spot among the bearded, nose-ringed crowd at this concept cafe, designed by the team from Ona Coffee specialty roasters. Geek out over an Ona education, then cap it off with a chia and sago pudding with strawberries and lychee.

Continue the Kingston crawl at Penny University, which serves a righteous slab of brioche French toast, topped with strawberries and cream. The best part is, being a bakery all breads and pastries are made on site, so you know you’re getting the freshest of the fresh. Described as “part Brooklyn, part wartime Parisian bakery…” by the NY Times – it’s certainly a place to get excited about sampling.

Dedicated to enjoying food, all-Australian wine and books. Make your first meal of the morning one of brown rice with sprouts, avocado, crispy beef, fried egg and chilli jam. Buy a great literary work or brainstorm your next novel at this convivial cafe, which celebrates Canberra’s modernist heritage.

Most noteably, Patissez in Manuka which is known for the infernally evil and divine concoction known as the ‘freakshake’ after it managed to break the internet. Diners can choose to take on the queues and make their ‘freakshake’ complete with its blueberry cheesecake number, the Blue Ballz. Better still, the cafe serves incredible ‘Doughies’, which also come in slightly freaky flavours that customers have come to love – a few of note include: Nutella Ferrero, Choc fudge s’more and Salted caramel crumble. Don’t stress, it’s not all chocolate free pours and fudge by the litre, in fact, they’ve got some of the most delicious brunch items floating around.

The fresh, light-filled space offers up modern cuisine in a comfortable, stylish location. The endless white and clean lines make it a dream to sit down in – basically, it’s an Instagrammer’s dream. The focus at Urban Pantry is on fresh local produce, and their menu updates seasonally to accompany this. You’d do well to give it a whirl. Special shout out to their special sub-menu dedicated to ‘open toast’. Picture the yummiest ingredients ever – like oven roasted maple pear, ricotta – and all the trimmings to make a Croque Monsier.

Inspired by the first coffeehouse set up in London in the 17th century called ‘Penny Universities’, back then it only cost a penny to enter – so the houses would attract an eclectic group of people – and it created a unique social environment. Canberra’s offering considers themselves the modern day Penny University, and it’s not just for beard-wearing hipsters – everyone is welcome. Aside from incredible coffee, Penny University also boasts an impressive all day menu and a comforting exposed brick interior, complete with cartoon animals going about their daily business.