Finding a cheap lunch deal in Civic can be an ordeal. It's easy to get inundated with endless options and even easier to find yourself spending upwards of $25 on lunch.
If you haven't meal prepped for the work day, here's a quick guide to five cheap and delicious lunch deals in the city centre.
If you're not afraid to enter a food coma before you get back to work, Sliceria is the spot for you. Serving up significant portions at the pizza-by-the-slice restaurant since it opened last year, Chef Hem is renowned for the quality of his Roman- and New York-style slices. Before it gets to the customer, the pizza dough is rested for three days, then baked three times for the ultimate lightness and crispiness.
You can get a huge slice of their margherita pizza with a soft drink for $11.90, with other selections (like pesto, chicken and truffle) going for $14.90.
Bistro Nguyen's is a Civic staple. Owner Damien Nguyen has been offering up some of Canberra's best banh mis for 15 years, along with a full menu of authentic Vietnamese classics. It's an ambient spot in the slower moments, and always comfortingly lively at lunchtime. Now is a great time to head to Bistro Nguyen's, along with the other businesses in the Sydney and Melbourne buildings heavily affected by light-rail construction this year.
For lunch, try their barbecue pork char siu banh mi and a Vietnamese iced coffee for $16.80.
While Dolly's really lights up as a bar at night, it also provides an underrated gastropub experience for brunch and lunch. It's well known for $15 Monday-Thursday deals, switching up the menu daily. On Mondays, it's tacos for lunch, though you might expect tacos to land on Tuesday. Tuesday to Thursday, Dolly's offers schnitties with fries, smash burgers with fries, and wings, respectively.
For $15, it's hard to do better than that half kilo of wings tossed in hot sauce, along with a drink, on Thursdays.
It's hard to beat Indo Cafe for value and quality. Serving up traditional, no-fuss Indonesian fare, the cafe has been open for more than 30 years. The beef rendang is always cooked to perfection, and the chilli sauce is made in-house. The lunch deal has remained generous and cheap for more than a decade; it's one of the cheapest in Canberra, if not the country.
For just $10, the lunch pack offers a curry with rice, a drink, and an additional entree.
The Food Co-op, a grocery store that doubles as a cafe, has been providing for Canberrans since 1976. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Co-op is a community-run organisation run largely by volunteers. All profits go back into the business, supporting students through a cost-of-living crisis. At lunch, both students and the members of the public can get a different vegan and gluten-free meal every weekday, made from organic ingredients you can buy in the shop.
Lunch at the Co-op is $10 for students and $12.50 for the public, with cooks serving up food from different cuisines daily. If you can get there on the right day, the Ethiopian selections are famous Canberra-wide.
