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Portrait Cafe, Parkes, AU-ACT

Portrait Cafe

4.2
4.2
25 Reviews
$40 and under
Café

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 2 times today
  • Great for brunch
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for groups
Located within the National Portrait Gallery, Portrait Cafe is the perfect location to rest and rejuvenate in between exploring some of Australia's most renowned artwork. This beautiful light-filled space with an expansive terrace, offers a casual dining experience in a relaxed environment serving a selection of dishes suitable for all-day dining. The food is fresh, homemade where possible and features seasonal produce from local community-focused producers. There is a broad selection of home-baked pastries, cakes, snacks, freshly made salads and sandwiches complemented by a selection of coffee, soft drinks, wine and beer.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

What 25 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2
4.2 based on recent ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.1Service
  • 3.9Ambience
  • 3.9Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Portrait Cafe offers a "great venue" with "good food and coffee combined with great service." It features a decent selection of gluten-free options and is perfect for a post-gallery visit. Despite occasional noise issues, the ambiance is "fantastic," especially outside. Enjoy lunch with dishes like poke bowls and pasta.

25 Reviews
  1. Steve

    Canberra

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    We sat outside looking towards the lake and the High Court building. Was a bit warm but sheltered from the sun. Food was served promptly and was very good.

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  2. Debbie

    Canberra

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 25 November 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 1
    While the cafe is lovely with respect to decor & outlook, there was one hugely annoying & disappointing action by one of the waiting staff. As the floor is tiled (marble) and the chairs have metal legs, there was a constant and excruciating noise by the positioning of chairs by the person, as well as patrons coming & going, almost the entire time we were there. It was difficult to talk to each other because of the constant dragging/scrapping the chairs & stools across the tiled floor, getting into them into the correct position wanted by them. If they weren't in the exact position, then they would be dragged until they were. It was not only painfully noisy, but totally unnecessary if the chairs were instead lifted into place each time. I would strongly recommend purchasing & fitting rubber feet to every chair & stool leg, so that patrons won't have to endure such unpleasantness when dining there. In general, the staff were very nice & the meal was tasty. However, until the chair & stool issue is resolved, we won't be returning.

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  3. Linda

    Melbourne

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 9 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved Portrait Cafe. You can talk here in perfect ambience and there is no time limit!

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  4. Peter

    Canberra

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 31 October 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Good food and service in a great venue, parking under and worth spending time in the gallery and shop.

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  5. Martha

    Canberra

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 September 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    The Cafe was busy and crowded, being Father's Day, but staff were very efficient and capable. The tables were a bit close together, so felt a tad claustrophobic, but despite this we had a fun time.

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  6. Sean

    Canberra

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 September 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great food, lovely service fantastic ambiance, highly recommend.

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  7. Ann

    London

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 10 August 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is a very pleasant cafe, with good food, good service, and if you are outside, good views. We had lunch, the poke bowl, tasty and healthy, then coffee and cake. We had a thoroughly good time. I recommend sitting outside if you can, it was a little noisy inside when we were there.

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Canberra

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on 28 July 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    The man who was taking orders and the first person you saw was abrupt and not very welcoming. Everything else was lovely. I would recommend not to be stingy on the avocado tomato and feta dish.
    Portrait CafeResponded on 13 August 2024
    Thank you for the feedback, we'll pass this on to the team.

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  9. OpenTable Diner

    New South Wales

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 19 July 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Three of us had lunch here on a freezing cold Canberra winter’s day. The café was packed, but service was still very quick and efficient. Our drinks arrived promptly, and the food not long after. We had ordered fish and chips and a pasta dish, and it was all very good and tasty.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Canberra

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 2 July 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Good food and coffee combined with great service. A decent selection of gluten free stuff for those that need it. Thank you

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FAQs

Portrait Cafe offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (02) 6102 7162.

Portrait Cafe is rated 4.2 stars by 25 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 2 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Portrait Cafe

King Edward Terrace, Parkes, AU-ACT 2600

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    Parkes
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Fri 8:30 am–4:30 pm Sat, Sun 9:00 am–4:30 pm
  • Price
    $40 and under
  • Cuisines
    Café
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Private Parking
  • Public transit
    YES
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Cafe, Non-Smoking, Takeaway, View, Wheelchair Access
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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