Showing 1-15 of 15 results
-
Buzz Cafe
There's certainly a buzz about this café, and it's usually associated with the men's toilets (which have the ladies regularly sneaking in for a look). Being located on the water keeps Buzz busy - it's in its 10th year. And its extensive drinks and food menus (best described as upmarket café fare) have plenty of safe options for those I-just-want-a-steak-and-beer moments and for the children, as well as more adventurous dishes for a big night out.
-
Cornucopia Museum Café
Appended to the museum and gallery, this café makes for a good stop while you're in the 'hood. Maybe share a trio of dips, commenting on how good a dip would be, while overlooking Vestey's Beach. Try a salad or pasta special, remarking on how special that collection of artwork you've just walked around is. It's also good for a late breakfast, for the children and for meaty mains.
-
Crustaceans
If you're a sucker for sunset views and seafood, then this tourist-oriented place may woo you. At the end of Stokes Hill Wharf, this hundred-odd-seater restaurant serves whole fish, lobster, prawns and bugs, all conservatively prepared so as not to scare the visitors. Barra might be grilled and served with mash and steamed veg, or prawns might come in a creamy garlic sauce.
-
Ducks Nuts Bar & Grill
This slick bistro delivers a clever fusion of Top End produce with Asian/Mediterranean styles, a combination claimed as Modern Australian. What ever you call it the dishes here are hefty and good value. The Ducks Nuts complex also houses the Bar Espresso for good breakfasts and the Tzars Vodka bar for any nocturnal needs.
-
Go Sushi
Weekday lunchtime sees the city's office workers climb aboard the sushi train. It's yum cha Japanese style: super-fresh sushi, handrolls and sashimi (around A$4 to around A$6 ) delivered automatically via conveyor belt. Pluck plates as they stream past or order a full meal from the mains menu, which stays loyal to familiar standard dishes.
-
-
Hanuman
Best to dress up a little for a meal at what's widely regarded as Darwin's best restaurant. You don't need to go to too much fuss, though: everyone looks gorgeous in this barely-there lighting. Thai-inspired dishes arrive in an aromatic whirl of coconut milk, lemongrass, lime, chilli and tamarind. And it's all complemented by an internationally flavoured drinks list.
-
La Beach
Looking for a seafood splurge? It's La Beach's speciality, as is adding a French accent to Top End water lovers. Expect pearl-meat starters, plus barra, buffalo and croc in an array of creamy sauces. And choose from a stellar selection of Australian and New Zealand wines - and Champagne, of course - to toast that magnificent over-the-water sunset.
-
Moorish Café
This refined café-restaurant is a favourite with lunching ladies, who probably come for the special (three tapas plus a glass of sangria for around A$20 ). Mains include tagines, a sumac-crusted barramundi dish and a Mediterranean vegetable stack. Service is spot-on and coffee is good. Evening entertainment includes belly dancing (Saturday), salsa dancing (Thursday) and flamenco guitar (Tuesday).
-
Nirvana
It looks like a fortress from outside (no windows and a drawbridge-like door; enter via Smith St). Inside, though, is a den of dining rooms staffed by friendly young things delivering bloody good Thai, Malaysian and Indian dishes. Booth seating out back is more intimate, and recommended should you not happen to like the band (usually jazz and blues) that might be playing; see for more on the music. (Tip: Tuesday is 'jam night', when any old Joe can get up and have a go.)
-
Relish
This excellent little local café, located off the main drag, serves super coffees and food with flair. Among the artwork, gig posters and things hanging from ceiling frames is the blackboard menu. On it you might find sandwich grills and wraps or pesto eggs and frittata. Regulars equally run in for the morning's coffee or spend hours slouched at a corner table with art-school buddies.
-
Advertisement
-
Rendezvous Cafe
The laksa achieves legend status at this institution for Thai and Malaysian cuisine, tucked away in a quiet arcade off Smith St Mall. The menu is also flexible enough to provide a bacon and eggs breakfast and good coffee.
-
Roma Bar
You've got to love a café with a breakfast menu that gives equal billing to pancakes, smoked-salmon croissants, dhal, and straight-up cereal (around A$3 ) and toast (around A$4 Lunch won't be pinned down either, flitting between seafood and veg tempura, pies, and parcels of beef rending. It's a sleek-looking modern place that promotes local arts happenings.
-
Seadogs
This old dog does few new tricks, focusing on comfortable Italian: pizza, pasta, risotto, parmigiana, scallopini and…what's this? A much-loved interloper: schnitzel. Families and groups of friends add to the hubbub in the courtyard, and it's possible to do takeaway (in case you want to take your Italian to the water's edge).
-
Tim's Surf'n'Turf
Never mind the dodgy signature dish - steak topped with creamy prawns (nature never intended cows and prawns to meet) - this casual side-street place is a local fave. Office workers loosen the top button and settle in to the cheerful courtyard for bargain around A$10 lunches: salads, sandwiches and schnitzels. Dinners include NT pin-ups: croc and barra, plus pastas and parmas.
-
Vietnam Saigon Star
The Saigon Star is a typical Vietnamese eatery with a typically extensive menu, including a dozen sauces multiplied by beef, pork, chicken and seafood. Vegetarians are catered for, and you can get away with eating lunch for a tenner.
-
Showing 1-15 of 15 results
