Portrait Cafe

4.0

26 Reviews

$40 and under

Café

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 7, 2025

7:00 PM

Select a time

Great for brunch
Great for outdoor dining
Charming

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

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$40 and under
Cuisines
Café
Hours of operation
Mon–Fri 8:30 am–4:30 pm Sat, Sun 9:00 am–4:30 pm
Phone number
(02) 6102 7162
Website
http://www.thefreshcollective.com.au/cafes-stores/portrait-cafe
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
King Edward Terrace, Parkes, AU-ACT 2600
Neighborhood
Parkes
Parking details
Private Lot
Public transit
YES
Additional
Cafe, Non-Smoking, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access

What 26 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.0

4 based on recent ratings

4Food
4Service
3.9Ambience
3.7Value

Noise • Energetic

26 Reviews

A
Anna
Canberra
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on January 8, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Nice place to visit and lovely to sit out depending on weather. Food quite ordinary however.
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S
Steve
Canberra
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on December 14, 2024
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.
Portrait CafeResponded on January 9, 2025
Hi Steve, Thank you for your kind words—we look forward to welcoming you back!
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D
Debbie
Canberra
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 25, 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.
Portrait CafeResponded on January 9, 2025
Hi Debbie, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're sorry to hear that you didn't had a good experience because of the chairs dragging noise. We’ll definitely take your comments on board to improve. We're glad to hear that you liked your food and our service. We hope you’ll give us another chance in the future.
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L
Linda
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 9, 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!
Portrait CafeResponded on January 9, 2025
Hi Linda, Thank you for your Kind words- We look forward to welcoming you back!
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P
Peter
Canberra
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 31, 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.
Portrait CafeResponded on January 9, 2025
Thank You Peter for the Lovely Feedback!
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M
Martha
Canberra
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on September 1, 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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S
Sean
Canberra
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on September 1, 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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A
Ann
London
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on August 10, 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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OT
OpenTable Diner
Canberra
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on July 28, 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 August 13, 2024
Thank you for the feedback, we'll pass this on to the team.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
New South Wales
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on July 19, 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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FAQs

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

Portrait Cafe is rated 4 stars by 26 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 7, 2025

7:00 PM

Select a time

Order delivery or takeout

King Edward Terrace, Parkes, AU-ACT 2600

Dining areas

Additional information

Neighborhood
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 Lot
Public transit
YES
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Cafe, Non-Smoking, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access

Website
http://www.thefreshcollective.com.au/cafes-stores/portrait-cafe
Phone number
(02) 6102 7162

Portrait Cafe

Make a reservation

Select a time

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Menu

What 26 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

Does Portrait Cafe offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Portrait Cafe restaurant rated?

Is Portrait Cafe currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Select a time

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information