The District Bar & Restaurant

The District Bar & Restaurant sits at the Crace shops at 56 Abena Avenue, a casual all-day venue seven minutes' walk from anywhere in the suburb, serving breakfast through dinner every day. For Canberra dog owners it is a practical pick: the outdoor patio is enclosed, covered and heated, so a winter dinner with the dog does not depend on the weather holding.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the enclosed outdoor patio areas, with the main dog-friendly section facing the Superbarn, so approach from that side and you can walk straight to a table without cutting through the interior. Water bowls are provided, so you do not need to pack your own. Dogs stay on lead at all times; it is a shared dining space, not a park. Inside is off limits apart from assistance dogs.

The food and the room

The menu is honest pub fare done well. The porterhouse steak is the recurring favourite, the schnitzel gets praise for its crumb and size, and arancini balls make a reliable starter. Calamari covers the lighter end, and the fresh orange juice is worth ordering if you arrive for breakfast service, which starts at 8am daily. Live music on Friday nights lifts the noise level, so book ahead and go early if your dog prefers calm.

Getting there and parking

The venue is right at the Crace local shops, with free parking in the lot adjacent to the venue and on the surrounding streets. Crace sits just off the Barton Highway side of Gungahlin, so it is a short drive from the north Canberra suburbs.

Pair it with

Franklin Dog Park is minutes away for a structured run before you sit down, and Inner North Dog Park in O'Connor is the bigger fenced option with separate large and small dog enclosures. Crace Recreation Park, next to the shops, suits an on-lead leg-stretch around the grassed paths. For a lakeside coffee instead, Caffe al Lago at Gungahlin is another dog-friendly table.

More of the suburb is on the Crace destination page, and the wider list is in the ACT pubs index.