Holly Corpe
Great spot for a quick bite, even when they are busy. Staff are really accommodating. We came in after they closed the kitchen but they still did toasties for us. I like that they have a water station well stocked and that you can grab your own.
The carrot cake was excellent. The cream cheese frosting on that cake is worth every penny, and the tea is loose leaf which is great.
Princess Greedyguts
Lovely cafe adjacent to the National Library. It has a large indoor area which can be accessed from inside the library and a beautiful large outdoor area over looking the lake. The menu is concise but offers a good array of sweet & savoury dishes from lighter to more substantial dishes. The cakes are yummy, coffee is well made and the chips are so so good! Loved the lighter dish with brie as well as the togarashi cauliflower dish. The ham, cheese & tomato toastie was on lovely three mills sourdough and the barramundi dish was delicious. Burger was thoroughly enjoyed although the meat was a little on the dry side. Chairs outside should be cleaned more frequently as most had bird poo but as to be expected being outdoors. Overall a lovely spot with good food and service.
Caitlin Treloar-Ward
Stopped by for a brunch and sat outside in the sunshine.
The waitress mustn’t have known how to communicate effectively, I had to approach and prompt her to give us a menu. When I then went back to the counter to order, we weren’t greeted and had to initiate the process.
The food on the other hand was fantastic. The zucchini and carrot rösti was superb with the molasses. Smoked salmon ordered as an extra was generous and beautifully presented.
James Arvanitakis
A real find at the National Library. Really great food and service in a fantastic setting. Really enjoyed lunch and coffee here.
Matt Ezzy
What an amazing location to have a cafe situated within the National Library. The stained glass windows create a unique atmosphere. The quality of the breakfast is great and the coffee really hit the spot. If you don’t feel like a big breakfast check out the cakes that are available or if you are game have breakfast and a cake. This location was a great recommendation from a local to the area.
Dexter Todd
Good coffee and very friendly staff. However they sold me undoubtedly the worst bread and butter pudding I have ever eaten. I am a big fan of a good bread and butter pudding, and this was unacceptable. I was terribly hungry when I went, and the kitchen was closed, so I was ready to eat just about anything. Having to force down the bread and butter pudding almost made me sick. The bread was not well blended into the delicious, dense, sweet mass that we usually associate with bread and butter pudding, but was instead simply raw bread, with the crusts sticking out. It seemed as though the entirety of the sauce had congealed into a mass around the base of the pudding. Perhaps this totally unbaked pudding would be edible were it warm, but it was served totally cold. I hate to leave a negative review, because the other aspects of this place were very pleasant, and the coffee was very serviceable. I'm sure they have many other tasty food options, and I made a poor choice, but I cannot let this stand. That bread and butter pudding would be unacceptable were it sold at a child's sidewalk bake-sale, and the fact that a nice cafe/restaurant felt it could serve it truly horrifies me.
M T (Dryasadingo)
Great coffee, great location, retro furniture and fantastic stained glass windows. The staff were very courteous. The lamb burger which was fresh, delicious and loaded with sauce. And the scrambled eggs were light and fluffy, crispy bacon and the sourdough toast wasn't too heavy. The only problem we had was the plates were too small for all the food.
Georgie Winter
Had a lovely lunch today at Bookplate. My friend and I shared this lovely heirloom tomato dish with what must have been the most delicious homemade cruskit-type biscuit I've ever had. Honestly they should sell that by the box! We also had the pork which was lovely. Coffee was strong, by Campos. It was very busy at lunch time, clearly for good reason, we will definitely be back.
Karen
Came here for an early lunch after going to Questcon. The ambience is lovely which is highlighted with the beautiful stain glass windows.<br/>I got seated immediately and was told to go to the counter to order. The menu had your classic cafe dishes but the specials were something else. I got the pork and fennel sausage with a ratatouille and mash side ($24). It was amazing!! The portion was generous and the flavours were bursting. Would totally come back if it was a regular item. The coffee and cakes look delicious too but I was too full to have more.
Two Sheds
3.6. Terrific little cafe located at the National Library. It’s a charming spot. We felt instantly at home here. And it wasn’t just the presence of the beautiful Leonard French stained glass windows either. The cafe itself is nicely appointed and just feels right. The coffee here was sound. I enjoyed it. Strong and inky will usually work. Service was a little constipated here I thought. There was just a little bit of high handedness about it. But, we were still laughing from the Inked Exhibition here at the Library - an exhibition of top Australian cartoons over the years - and just let it ride.
Red Bean
Really beautiful seating area outside with heaters above. Chilli scrambled eggs and regular scrambled eggs were perfect. Coffee was excellent and service was prompt and pleasant.
Jianierrrrrr
This cafe was hidden inside the National Library. Such a popular place for locals and tourists. I loved the decor with several large colourful stain glass windows and beautifully presented cafe name bench. <br/>Felt a little bit weird that you need to order your drinks and food at the counter... maybe that’s more efficient. <br/>We didn’t get the chance to try their brunch menu, but the coffees& carrot cake we had was pretty good. It will be a great place to chilli out and have a decent brunch with friends and enjoy the nice vibe.
Austin
We tried Bookplate for lunch. It was fairly busy but they had a table.<br/><br/>You have to order at the counter which drives me nuts.<br/><br/>We had the wagu burger and fries (it tasted good but it was nothing special), the pasta of the day - spaghetti with canned tuna, chilli, garlic and Parmesan (it was tasty) and the pumpkin fritters (dry).<br/><br/>We finished with flat whites (milky and lukewarm) and leaf tea (weak).<br/><br/>I won’t be back.
Jessie Li
My first ZOMATO review goes to - Bookplate Canberra.<br/><br/>Absolutely must go in Canberra!<br/>It’s located in National Library and has an outdoor area, stoning view and family friendly:)<br/>Staffs are smiling, seats are comfy, foods are nice, relaxed and peaceful spot.
Lucianna Guo
Great view for brunch. The food comes in large portion and the wagyu burger was quite tasty. It’s great to just site outside during lunch and enjoy the beautiful site and weather in summer.
Renee
What a stunning outdoor dining area on a sunny day. Stopped here for lunch before leaving Canberra, it was beautiful and sunny, service was fast and my meal was fresh and delicious. Topped it off with an amazing refreshing Watermint drink, icing on the cake!
BrisvEGustation
Nice setting beside a wall of stained glass windows. Sign said wait to be seated but I stood around for some time before anyone paid me attention, and I noticed another diner who came later help themselves to a seat. Place is counter service, with self service water available. Ordered a chicken chimichanga (fried burrito) and it came out within about 5 minutes! Pretty happy with the meal, happy to revisit if I ever find myself in the area again.
Ausbeagle
The clientele here are...well...old. It's a nice enough spot and who doesn't love the library? It's probably good for an in-venue cafe but it's really expensive. With the 10% Sunday surcharge, it was 35 bucks for a salad and juice. The meal cake out so quickly that it's clear it was all pre-made and plonked on a plate hastily. It was ok but nothing flash.
Michele Walton
Bookplate is a popular spot for lunch (served 12-2pm) that’s close to major Canberra tourist attractions. While it gets busy on the weekends, weekdays it’s quieter (although parking can be tight). Choose between a shaded table outside with a great view of the lake or an indoor table where you can admire the Leonard French stained glass windows.
Niks
Visited today and absolutely loved it. Very busy and had to wait a bit, but was worth it in the end. Food was great and the place had a great atmosphere. Nice to sit outside and enjoy the view. Can recommend
Hungryhungry
Very nice surrounds, very expensive food. Definitely worth stopping by after you've been somewhere else...cakes are very good and coffee is passable, even though it's a bit of a performance art there.
Sherrym1au
Hubby and I headed here for brunch before visiting the Celestial Empire exhibition last week. We loved it. The cafe is beautiful with the sun shining thru those gorgeous stained glass windows. Tables were comfortable; service swift once we had ordered at the counter. I had a delicious and refreshing watermelon and mint juice; hubby had a cherry berrie smoothie. My cappuccino was fine. My Eggs Benny with ham, and hubby's smashed avo with eggs were well cooked, promptly served, and enjoyable. Obviously it is a cafe with cafe type food, but it is well done in a lovely atmosphere. Brekkie is available until 2pm - always a winner for me, and lunch is between 12-2. And they are open every day of the week. When next in Caanberra, we will pop in again.
Foodpornjournal
My friend and I met up for lunch at Bookplate in the National Library. I hadn’t been to Bookplate in about 5 years but knew that it had been revamped in the last year or two. The menu has certainly been updated with some trendy items for lunch such as baos and chimichanga. For breakfast, there is a green brekky bowl, banana smoothie granola bowl and an American pancake stack. The chef’s pick for lunch are the grilled chicken burger and the fish and chips, and for breakfast the Italian scramble. There should be enough on the menu to please most. I started off with an icy cold watermelon and mint juice (around the $7 mark).
Michele Walton
Bookplate is a popular spot for lunch (served 12-2pm) that’s close to major Canberra tourist attractions. While it gets busy on the weekends, weekdays it’s quieter (although parking can be tight). Choose between a shaded table outside with a great view of the lake or an indoor table where you can admire the Leonard French stained glass windows.
Kristy Ellen
Bookplate has become my absolutely reliable go-to place for weekend breakfast. The menu is genuinely innovative, the food quality is always excellent. This is a cafe to visit for itself, not your usual "gallery cafe" snooze-fest. My current favourite is the Green Breaky Bowl. It sounds like a virtuous meal which sacrifices flavour for health, but the generous morsels of labneh and dukkah absolutely make this meal. When I don't order that, I have the Italian Scramble and lick my fingers, the knife and everything in between. <br/><br/>The coffee is stellar, and if I had a visiting Sydney foodie, this is where I would go for breakfast.
Adventures In Winterland
My team organised a lunch at Bookplate, the cafe at the National Library of Australia, which has come under new ownership this year. The menu is varied and extensive, making it hard to pick just one thing. One of my favourite lighter meals is a caesar salad, which was my pick on this visit. Whilst you have to order at the counter, meals are brought out to you – we sat under the beautiful stained glass windows. The salad was elegantly presented in a reasonable-sized bowl. This caesar was all about the individual flavours – the pancetta was beautifully crispy and salty, the lettuce really fresh, and the spring onion added a kick. I am a sucker for good croutons, and these were right up there, although a little hard to cut. My only complaint was the lack of dressing – a good, oily caesar dressing would have gone better than the sparing daubs of a creamy version. For dessert I ordered one of the giant hazelnut meringues in the cake cabinet – it was heavenly! There was a lovely balance of crispy outer and gooey inner and the hazelnut flavour was just perfect throughout. Oh yes, I’ll be back.
Michele Walton
Encouraged by Her Canberra to try the newly managed Bookplate at the National Library, it is clearly still a great spot for lunch or coffee. The wonderful view of the lake form the terrace, the stained glass windows and a changing and interesting menu make it a winner. Dishes are beautifully presented and well sized for sharing. It works well to combine a tasty ‘large plate’ option with a side salad for extra greens for two people. The Graziers Platter $21.50 is delicious and includes spressa salami, prosciutto, marinated olives, tuna and prawn pate (very yummy), giardiniera, buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad served with crusty bread.
Daisyloukitkat
Very disappointing and sad to see such a lovely place not living up to its reputation anymore. We have been going to this beautiful oasis in the NLA for years. We know it has changed hands recently, but thought the best of the place would have been preserved by the new owner...it has not. The menu was very short...the servings were small and nothing at all out of the ordinary like before. The wine list which used to be the best by the glass anywhere in Canberra for a cafe, is reduced to three or four per category and the pinot noir I had was "nasty" smelling like nail polish. The service was disinterested in their attitudes and they were uninteresting too...tables were not cleared and yet the place was very sparsely populated...it used to hard to get a table for lunch and now you have no struggle. And to top it all off, they charge 10% extra for Sundays now...we will not be back!
Canberran
Lunched at Bookplate. Not busy. Unprofessional staff. Girl behind counter ignored us while someone from the kitchen brought out a tray of frittata that was on its way to the fridge. They rudely discussed the frittata for at least two minutes while ignoring us, meanwhile another staffer came out and I flagged that person down. Bad start. Ordered gnochhi and zucchini fritters. Extremely overpriced. The gnocchi was shop bought; accompanied by small cubes of plain boiled pumpkin, and drowned in oil. Zero flavour. The zucchini fritters were quite pleasant - but the $22.00 per dish price tag was extreme. Cheap NZ wine on sale for $9 a glass. Coffee passable. In short, very overpriced, rude staff. Go to the National Portrait Gallery up the road for a better experience. On another occasion at breakfast time, the staffer accidentally pushed a sticky Danish onto the carpet in front of me and tried to still sell it to me on the basis that the "carpet had been vacuumed that morning"!
Fairlake1
Consistently good coffee and food. Whether seated outside with one of the best views in Canberra or inside with the sun streaming through the Leonard French stained glass windows a visit to Bookplate is an enjoyable experience. The curries at lunch are terrific and hearty breakfasts will set you up well for the day. To top it off the staff are cheerful and helpful.
Kurrajong
Arrogance plus. Can you believe that the manager, who delivered our order to our table, was quite happy for one of us to sit there with no coffee at all because he "does not blend milk" (half skim/half regular)! This is the only coffee shop in Canberra that we have ever had the request refused. It was after lunch time and they could have easily obliged. Avoid.
Adrianfaccioni
Rubbish Credit Limit. Upon ordering several food items on the weekend I went to pay by card and was told that there is a $20 limit on credit cards. <br/><br/>That is ridiculous, just taking advantage of people. This sort of behaviour by cafe's should be banned.
Miss Maz
Little bit disappointing - limited menu and the saltiest Thai fish cakes you will ever eat! Dipping sauce average at best. Service good however.
Hingo
Whenever there is a curry on the menu here, it is amazing. Good coffee and quick service in a great location.
Ryan
Busy but relaxing. While the lines for the counter can be off putting it is worth the wait. The food, be it breakfast or lunch, never disappoints. The outdoor seating is fantastic on a warm day overlooking the lake. Else, enjoy the cool inside, with easy listen of your companion(s) or free wifi to reading the news or just enjoying a book with a great coffee.
Evan Rowlands
Although good food, good atomosphere, the price isn't cheep and the servings range from tiny to too big. Seem to take advantage of the captive library user audience, but often are quick to serve and please a tricky customer.
Annie Belle
Great coffee, great selection of sweet things. I've never eaten lunch there but it's mainly gourmet looking sandwiches and salads. Sit outside if the weather is warm - the view over the lake is incredible.
Gin
Eat with bookworms. Bookplate can get very busy at lunch time, with hoards of readers and staff queuing up to place their orders. Get in early if you want a seat. Outdoors must have one of the best views in Canberra. Indoors is quite dark so as to make most of the Leonard French windows.<br/><br/>The menu ranges from salads through to curry. Everything is fresh, appetising and well presented. Serves are generous. Prices are reasonable. Staff are unfailingly friendly. The dining opportunities at Canberra's cultural institutions can be a bit hit'n'miss, but Bookplate is a high point.
In The Taratory
To be fair, Bookplate isn’t bad, but I’m certainly in no hurry to get back. Then again, with few options in Parkes, perhaps it’s the best of the bunch.
Rakewellcharlie
The Bookplate ploughman's is a plate of food that feels put together without any particular care or love, which seems at odds with a cafe of some considerable charm. It's not the we-opened-some-packets feel that bothered me--I'd be hard pressed to whip up some pate to rival that of the Duchess of Barossa, and childhood of room-service-packed school lunches leaves me oddly fond of condiments in individual portions. But because it's lunch with a formula, it's disappointing to receive a version that phones in the requirements. Nothing about it suggested that any ingredient could be elevated by its inclusion in the whole. The chutney didn't set off the cheese, the cornichons were fine, but too tart for a relatively mild pate. Nothing seemed considered, nothing seemed easy to get excited about. So somehow, instead of something elegantly simple in it's own fabulousness, all I got was some deli selection on a plate.<br/>
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