Portrait Cafe

Lovely cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. It is an order and pay at the counter affair and the queue can be quite long. There were some delicious looking pies, quiches and pastries with vegan/vegetarian options. The coffee is ok - not great but the staff seem friendly and helpful. My fruit salad and vegan yogurt was very tasty. I’ve been back with a bigger appetite recently after a lake walk and my pumpkin and goats cheese tart was delicious. The lentil and carrot soup was also good according to a fellow walker. I love that the Portrait Gallery gift shop is so close though could be dangerous if you don’t want to spend. I did come away with a few gifts. 💕🌸💕

Amazing choice of food, it was very good too. Not enough tables to cope with the huge number of people who walked over from the Botticelli exhibition, nor enough staff (who were doing a great job coping). Some of the reviews here clearly show that many people haven’t been to many other gallery/museum cafes, most of which are nowhere near as good.

The view of the surrounding area is lovely, if you can get an outdoor table on a sunny day. The food is simple but fresh. The kitchen closes before the main cafe so, after 3pm you're limited to what's available in the front cabinets. This is pies, pastries and toasties. The sweets are available too. The service is quick and friendly. The prices are expensive though. I suppose that without much competition in the area, they can change what they like.

Food was fresh and enjoyable. The service once ordered was abysmal. Huge number of staff, poorly organised and in need of focus and a Supervisor to sort priorities. Food orders prepared sat for far too long lined up on back bench behind counter... going nowhere! Hot food was getting cold as not served to tables. Was a sight to behold. Shame ... as cafe has a lot going for it. Need to get staff sorted asap for a much improved experience.

Bad acoustic in the cafe, echo and chairs screeching against the polished floor. If only staff knew what it sounds like to a patron who's trying to eat a meal and have a coffee in peace. Not bad food, but menu can be quite inflexible, won't even consider swapping out salad for chips. Not the best value for your money in a climate of lacking tourists, perhaps they need consider treating the locals better as they will come back if they like it.

Loved it. Over 3000 portraits of Aussies and its free. So many styles.

Very popular spot, bacon and egg roll was excellent, coffee was good, doing their best with limited space

Delicious food and friendly and helpful staff. The prices were reasonable too.

Pretty good meals. You can get some snacks here too. On crowded days it'll be hard to get a seat.

Great Sunday brunch of bacon and eggs and pancakes (these were particularly nice). This after a circuit around Lake Burley Griffin. A quiet stroll round the gallery after.