eightysix

they've increased the price but it's stillgoodvalue if you have a huge appetite. a la carte is not worth it at all, as they expect people taking the all you can eat option to eat a lot. one female staff was unfriendly. other staff was excellent.

over priced and underwhelmed. visiting canberra for the weekend, i was given the hot tip to try eighty-six. i even cancelled a reservation at another well established venue to dine here and i wish i hadn't. i found the restaurant was very loud and the food over priced relative to portion size. plus the wine list wasn't verygoodeither, sadly only 2 canberra region reds. whilst the flavours were great (ceviche delicious), it was a shame there wasn't the option of sides to accompany the dishes as some were small to be shared amongst 5 people. the other strange factor was the order of the dishes, we specifically ordered dishes as starters and they were actually some of the last to come out. as a result we opted to leave and not have dessert as my party were all feeling a little underwhelmed.

exceptional eating menu on the indie side of town.

the potato scallops were such a guilty pleasure, crispy and golden on the outside, fluffy on the inside and paired with a well seasoned hollandaise sauce. the duck buns were criminally small for the delicious flavour. the pumpkin tortellini was moreishly sweet and paired perfectly with the burnt butter and sage sauce. the witlof salad was underwhelming. the beef cheeks were mouthwatering and fell apart with the lightest touch; well accompanied by the mash. exceptional desserts in the popcorn sundae and the popping candy lemon curd tart; both dishes with hidden wow factors which added to their quality - certainly a great way to end the meal.

inviting and intimate atmosphere with attentive staff who were not intrusive.

typical of allgoodcanberra restaurants if you are willing to pay big, the food is top notch.

hope you all had a fantastic week and a new start tomorrow. canberra reached 34oc yesterday and it is certainly time to get out and about to enjoy what the summer has to offer. and of course, food, especiallygoodfood, is always on my list to tick off. eighty six in canberra does not need extra introduction. located in canberra’s bustling food zone, lonsdale street braddon, this medium-sized venue serves modern australian dishes that are designed for sharing. the venue was rated 1 chef hat by australiangoodfood guide (agfg) in 2019.

this would probably be closer to a 3.5 if possible.
anyway came here on thursday evening with a friend with no booking, it wasn't busy anyway and we were quickly seated and jackets placed into the cloak room.
my friend had been here twice previously so expectations were high. however, price had increased from her last venture but it wasn't much of an issue. we decided to have the $80 chef's menu with a few changes by swapping in the lamb instead of another dish and few glasses of wine. apologies in advance if i do not name these dishes correctly.

1. toasted bread with garlic oil, serrano ham and shaved truffle - tasted delicious. the oil was fragrant and bread crunchy, however, i did not realise the shaved black noodle like objects were meant to be truffle, if it was the 5/5 became a 3.5/5 as the amount of truffle should've been pungent.
2. steak tartare served on prawn crackers - i was a bit cautious at first but this was delicious, the crispiness of the cracker balanced perfectly with the creaminess of the tartare 5/5
3. cauliflower salad (of arabic origin(?) - great palate cleanser with fresh herbs and sweet dates. broke it up a bit, but expected more pizazz 3.5/5
4. gnocchi with truffle - this was the dish my friend was raving about but then disappointed. the gnocchi was soft pillows of pasta and the sauce rich and creamy but again the truffle was a let down as the aroma simply wasn't there. the waiter told us that they were truffles sourced locally and didn't seem too happy with the feedback. 3.5/5
5. pumpkin ravioli - the pasta was made well but i found the sauce too sweet for my liking, like sugar was added to it. 3/5, my friend reckons this is a 3.5/5
6. lamb with pearl couscous - super rich and hearty, fall off the bone meat. should've had some side vegetables to accompany it to break the heaviness of the dish. 4/5
7. well my friend was determined to have the rumbaba but the waiter was sogoodat selling the pina colada meringue she swapped her order. we got both anyway. the rumbaba was light a fluffy and balanced well with the cream and tartness of the strawberries (4.5/5) but the the pina colada meringue stole the show. the meringue was light and crisp and passionfruit sorbet had the right amount of sweet and sourness to cleanse the palate. it was delicious 5/5.

service wasgoodoverall besides the small drama about the truffles and wine was fairly priced at this type of venue. would i come back again? depends of the food items i guess

the $86 all you can eat option is great. menu isn’t particularly cheap so you definitely get your money’s worth.goodselection of entrees, mains and desserts. service was good, yet felt as though we were being a bit rushed. the ceviche was incredible, so fresh and flavourful. beetroot salmon was also delicious, as were the fish bao buns. i didn’t care much for the wafers and felt the cauliflower dish was very overwhelmed with seasoning in a bad way. the ravioli was wonderful, but the caramel tart was the winner, a great serving size and so tasty.

we were looking for a spot for a special occasion, and managed to get the last reservation on a friday night. withgoodreviews, expectations were high - and were comfortably met.

the food is pricey, but generally very good. the black chicken (pictured, poorly) is fantastic. the wine list isn't huge, but the waiter actually recommended a well-priced local bottle not listed, which turned out to be great.

service was a real strong point. friendly, chatty staff that know the menu.

given the price, it's a special occasion spot. but well worth it.

quiet monday night in canberra, so finally got into eightysix. had goat cheese cracker, which was nice. duck bao was really tasty. ghetto beef is great, if a little salty. a reallygoodpiece of beef. as noted by others the wine list advances in price quite quickly. i tried the local wine...meh....

user reviews. love the food. but what is going on with the wine list? you could say eclectic or just badly put together. a crazy mix of local and overseas stuff without any real purpose. and the pricing is just as mad. so muchgoodwine in australia and this wine list hasn't found any of them.... a shame coz the food deserves much better support.

bliss. every bite a delight. i eat here as often as i can, and have never been disappointed in a dish. the desserts are especially wonderful, but the salted caramel popcorn sundae is queen of canberra desserts - luscious, generous and so well balanced and a great portion for the price. it embarrasses some establishments around town with their 4 bite sweet offerings. i love the staff, ambience and the hospitality. well done 86ers!


-----23 aug, 2013-----

delicious, generous and fun. this is a great addition to canberra - loved every dish we tried - selected by the staff for us - so friendly and helpful - and the deserts in particular are the best and most generous in canberra. share plates had plenty for 2, more in the party, ordermore plates or double up. wine was expensive, butgoodand all up it's become my favourite.

december 11, 2014 11:56 am , leave a comment , lauren      looking for places to eat in a new area is pretty tricky. i’m often torn between local knowledge, shop front allure and recommendation apps. so over the first few weeks in canberra i collated a whole list of places recommended by colleagues, friends and local knowledge. after much scrutinising – as you can imagine, stuff like this actually causes anxiety for me – i chose to visit 86 in braddon as a bit of a celebration/treat night. guys, i was totally offered a permanent job! so of course i had to treat myself to a perhaps slightly over the top dinner. as this was a pretty important event, because depending on my calculations i had been interning to unemployed for nearly 7 months before picking up any kind of full-time contract, i had to go all out. so after collecting a whole list of recommendations from colleagues, friends and local knowledge i excitedly decided i would celebrate at eightysix. to be quite honest the clincher was a photo of their famed popcorn sundae (above) on facebook. i booked way in advance as i do in these situations and secured a spot on the bar so we could drool over our food before it arrived. tucked away just off londsdale st, eightysix is pretty slick. the seasonal menu is written across the wall of the darkly painted and dimly lit restaurant. there is a bar off to the right when you walk in and of course the kitchen stretching up towards the back. no celebration is complete without a cocktail so promptly ordered a jalapeño margarita – delish! i love agoodmargarita any day and the gentle burn on your lips from the jalapeño was a pretty wicked sensation. we decided the best plan of attack would be to order two entre/sides, a single main to share and of course that amazing dessert. the duck pancakes arrived shortly after ordering and were devoured only moments after. a perk of sitting at the kitchen was all our food was served from the chefs with a detailed description. next up wa

i'm very glad that eightysix has decided to keep their brunch menu going after the success they had duringgoodfood month. the brunch menu is as interesting, cool and exciting as i had hoped for. you won’t find any of your typical breakfast or brunch items on this menu! there is no egg benedicts, bacon and egg rolls, or big breakfasts. instead eightysix has taken all the basic ingredients that you expect to find in a breakfast menu and completely reinvented it. it’s not only the food that is interesting, eightysix has also mixed up some interesting concoctions for us to slurp up as well. there is of course tea from t2 and coffee from lonsdale street roasters as per usual, but there are also a handful of weird and interesting drinks and shakes.

boom!. gus is the man. got him to pick all the food. yum. o! great service. great night. always agoodsign when the place is packed on a monday night

eighty six in braddon - work in progress. lots of positive expectations became disabused as the night at 86 in braddon wore on. blackboard menu with a difference although the perfectly cooked meat dishes were consistently oversalted. long cooked, wonderfully tender chicken dish with tasty coleslaw is like a high end kfc. service was not verygoodfor the price, a dish was forgotten until waiter was reminded and the new plate arrivals were sporadic. not easy for vegetarians. only go if you want that high energy noisy surround sound. not a quiet place.

despite a rocky start, we left eightysix feeling very happy about both the food and the service. staff are very friendly and eager to please and the food is excellent. we shared the chicken, salmon, cauliflower and heirloom tomatoe salad, all of which were delicious. fantastic flavours and textures abounded across these different dishes. we started with the duck sliders which were extremelygood(without chilli sauce for the kids who went back for more). if i could change anything? maybe slightly less noisy but on balance this place ticks all the right boxes. when in canberra we'll be back!