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7 coffee shops at ANU to add to your rotation
There's a good chance you're reading this with an iced oat latte in one hand. Uni runs on coffee and your order says a lot about you: the double shot before a 9am tute, the chai you nurse through three hours of readings or the matcha you only buy when you're meeting someone you want to impress.
Canberra is totally a coffee city and The Australian National University (ANU) has its own little scene to match. These are the seven campus cafes worth knowing, from the Kambri regulars to the ones you'll only find if someone tells you.
1. Rex Espresso
Find it: Kambri Precinct
Open: daily, 8am-5pm
Rex has been part of the Kambri furniture since 2019. It's where you go when you have six minutes between classes and zero patience for a queue: hot or iced coffee, a pastry and you're out.
On a sunny day the outdoor tables fill up with people pretending to do their readings. The regulars' order is an almond croissant, toasted. Don't skip the toasted part.
Rex Espresso has a super convenient location right in the middle of Kambri.
2. Craft Beans
Find it: Kambri Precinct, inside the Marie Reay Teaching Building
Open: Monday to Friday, 7:30am-3pm
Craft Beans is where you go when a regular flat white feels a bit beige. The specials board keeps changing, so there’s usually a new coffee creation to try, and every order comes with a mini cookie sitting on top. Yum.
It’s in Kambri too, which makes it an easy meeting point for group projects and lunch breaks. Walk up to order with an open mind and let the specials board decide your order.
Craft Beans fuels the Marie Reay study vibes.
3. Biginelli’s
Find it: School of Music (Llewellyn Hall)
Open: Monday to Thursday, 8am-2pm
Biginelli’s lives inside the School of Music at Llewellyn Hall, so there’s a decent chance the person next to you is carrying a cello. Students have rated it for years for the coffee and the atmosphere, and it’s easy to open your laptop here and lose an afternoon.
Got a concert at Llewellyn Hall? Your pre-show coffee is sorted.
Biginelli’s is a classic for those studying music at ANU, and anyone who frequents Llewellyn Hall.
4. Tasa Coffee House
Find it: ANU Sport building
Open: Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm, Saturday 9am-3pm
Tasa Coffee House is in the ANU Sport building, which means a lot of people only find it after a workout. Their loss, because the menu goes beyond eggs on toast and into Filipino breakfast territory.
Order a silog plate (tapsilog, tocilog or liempsilog): garlic rice, a fried egg and your choice of meat. The serves are big, the staff are lovely and it hits just as well after a 7am gym session as it does after an all-nighter.
Tasa Coffee House offers up café classics alongside some amazing Filipino menu options.
5. Little Pickle
Find it: Biology Place, on the science side of campus
Open: Monday to Friday, 6:30am-3pm
Little Pickle is the science students’ local. It’s small, the staff are friendly and the prices won’t make you wince mid-order.
Not a coffee person? The chai latte has its fans. It’s close to the Hancock Library too, so there’s really no excuse.
All science students will know about Little Pickle. And if you didn’t, you do now!
6. Savoir French
Find it: ANU School of Art and Design, near the Canberra Rep theatre
Open: Monday to Friday, 8am-3pm
Savoir French has almost no signage, which only adds to the mystique – but make no mistake, this place is beloved. Inside, it’s a cafeteria-style French bakery, with quiches, pastries, cakes and baguettes. Get the croque-monsieur or show up just before 12pm for the plat de jour (dish of the day). Taking a quiche home for dinner counts as meal prep.
It’s weekdays only and things sell out, so this is not a 2:55pm mission.
You’ll always find something delicious, sweet or savoury, at Savoir French.
7. Atticus Coffee
Find it: College of Business of Economics, bottom floor
Open: Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm
Atticus is in the CBE building, which makes it the unofficial coffee supplier to every commerce student running late for a tute.
It’s quick, it’s reliable and it’s right there. Not a business student? Go anyway for the playlist, which is always pumping out banger nostalgic tunes from early 2000s TV shows.
Tips for finding coffee on campus
- Bring a reusable cup. Less waste and your coffee stays warm on the walk to class. Some cafes even charge you a little less which is a win.
- Check opening hours. Hours can change during semester breaks and on weekends, so check each café’s socials before you go.
- Beat the rush. These places tend to get busy first thing in the morning and around midday, so grab your coffee before or after the peak.
- Explore beyond Kambri. Some of these cafes are in buildings you’ll probably never have a class in. That’s half the fun and gives you an excuse to explore our beautiful campus!
Spent your whole budget on flat whites? Our guide to student discounts in Canberra can help.
