We dropped into Gus' Place recently for a quick lunch and were pleasantly surprised.

The outdoor seating is enclosed, so you get fresh air without too much sun, the service was prompt and friendly, and best of all, our food was yummy and generously-portioned. (They are generous when pouring wine, too!)

Very popular with the working lunch crowd, quick service, comfortable seating, decent prices and a good portion size and tasty meal.

I've been to Gus' quite a few times over the past year and I've always enjoyed the food (the chicken pesto linguine is my favourite) but most of the time the service is terrible. You can literally see staff avoiding eye contact with customers so they don't have to come over to tables, are they afraid of us?? I've always had to wait a long time for someone to get my order and it's mission impossible to wave someone over to ask for another drink or something. Having said that there has consistently been one staff member, a young girl who not only has been always genuinely friendly but also prompt with service that I commend. In the days leading up to Christmas last year Gus' was sold out of a few items on the menu, it was super busy and very humid outside but this girl powered through, staying friendly and joking around with customers and visibly working very hard. I will continue to dine at Gus' when I'm in Canberra but I stopped getting my hopes up for great service a long time ago.

Overall I think Gus' is overrated. I don't think the food, service or coffee are anything to be raved about. Last time I went here for lunch our meals came out only luke warm and were expensive for the size. The waiting staff generally seemed like they'd rather be anywhere else and were more interested in discussing their weekend plans with each other. I wouldn't bother going here again.

The original and the best cafe in Canberra - it's got the right atmosphere, and the first outdoor eating area in town - so everyone else is a follower. I grab a chai there every morning - the staff are very friendly and greet me by my first name, and the chai is excellent (not weak and milky like most cafes make them) and REALLY fast service, other cafes make you wait up to 20 minutes for a medium drink, but I'm in and out of Gus' in 5 mins. The breakfasts are brilliant, and I've had the burgers a few times too and they're great. I wish they'd bring back the vegetable salad stack, that was incredibly delicious, but they have other great salads to choose from. A really lovely place to relax.

Approximate cost: $20.00

Breakfast here is amazing!

There is always so much food and for such a good price. It is fresh and tasty and perfect for a Sunday. It was quite busy when we went in but there were a few tables still available. There are also outdoor heaters for our freezing Canberra days which is great.

Try the chicken and avocado sandwich for lunch. This is a favourite. Also the breakfasts are great. Poached eggs and bacon on thick cut toast.

Good breakfast and good coffee.
Little but reluctant to go there after they were closed for breaching food safety requirements earlier this year.

Approximate cost: $Avg.

I've had some good coffees and some ok food at Gus's. I know it's an institution, but I really can't see why. The service is offensively slow/indifferent and with so many cafes around that strip, why not go somewhere else?

On the food front, they do decent enough breakfasts. It's probably on par with some of the better breakfast places in Canberra that I've tried, but I really think that's because I haven't found any great places yet.

Worth trying because it's so famous - but then I'd try all the other ones along that strip (and never went back to Gus's).

Approximate cost: $15

Gus' has the best chicken and avocado sandwich in town, with friendly and quick service. A great spot for your coffee shop catch-up :)

Approximate cost: $13