The Dickson Taphouse is ready to open their doors tomorrow, Friday 30th April. Taking over the location that was previously Ducks Nuts Bar & Grill, the pub will have 18 beers on tap and they’ll be dishing up Italian dishes including house made fresh pasta, pub-style dishes and some Asian bites.
The trio behind Dickson Taphouse are responsible for the popular Old Canberra Inn and Queenies in Kingston. So they know a thing or two about what it takes to launch and operate successful hospitality businesses.
Co-owner of Dickson Taphouse, Ben Johnston, says the Dickson Taphouse is going to fill a gap in Dickson’s food and beverage offerings and it will be a community venue.
“At the moment there actually isn’t any pub in Dickson so we really need to provide a pub for Dickson.
“It is a classic corner pub, it’s got spaces for everybody. It will be similar to what we do at the Old Canberra Inn so we want to provide a space for all segments of the community so it’s family friendly and caters for professional groups and workers for lunch.
“We’re going to cater for functions and have lots of live music so we really want to cover all of the basis in a way which is really what pubs should be about. Pubs are community hubs and I guess that’s what we’re trying to create here,” My Johnston said.
You’ll be able to choose from a range of snacks with a drink or two, or enjoy larger meals for lunch or dinner. There will be different sizes of pasta so if you don’t want a big carb loaded dish, you can choose a smaller version.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes will also be available and although final touches are still being made to the menu and no doubt things will change over the coming weeks, you can expect dishes like kimchi arancini, eggplant ragu, vegetarian meatballs, two versions of beef ragu and more.
Head Chef Matt Standen has also created a version of his Nonna’s Spaghetti Torte with a twist. A slice of baked spaghetti will be deep-fried to golden perfection and served with a delicious sauce. We’re sold!
Their schnitzel will be a free-range pork schnitty, reminiscent of an Italian Pork Milanese and specials will pop up often, giving the team room to be creative in the kitchen.
The interior has been updated with features of pressed tin behind the bar, fresh paint and the TAB has been removed. There’s now a large lounge area that can be sectioned off to make it a private space for functions and live music will be a big focus for the venue.
You can choose to sit on the high tables, booths or low tub chairs around the bar area or sit in the dining room to see the action in the kitchen. If you’re lucky, you might score the love seat in front of the fireplace – cue romantic music. There’s also a half indoor and half outdoor room at the back and there will be seating in the outdoor area at the front.
Craft beer lovers will be please to find six staple beers on tap featuring local brews from Bentspoke Brewing Co and Capital Brewing Co, with the addition of 12 rotating taps that will change often. All brews will be supplied by independent breweries
Dickson Taphouse is scheduled to open at midday on Friday 30 April 2020. They’re located at 30 Woolley St, Dickson and will be open 7 days from midday until late. They aren’t taking bookings so stop in and grab a seat if there’s one available.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.