Penny University

This business is unclaimed.

Owners who claim their business can update listing details, add photos, respond to reviews, and more.

436 reviews

#28 of 1,386 Restaurants in Canberra$$ - $$$, Cafe, Australian, Vegetarian friendly

+61 2 6162 1500+ Add website

Write a Review

Hours

Sun

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Mon

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Tue

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Wed

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Thu

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Fri

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sat

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Improve this listing

What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

436 reviews

#28 of 1,386 Restaurants in Canberra

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

This business is unclaimed.

Owners who claim their business can update listing details, add photos, respond to reviews, and more.

Claim your free listing now

CUISINES

Cafe, Australian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

features

Location and contact

15 Kennedy St, Canberra 2604 Australia

+61 2 6162 1500

Improve this listing

Does this restaurant have tables with seating?

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

CUISINES

Cafe, Australian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

Contribute

Write a review

Upload a photo

Ask a question

We perform checks on reviews.

Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews

Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.

When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.

Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.

Learn more about our review moderation.

4.0

436 reviews

Excellent

216

Very good

141

Average

Poor

Terrible

Jocelyn C

Canberra1043 contributions

A pleasant surprise

Feb 2020 • none

I called into this cafe for a quick bite to eat between appointments. I had around 20 minutes to eat. The staff member who seated me was helpful in suggesting menu items that could be quickly prepared and eaten in the short time available. I chose a chia and rice bowl with fruit and coconut cream - best chia bowl I have eaten. I was able to eat my meal, pay and leave in the short time I had. Delicious food. I perused the menu while I ate and will definitely go back for a meal when I have more time to enjoy the food.

Written 20 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Penny n

6 contributions

Great service and Delicious food

Mar 2021 • solo

I turned up after the women4justice protest after a long walk for lunch but the kitchen was closed. I think the staff took one look at me and felt sorry for me and so kindly offered for me to sit and eat. I was never rushed and offered many choices. I ordered a salad of the day, the walnut, fig, prosciutto and goats cheese salad and it was absolutely delicious, the best salad I'd eaten for ages. I relished every mouthful. The waiter who looked after me was so kind and she really made me feel welcomed even though the cafe was essentially closed. The chefs were all friendly and were happy to prepare my delicious meal. I highly recommend this cafe, the food was beautiful and the service was so friendly. I will be back again next time I'm in the ACT, THANK YOU so much for looking after me.

Written 15 March 2021

PDMM_Gourmands 🇦🇺🇨🇦

Queanbeyan923 contributions

Penny for Brekkie!!!👍🏻

Aug 2020 • friends

Well, met my friend for a nice catch-up brekkie at 8:30 on a Tuesday. Man, this place was already, but managed to get a table. Must say that their flat white coffee was amongst the very best that I’ve had in this city. I ordered their eggs your way - two eggs, toast, bacon and avocado and my friend had their hearty porridge. All was very good and very reasonably priced for Kingston. They have an all day menu, so if you fancy a burger, you can have it any time...vice-versa for brekkie. Love this place and I highly recommend it. I will return.

Written 28 August 2020

Michelle

Sydney33 contributions

How is this place rated so high?

Sept 2022 • family

So disappointing. My husband, son and I visited this place, excited about having a yummy breakfast. That is not what we got. Instead we got tiny portions, bland food and a big $80 bill. We both ordered the eggs on toast and for $14 you get one small piece of toast and two eggs. Add bacon for $6.50 and you’ll get two tiny rashes, so small you’ll think it’s a joke. Add the side of ricotta for $4 and you’ll get something so bland you’ll need to add salt. My son got the kids’ eggs and ham which actually looked okay but he said it was yuck and couldn’t eat it. We were still hungry after, so we had to go around the corner to the bakery to get some croissants to fill the void that Penny University created. In all fairness I will say the coffee was good. And the service was great. But overall for the taste of the food and the price, this place left a bitter taste in our mouths and we will never return.

Written 9 September 2022

Damien O

3 contributions

Not worth the wait

Apr 2022 • couples

Waited to 45 minutes for a table, then paid top dollar for the smallest scrabbled eggs on toast I have been served. The bacon side could not have been any smaller if they tried. I don’t mind paying for a decent breakfast but this really was a joke.

Written 8 April 2022

peteclissg

Sydney173 contributions

Great Saturday breakfast

Apr 2021 • none

Everything spot on in this great little cafe. Very nice menu choices, excellent staff, food and drinks arrive in a timely manner and all very well presented and delicious. Will return when next in Canberra,

Written 20 April 2021

Divya R

Canberra476 contributions

Definitely back soon

Feb 2020 • friends

The banana French toast was the amazing. It was caramelised bananas in between croissants. It was definitely a sugar high but so good. We also ordered the savoury pancake with crab and prawns. This had a mango salsa which give it a sweet flavour. The vegetarian poke bowl and the eggs too were good. Overall we enjoyed the food. The only issue was the service a bit slow given it was a busy Sunday and we were a big group. Cannot wait to try their new menu soon.

Written 1 March 2020

Daniel J

2 contributions

poor manager experience and food

Sept 2022 • none

Just had a poor experience there, perhaps related to an inexperienced young assistant manager. I advised them that one of their dishes had a key ingredient missing (broad beans). She pointed to a tiny speck of that ingredient (a finger nail size) on my plate and said "there it is". I said that surely isnt enough! I then asked her, because she didnt suggest this herself, if she was willing to compensate by taking of for example the cost of the sides ($5) and she said "no". In times like these when cafes are struggling, a smart welcoming manager creates goodwill and keeps customers coming back. My recommendation has to be: dont go there.

Written 8 September 2022

Coffeesnob92

1 contribution

Amazing coffee

Sept 2022 • couples

Whoever runs this place clearly knows their stuff when it comes to coffee. Despite it sometimes being more expensive than other local cafes, the extra 50c or $1 is worth it every time. We often go just for that, but have eaten a few times too. The menu is not your run-of-the-mill cafe fare, but creative and different, often meaning you get to try things you couldn’t find elsewhere. So far everything has been great though. If you like your coffee, definitely check this place out.

Written 25 September 2022

Cate

Auckland126 contributions

Back at my favourite cafe.

June 2022 • none

Relaxing of COVID restrictions meant being back in Oz. So . . . I went to my favourite Canberra café – Penny Uni in Kingston. Haven’t been here for ages. Coffee is still as good as ever, service is top notch and the hot breakfast is a great way to start the day, especially the “Green Eggs & Ham”! Working breakfast for five of us WFM, and we loved it.

Written 24 June 2022

Lucky L

Sydney192 contributions

Family lunch

Oct 2020 • family

Had lunch here with the family. It’s very popular and I can see why! Their food and service are amazing! It was seriously one of the best meals I’ve had! The crispy eggplant noodle salad was delicious. My husbands crispy chicken burger was tasty. Their spicy chai latte was so great, I bought a packet to take home. The atmosphere of this cafe is lovely and vibrant. It’s very busy but the staff have everything under control. The new staff are mentored by the experienced staff in a positive way... great team work! This is definitely our go to cafe when in Canberra! Their all day breakfast and lunch menu, along with their specialty drinks menu, is one of the best I’ve seen. Recommend it to everyone. Will be back for sure. A sincere shout out to Maddy who reached out to me after I lost my wallet outside the cafe. Honesty like this restores faith in the human race. She saved me a whole heap of grief! Thank you Maddy 🙏

Written 6 October 2020

amr100

Wellington1025 contributions

Interesting menu - expensive

Feb 2020 • none

When you pay $4.5 for mushrooms - as an add on I don't think it is unrealistic to expect more than 1.5 field mushrooms (and they weren't huge). Food was okay - but almost trying too hard to be different. But I had menu envy seeing the Japanese pancake. Staff friendly. Location was handy to hotel. Only annoyance as flies - they were everywhere and I don't think that is a Canberra thing. Place looked clean but ..............

Written 10 February 2020

JElliot32

New South Wales3971 contributions

Interesting if pricey breakfast

Jan 2023 • none

Had an al fresco breakfast here - as with other cafes in the Kingston shopping centre the place enjoys a spacious and very pleasant area out-front for outdoor dining. Not your standard breakfast menu, with interesting inclusions like Okinomiyaki pancake and Green Eggs and Ham, which are the dishes we ordered and they were excellent. And there were other interesting, often slightly unusual, meals on offer too. Coffee was good - a tad more bitter than we usually like but nothing the addition of a little sugar couldn't sort out. Prices were a bit higher than comparable eateries with charges for 'extras' being particularly steep, eg salmon $8, halloumi $7. tomato salsa $5. What did really rattle us though was the note on the menu advising of their surcharges: 10% on weekends which is not out of the ordinary but on public holidays it jumps to 18%. Ouch!

Written 14 February 2023

Jocelyn C

Canberra1043 contributions

Great place to eat

Nov 2020 • solo

I've eaten here several times when I'm in Kingston - mostly brunch. The menu has lots to choose from, lots of gluten-free options available. Staff are friendly and helpful. My last visit I had smashed avo with feta, it had an interesting side of quinoa. Nice size meal, fresh and tasty. Happily eat here sgs.

Written 24 November 2020

Robyn S

5 contributions

Terrible service

Nov 2023 • family

The service was terrible. We waited 45 minutes for breakfast and when it was served it was stone cold. They made another breakfast and offered a free cup of tea. $120 for three people for food that really wasn’t great. Won’t be going there again. Much better cafes elsewhere in Kingston with better service.

Written 1 December 2023

…

Showing results 1-15 of 435

As Featured In