Kita

If the owl perched in the Kita signage isn't an immediate giveaway, the stream of customers vying for a table at all hours of the night should be: this place is for night owls. As Canberra's only all-night, alcohol-free cafe, the family-owned and operated Kita — meaning 'us' or 'we' in Bahasa Indonesia — has carved out a niche of its own since first opening in late 2018.

It's one that has been readily filled by students, shift and service workers seeking an alternative to after-hours venues. The menu and dining offering is more akin to a home-cooked Indonesian meal than one of a late-night venue.

Located on a quiet shopping strip in Narrabundah in the city's south, Kita more than lives up to its ambitions to be a nocturnal hotspot for all — one as committed to nourishing its community as to cultivating it.