Canberra Cafe with a Playground: Rodney's at Pialligo

Nov 13

3 min read

If you’re looking for a Canberra cafe with a playground where you can enjoy delicious food, a gorgeous atmosphere, and let the kids run and play, then Rodney’s at Pialligo is the place for you!

We’d all love to be the parent who supervises their kid 100% of the time while they’re going bananas on a playground. Parents who don’t feel the urge to scroll on their phones, to chat to other parents, or drink a gallon of coffee to pass the monotonous time while our kiddos get their energy out. But the reality is that, sometimes, we need to sit and chat and eat and drink coffee, all while the kids are safely running around within our eyesight. If you’re looking for a Canberra cafe with a playground, that also has a top notch atmosphere, gorgeous food and will keep the whole family happy, then you need to head to Rodney’s, stat.

What will I find at Rodney’s?

Nestled in picturesque Pialligo, Rodney’s isn’t just a cafe. It’s a nursery and garden centre, plus it has two incredible shops loaded with the most incredible gift-wares, gardening supplies, homewares, food, delicacies, and plenty of other gorgeous trinkets. You can spend hours in the shops alone, so make sure if you’re heading out to Rodney’s, you leave some extra time to spend perusing them!

The cafe at Rodney’s, called The Kitchen Garden, has been around since 1996. With all of that experience, they certainly know how to keep their customers happy. Sprawled across the large grounds of Rodney’s, the cafe contains an inside area, a courtyard, an undercover nursery area, and a dedicated space next to the playground, which is perfect for parents who need to keep an eye on their kids while getting their coffee fix!

The playground is big enough for kids to burn their energy and utilise their imaginations in creative play, but also small enough for parents to keep an eye on kids while they sit at their table. There is also so much room in the outside area at the Kitchen Garden that if you’re kids-free and don’t want to be near the playground, you can have a nice secluded spot where you can’t hear the noise from the hustle and bustle of the playground area.

The menu at the Kitchen Garden caters for a broad range of tastes, and it also includes a great kids menu that is reasonably priced. There’s a takeaway lunch box that is perfect for fussy eaters, or those who are too excited to finish their food (you can put it in the box and take it home for later). The hot chocolate bomb is a big hit for kids; they love to pour the warm milk over the hot chocolate bomb (covered in sprinkles!) and watch as it slowly disappears into a delicious hot chocolate.

Rodney’s perfectly blends the outdoor cafe with the nursery, with potted plants, garden ornaments and water features dotted throughout - all for sale if you’re interested in buying them. Once you’re finished eating, you can wander out of the cafe grounds and into the nursery, where there’s a broad range of incredible indoor and outdoor plants and accessories.

Christmas is a particularly special time to visit Rodney’s, as the shop is brimming with gorgeous Christmas decor. There’s decorations of all styles and colours, and it’s a great place to find unique Christmas presents that you won’t find anywhere else.