Dickson

Dickson is the inner-north suburb locals quietly nominate as Canberra's best place to eat. Woolley Street and the surrounding blocks host the city's biggest concentration of Vietnamese, Chinese, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese and Thai restaurants, plus a clutch of grocers, bubble tea bars and dumpling shops. It's casual, busy and reliable, with most kitchens running until late on weekends. The Dickson shops also cover the daily essentials: a big Coles, the post office, the pool, a tradie's club and the kind of breakfast cafes parents take the kids to before sport. Light rail and parking both work, which keeps it busy across the week.

• Asian restaurants
• Late-night dumplings
• Dickson Pool
• Family weekends