We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we work and live and pay our respects to Indigenous Elders past, present and emerging.
Sovereignty has never been ceded.
It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.
Pilot is a restaurant that is truly us.
We opened Pilot in 2018 with a goal to create a welcoming space with authentic hospitality.
Hosting a 24 seat dining room and small outdoor area we are located at the back of the local shops in Ainslie, Canberra.
The menus created by Malcolm Hanslow are inspired by our experiences, the people we have met and worked with and nostalgic dishes from times past.
Most of all it is about our love for food, fun and great hospitality.
Other Bits
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During the warmer months you can grab a drink before or after your reservation at our courtyard bar.
Visiting Canberra? You can stay round the corner.
Tom Opie head of drinks for Pilot, That Other Place and Such and Such shares his musings, creative process and sustainability ethos
Current Exhibition | Alexa Kalo
Alexa Kalo is a Canberra-based oil painter whose practice explores culture, memory, and connection through food, wine, and the quiet rituals of gathering.
Working within the tradition of still life, Alexa’s paintings focus on the small moments that unfold around a table, shared plates, glasses of wine, fruit, and the traces left behind after a meal. Pattern and flatness sit beside carefully rendered forms, tablecloths, glassware, furniture, creating compositions that feel both observed and remembered.
Her work is interested in the atmosphere of these gatherings, the toast mid-sentence, the spills of wine, the warmth of people sharing space together. The works hold the imperfect evidence of conversation, celebration, and everyday intimacy that seems to fly past.
Alexa recently graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Australian National University, where she received the inaugural Tyger Gallery Award at the 2025 graduate exhibition. Her work has been recognised in The Mono Awards (Australia & New Zealand) with both a Top 100 selection and a Highly Commended award.
These works draw from the social rituals that shape belonging, the kinds of moments that feel equally at home in a dining room, kitchen, or shared living space.
Pilot began its partnership with local artists in 2018.
Since then, we have hosted collaborations and works by Canberra locals Emma Beer, Skye Jamieson, Jacob Potter, Aishah Kenton, Dionisa Salas, Astrid Barta, Grace Blake, Rowan Kane, Gabrielle Hall-Lomax and Alexa Kalogeropoulos.
All curations and installations are by our good friends and local artists Grace Bake and Kael Stace
Before enquiring below we have information on our menu, pricing, beverage offering and policies below.