Margot Bar, Canberra's new wine and espresso bar, opens at West Kiosk by Lake Burley Griffin

The brainchild of James Souter of The Boat House, and Nick Tyrrell of GoBoat, Margot Bar is dishing out the espresso, pastries, wine and cheese, alongside one of the best views of Lake Burley Griffin that Canberra has to offer.

In fact, not only is it Parisian in feel - and has French wines on the menu, alongside Canberra and New South Wales drops - Margot's name is a nod to the European city's most famous cafe. Les Deux Magots has been around since the 1800s and gained popularity due to the literary and intellectual elite who dined there.

"We've both been to Europe a lot, and we were inspired by the European style of approaching dining, particularly espresso and wine - to just have the ability to pop in and have a small bite to eat and either a coffee or a nice bit of wine," Souter says.

"We're trying to channel that more relaxed drinking vibe with coffee in the morning, with really beautifully crafted espresso. And then a small selection of wines from New South Wales and ACT, and French wines, in the afternoon."

Operating out of the West Kiosk on Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Margot aims to be a lakeside destination that's relaxed but still elevated. The menu is filled with quality wine, while the food offering - while still designed to be a bite to eat, rather than a meal - is curated.

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"This area of the lake is pretty underutilised at the moment," Souter says.

"We just thought that there are already some great offerings around the lake - I mean, I've got a couple of them with the Boat House and Armada Bar, and of course, you've got The Jetty and you've got Snapper and a few other things like that. But there's nothing really like this and it's another piece in the Canberra hospitality scene that also helps open it up a bit more on the lake.

"There are quite a few places that are super casual and some places that are a bit more formal, and there's not a lot of things that are in between.

"And the list will be changing often. We will stick with French wine for now, but Europe is the flavour that we're looking for and representing a local wine region, including New South Wales. That's the flavour that we're looking to explore."

Margot Bar is open from 6.30am on weekdays and 7am on weekends for coffee and light bites, including pastries from Wildflour.

Wine, cheese and a variety of small snacks are available from midday until sunset Wednesday to Sunday.

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