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FIRST EDITION CANBERRA
- +61262455000
- 65 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
Published:
June 29, 2024
About FIRST EDITION CANBERRA
Dine in
Takeout
Delivery
Service Options
Highlights
Fireplace
Great cocktails
Live music
Offerings
Alcohol
Beer
Cocktails
Coffee
Halal food
Happy hour drinks
Hard liquor
Private dining room
Small plates
Vegan options
Vegetarian options
Wine
Amenities
Bar onsite
Restroom
Planning
Accepts reservations
Children
Good for kids
High chairs
Kids' menu
Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Wheelchair accessible restroom
Wheelchair accessible seating
Dining_options
Breakfast
Brunch
Dinner
Dessert
Seating
Crowd
Family-friendly
Groups
LGBTQ+ friendly
Transgender safespace
Payments
Credit cards
Debit cards
NFC mobile payments
Map
FIRST EDITION CANBERRA Reviews
Wife and I had a great time at the restaurant in this cold winter night in Canberra. Both beef and lamb dishes we ordered are done beautifully, plus nice drink & delicious dessert recommended by Jay (F&B supervisor) - service’s great, we had a window seat to overview the Canberra street - love the city and restaurant, happy to stay at Novotel to enjoy the food again in the future.
- Jeremy Resnick
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
We really loved this restaurant at Novotel Canberra so much so that we ate there two nights in a row and didn’t bother to look for an alternative in the city. Delicious and beautifully presented plates, great selection of courses with charming staff and the best restaurant manager who took personal care that we were satisfied. With the Accor membership discount this is a must do!
- Gregory Yates
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Went on the day prior to mothers day, for an early mothers day celebration for my Mother and my wife. Good experience, however service was very slow and poor. Food was not really fresh, and was only provided 1 cup to tea/coffee each. Was meant to be 2 hours of tea/coffee, but didn't get to order any until an hour in, and that took 25 minutes to come. Was provided Mocktails at the start, but these were not asked for/ordered.
A nice welcome, and details of what was happening/details of the High Tea would have been great, as we were just seated, and not provided any information.
- C N N
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Went in the eve of Chinese New Year and it was horrible. The menu was cut down to two mains with poor selection from other sections. No mention of this till you are seated. Then you get a different menu to that posted. Excuse being laxk of staff. Really?
- Alisi Fifita
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
We had booked 30 dinner, Canberra platers for entree- Vegetables were fresh tasted so good. Had Alternative drop chicken and lamb was really really good. Vegetables were done with perfection and the sauce was perfect. Meat was tender and moist. Highly recommend.
- Kris Sube
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
We had a wonderful experience at the restaurant. We were well looked after by Jay, Mantish and Sahass. The Cowra lamb was delicious as was the coconut panacotta. Definately a place to go for dinner.
- Ange McFarlane
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
We cannot speak highly enough about our experience. Having previously worked in hospitality ourselves, the exceptional customer service provided by our waitress Teagan, stood out to us both and we passed on our thoughts and expressed our appreciation to her.
We look forward to visiting again in 6 weeks time!
- Tamara Campbell
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
We booked a giggly high tea for friends. On arrival we were shown to a table which had a nice view but that was where the service ended. We did not get told what was happening so when we sat there for 15 minutes with no one coming to see us we grabbed someone to tell us what was happening and how to order a tea. We then had to ask for everything from then on. The food was pretty good and the drinks were fine too, but high tea should be an event. In this case I think they missed the mark on service. If you want a high tea try white rabbit just downstairs. Amazing cocktails, great service and excellent vibe.
- Rosalind Turner
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
This was a fantastic experience! A group of 8 of us went for the Giggly High Tea. Loved the quirky teapot cocktails and the food was delicious. The staff were very friendly and service was perfect. Only suggestion would be for more savoury options but everything provided was just lovely. Would thoroughly recommend.
- Dale Burridge
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
This fabulous little cafe has the best coffee ya gonna find in Canberra! We decided to go back for breakfast and we were not disappointed.
- Preiti Jessica
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
The drinks were diluted, the salmon was dry and tasted like it went bad, had to spit it out. My friend doesn't eat seafood but they didn't check with us about our dietary requirements
- Lily Oh
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
The dining experience fell short of expectations. My order of gambas arrived as burnt, overcooked prawns lacking oil. Despite an Accor Plus discount, I wouldn't consider returning. Service was lacking; we had to request individual plates, and attracting staff attention proved challenging, requiring frequent hand waving. Disappointing overall.
- Nicol
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
The booking process was easy as it’s all done online. The food was delicious. The venue was clean. The night view was great. The only suggestion I have is to possibly leave a bigger gap between the tables. I really didn’t like sitting so close to other people and watching each other eat. Definitely recommend.
- Malisa Lengyel
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
The atmosphere was good and the options on the menu were broad. As a vegetarian the two main options looked good. I ordered the roast portabello mushrooms. The meal was very tasty but unfortunately it was a small main even with a side order of chips. The crème brulee was very good and very impressive. Overall I would eat here again, however I think the vegetarian main could be increased to a bigger portion.
- jessica riddle
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
The 2 hour high Tea was amazing! Food, service and atmosphere were on point and we had a beautiful afternoon
- Jenny
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
So disappointed. Food very average and bland. We only ate 1/3 of meal. Pork belly was under cooked and too thick so chewy fat and hard to swallow. Coleslaw served with it had no exceptional flavour. Garlic and chilli fettuccine had no chilli or garlic flavour at all. Tried to save it by asking for Parmesan cheese- didn’t help. Grill vegetables side dish was nice. So many wonderful restaurants in Canberra….. we only visit every few months so disappointed we wasted a night’s experience here.
- Melissa Chan
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Recently came here for dinner and the whole experience was very enjoyable. The cocktails were on point, service was awesome and the food was delicious. Kudos to the chef and a massive shoutout to Jay who took great care of us. We will definitely be back!
- Lynette Williams
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
My friend & I both enjoyed dinner & breakfast during our 2 day stay in the hotel. Both meals were excellent. We only had contact with staff members during dinner but both were welcoming, polite & helpful.
- Laura Ghasemi
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Last night was our daughters 20th birthday and First Edition surprised my daughter with a lava cake. It was very sweet and thoughtful of them.
The food was fantastic and cocktail’s delicious. Such a nice atmosphere with great view over the street. Will definitely be back.
- Anthony Hutt
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Jay your restaurant manager has exemplary customer service. He goes above and beyond to make sure everyone has a superb dining experience. He’s the reason why we keep coming back here. Also the food and drinks are superb and amazing value as well. Thank you
- Jaye Ann Pasion
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
I had the roasted mushroom with pumpkin and feta stuffed it was absolutely delish and healthy!
- Victoria Govers
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Had to seat ourselves and find our own menus as there were no staff members in sight to aknowledge us when we arrived. Waited an hour for a club sandwich. See pic - this is not a club sandwich, more like a burger. Did not match the description in the menu at all. Ordered 2 scoops of ice cream for our daughter as we started the main...waited half an hour and still nothing. Couldn't wait anymore so had to leave. We had wanted to order dessert but considering the wait, we went elsewhere. The restaurant was only at half capacity. The bread plate was some dry toast with flavourless olive oil....and the cheese plate looked like it had been plated by a child, no finesse at all. Was a really, really disappointing dinner. I wish we had dined elsewhere. So upset we had to pay so much for that.
- Jen Steed
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Had the pleasure of tasting First Edition's new Autumn menu, it was delectable! I love Asian inspired food, bao is my weakness. I loved that they had a range pescatarian & vegetarian options! Would definitely dine here again!
- Michael Micallef
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Fantastic service, great selection of cocktails and beers. Bar Supervisor Jay is a champion. Very kind soul
- Ash Walford
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Dined here tonight for my partner’s birthday and the overall experience was amazing.
From the amazing food to the quality of staff.
Thanks team for making our evening a great experience.
10/10
- Niki Olivera
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Below average giggly high tea. We waited 10 minutes to be served and waited 20 minutes to receive our first drink. The food was okay but the scones were harder than a hockey puck. The cocktails were also okay, I wouldn’t say it was worth $70 each. We also tried to order more food as we were hungry but they said the kitchen was closed for regular food which was definitely disappointing!
- Dan B
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
Attended the Mother’s Day lunch. Fantastic location, great view by the window and excellent service.
They had a special area set up where the kids could do craft away from the adults which was amazing!
Only downside was the high tea itself. Some of the food was great but the staff forgot half our sandwiches. After chasing them down they tracked the other half.
The cupcakes they served for high tea we’re the worst I had ever seen. I literally tried to pull a piece off the cupcake or break it in half, but it was so stale and old it was genuinely difficult to do so.
I advised a waiter to tell the chef but it was late in the afternoon and didn’t have time for replacements.
Great venue and staff, just a shame about the high tea.
- nicolas hardy
30 Sun 2024 at 08.55 am
A disaster for a worldwide known hotel like the Novotel. We came to try out the truffle menu presented as a special edition in the restaurant.
Less than ordinary but to be honest a complex mixture of cheap ingredients with at the end a big bills and no mouth result>
Extremely unhappy and felt robbed honestly.
- RR J