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Canavan's Restaurant
Review
About
Features
CUISINES
International, European, New Zealand
Meal types
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly
FEATURES
Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wifi
Full Bar
Parking Available
Reservations
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Table Service
Wheelchair Accessible
Location
Is this restaurant a hidden gem or off-the-beaten path?
Save this restaurant
Hours
Closed now
• Opens at 6:30 AM
Sunday
6:30 am - 10:00 am6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Monday
6:30 am - 10:00 am6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Tuesday
6:30 am - 10:00 am6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Wednesday
6:30 am - 10:00 am6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Thursday
6:30 am - 10:00 am6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Friday
6:30 am - 10:00 am6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Saturday
6:30 am - 10:00 am6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
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4.0
30 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
10
Average
5
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Naina-Damani
London990 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
A stylish restaurant with a charming bar with an open log fire. Our dinner was well presented which was freshly made and delicious but the quantity was not adequate for some people as we were in a massive group with AATKings. Breakfast was reasonable.
Written 8 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John P
Scottsdale176 contributions
Mar 2024 • couples
Had a nice dinner here—enjoyed the salmon and appetizers. Has cold beer—service was excellent. Worth a visit especially if staying at hotel.
Written 9 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob H
Mississauga17905 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
My wife and I were on a tour and stayed at the Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier hotel and had a meal at the Canavan's Restaurant. The food was great and the restaurant had a wonderful selection.
Written 8 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
victoria
6 contributions
Oct 2023 • couples
Looks better than it actually is, sadly.
The waitress mixed up our orders twice, the pasta starter didnt have a lot of flavour and our mains were basic as well.
Staff were friendly but didnt seem like they knew what they were doing.
All in all not the worst experience but not worth the price.
Written 9 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
perioddramafan
Vienna21 contributions
Sept 2022 • none
Our small tour group had dinner at this hotel restaurant in late September 2022. The Table d'hote menu offered 4 entrees. However, 5 out of 10 people could not get the pan fried salmon and had to settle for rib eye beef or pea risotto. I was one of the lucky who had salmon. It was all right, but a bit dry.
In addition, the dessert , a coconut brownie, was dry and hard to cut into.
Maybe , it was the cook's day off. But the server too? She mixed up our orders, and we ended up switching plates around the table.
The view of the mountains was wonderful--which nearly made up for the deficits.
Written 22 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob H
Mississauga17905 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
My wife and I stayed at this resort and enjoyed eating here. There was a good selection of food available.
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hannah J
Penguin9 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
The food is just beautiful, we had dinner here the 2 nights we stay in FJ and we have no complaints at all.
wonderful service, kind staff and lovely meals, what more could you ask for!
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cruiser23359887156
Hi Hannah
Thank you for taking the time to review our restaurant. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed your dinner, and service during your stay here in Franz Josef.
We hope you enjoy the rest of your time here in New Zealand.
Nga mihi nui
Eveline
Written 9 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lucinda J
Wellington1137 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Really nice buffet breakfast but a little more variety of fresh fruit would not go a miss. A barista would also improve it
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mvidro
Washington DC428 contributions
Nov 2019 • none
Most of the food we ate in New Zealand was fabulous. Given that, I was a bit disappointed with Caravans. While the sauce was good, the lamb was overcooked and the potatoes were oily. The apple strudel was OK, but had too much crust for my taste.
Written 30 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lesley M
16 contributions
Jul 2019 • couples
The restaurant was quiet when we visited as it was the quiet season. However, the service was good and the food was delicious. There was a variety of dishes on offer to suit a variety of tastes and appetites.
Written 13 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MickYuan
Dear Lesley,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor.
I am delighted to read that you have enjoyed dining with us in the Canavans Restaurant. We do aim at providing great service nonetheless we are in the quiet season. Much appreciated for your kind recognition.
Thank you again Lesley and we hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip!
Kind regards,
Mick
Written 15 July 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Christine W
69 contributions
Feb 2019 • family
I would have preferred to give this restaurant 3.5 stars but there you go.
Staff were a little snooty when we booked our table, as we had just come in from walking I guess, and didn't look very smart. Seemed reluctant to let us have a table.
Starter was good, and puddings were luscious, but the sous vide duck was as tough as old boots - I guess we should have sent it back. I'm going off sous vide now as a method of cooking, as I had lamb later in our trip at a different restaurant, and that was also quite chewy.
Regarding the menu, we were really looking for food with a New Zealand slant, but their menu options were very limited with that regard. I don't remember seeing lamb there, but the green lipped mussels we had for starters were huge and wonderful.
Staff were very attentive though, and the wine was good.
Great views from the upstairs conservatory.
Would I go back? I'm not sure.... But my husbands main course was good, so perhaps if we'd chosen something else off the menu, it would have been a solid four star and good recommendation.
There are steps to both restaurants to my recollection, so would be difficult for disabled folks to visit - although maybe there was a ramp on the downstairs restaurant, I'm afraid I can't remember.
Written 9 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MickYuan
Dear Tripjunkie1
Thank you for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor.
I am with regret to read that you did not enjoy the duck. Your feedback has been passed onto the team and the team has taken it positively so as to make sure our production be more consistent in the future.
I am glad that you did enjoy the rest of the evening with us.
Thank you very much again and I hope you had enjoyed the rest of your trip in New Zealand.
Kind regards,
Mick
Written 11 April 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
HC G
Singapore39 contributions
Dec 2018 • family
There are not many options in Franz Josef as there are only a handful of restaurants. I reckon Canavan's is the most high end one (arguably the most expensive). What we pay for is good quality ingredients, very nice presentation of the food, great ambience as the restaurant overlooks greenery and the glacier peaks. Since its in a hotel, it is also much less rowdy then independent restaurants. Our orders included fish of the day and the very tender beef. Upon knowing we are celebrating my daughter's birthday, the manager presented us with a complementary cake!
Written 31 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MickYuan
Dear Mr. Goh and family,
Thank you for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor.
Glad to hear from you and I am truly delighted to read that you have enjoyed your dining experience with us. Thank you for choosing us and let us be part of this special occasion.
I hope you had a great trip in New Zealand and have made it home safely.
Kind regards,
Mick
Written 26 January 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
23PeterJ
Sydney216 contributions
Dec 2018 • friends
This review is in relation to Caravans as a restaurant for the dinners we had on two nights while in FJ not as part of the hotel to which it is attached. The hotel and breakfast in this location is the subject of a seperate review.
We arrived in FJ on Christmas Eve and not knowing how busy the place would be we decided to pre book dinner in this restaurant for Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Dinner. The first was Ok the second was a BIG mistake!!
Christmas Eve: The staff and service was good and attentive and the meals we ordered were quite enjoyable except for one dish. This was a vegetable lasagna. Now this should be reasonably easy to prepare but the dish delivered was tasteless and nearly inedible. Unfortunately, when collected virtually untouched by the staff no questions were asked about it being barely touched.
Christmas Dinner: This was a big let down. Staff service was Ok but they were really just working a busy floor and did not really want to get involved in problems or issues. The three course meal that was served (a selection from 3 dishes for each course) was, to say the least, terrible. The food when served was only lukewarm or cold (this is Ok if it is a cold dish but they weren't all surprised to be cold!!!!) and generally quite bland and tasteless. A steak that was ordered medium rare and suggested as being only available as medium was served well done, was tasteless and practically inedible.
This would certainly rate as one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had and the only positive point was that after complaining to management representatives we were given a credit for the price of the meal which had been prepaid due to it being a Christmas Dinner and I would thank the staff for this.
Written 28 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MickYuan
Dear Peter,
Thank you for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor.
I am disappointed that we did not deliver our service standard on this occasion. I am sure there are things we can improve on. Your comment has been brought to the attention of our team and procedure is in place to help us deliver our service standard consistently.
Thank you again Peter. And I hope you had a great trip in New Zealand and has made it home safely.
Kind regards,
Mick
Written 26 January 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TravellingNature
New York City219 contributions
Dec 2018 • couples
A good restaurant with friendly service and excellent food. Was surprised because it was located in a hotel. But a good selection of entrees with a lot of vegetables and nice dessert menu.
Written 27 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MickYuan
Dear TravellingNature,
Thank you for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor.
We have a team who love food and wine and being a hotel restaurant not only doesn't limit our eager to serve but give us even more reason to provide great experience! I am glad to read that you have enjoyed dining with us!
Thank you again TravellingNature and hope your travelling nature will lead to the very best in your journey.
Kind regards,
Mick
Written 29 December 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
KCKaycee
Yarrawonga343 contributions
Dec 2018 • couples
Just walked into this restaurant in peak holiday time at FJ and were nicely surprised - first public holiday and no surcharge possibly the only place on town that didn’t ! Staff were all very polite happy and eager to please. The menu was extensive enough to cover all palettes and dietary requirements. Our meals were well presented and served in good time - my crepe Suzette was large enough to feed a small army and the gold chocolate reindeer were a delightful Christmas Surprise
Written 26 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MickYuan
Dear KC,
Thank you very much for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor.
And also thank you for your eyes on details to point out a few things we take pride on.
Yes we do not charge public surcharge as we aim at providing service with value for money, especially on public holidays when our guests are supposed to celebrate!
Our executive Chef Jan designs this fusion menu to delight locals and international travelers and our Crépe on the menu is definitely one of the best items for you to share.
Thank you again KC. I wish you all the best for the rest of your journey!
Kind regards,
Mick
Written 28 December 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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