Snapper & Co. — Restaurant in District of Canberra Central

Booking process was a complete nightmare, beware if you book through their AI system! You need to actually speak to someone though good luck with that as it took us multiple attempts. Finally spoke to someone as a friend warned us about the AI system being unreliable, only to be told they didn't have our booking. Service was so horrible we considered just leaving. We sat on the deck and didn't realise we couldn't order drinks at the bar and bring them outside. Staff informed us we had to order through them as it was table service only on the deck and made my brother pour his beer into a glass they provided. It was then extremely difficult to get said table service despite there being 3 waitresses and not many tables occupied. Once we managed to order our drinks we watched them sit on the pass going warm while the 3 girls stood around chatting and staring off into space. One of the wine glasses had a lipstick mark on the lip and when we politely requested a new one there was no apology and waitress acted really annoyed and inconvenienced that she had to get another one. With the amount of time she was gone (and the fact you can see her enter the bar area from the tables) i highly doubt it was a fresh glass of wine. Having worked in hospitality for 10+ years i was genuinely shocked by how poor the experience was, especially given the venue’s clear intention to provide an elevated dining experience. The only saving grace of the whole ordeal was the food was delicious though a bit over priced considering the same dishes are around $4 cheaper if you sit in the courtyard.. so you pay extra for a plate and bad service? Also no mention anywhere on their website or at time of booking our party of 9 that they don't split bills and no ATM in sight which made it difficult and stressful for the older members in our party who aren't set up to be able to transfer money easily. What was supposed to be a nice treat for the family ended up being a huge let down. Wouldn't recommend. At least not dining on the...

frozen Rubbish! We booked the cabana for my fathers lunch birthday today (5-1-24) we were extremely disappointed with the food! The seafood platter was not edible, the Balmain Bug & crab did not look nice & tasted like frozen rubbish. The grilled prawns were disgusting, the pumpkin salad was tasteless! The only thing that was nice was the pizza (the prawns were disgusting on the pizza) & the crumbed Dory and chips, which was bought to our table an hour after the rest of the food, after asking for it 3 times. Over $300 worth of food served in cardboard at a yacht club is disgraceful! When we asked for plates to share the platters we were told they don't have plates, so we ripped the lids off the served food and used as plates, like we were having takeaway in a park! I mentioned the disappointment to 2 staff members, with no response, so I went in to see the manager who said he would talk to the chef and come back to see me. We sat there for another 40 minutes waiting for him to come back to discuss the disappointment but with no reply! We had 2 separate orders totaling over $300, what a disgrace! We arrived before it got busy, and as a chef of 20 years I understand pressure in the kitchen, but it's a simple menu! Food and customer service I wouldn't even give 1 star! (The Barista was lovely and made good coffee) Extremely disappointed that we got no reply from the supervisor, I will never visit again and never recommend Snapper on the Lake. Also adding the greasy handprints on the bathroom doors, and...

The Deck. Overpriced and very underwhelming. $19 for a bottle of sparkling water alone.

If you're thinking about booking, think again. The rest of the establishement is worth attending.

We visited this restaurant for a birthday celebration, and unfortunately, it was an overall disappointing experience. The food was overpriced, and the service felt rigid and unaccommodating. Despite making a group booking, we were separated and not allowed to move tables to be together or split bills, which really took away from the celebration. We were also not allowed to order drinks from the bar, despite slow service from the wait staff.

The gluten-free options were extremely limited—rather than offering thoughtful substitutes, they simply removed ingredients, making for a very underwhelming meal. To make matters worse, our table was swarmed by bees, making it difficult to enjoy our time.

One of the biggest letdowns was the charcuterie board—we specifically requested it as an entrée, yet it arrived after our mains, with the deli meats looking sweaty and unappetizing, clearly left sitting out for far too long.

It’s evident that the waitstaff are only as good as their leadership. Some serious training and a focus on customer experience are desperately needed if this restaurant wants to remain competitive in Canberra’s thriving dining scene.

Please do better. There are plenty of incredible options in this city, and unfortunately, this isn’t one...