Lunetta restaurant echoes the eucalypt colours of the surrounding landscape. Photo: Lillie Thompson.
New Canberra restaurant Lunetta – housed in the elegantly refurbished Red Hill Lookout – has taken out the gong for the ACT’s Best Restaurant, as well as being nationally shortlisted for Best New Restaurant in the Gourmet Traveller Awards, Australia’s longest-running restaurant awards.
Lunetta is located on the top floor of the iconic Red Hill building and boasts some of the best views across the Capital, with sister restaurant Lunetta Trattoria occupying the ground floor. While the Trattoria features warm, grounded tones, the upper floor echoes the surrounding eucalyptus trees with cooler grey-green colours.
Tracy Keeley and son Nicholas Keeley accepted their award at the dinner in Hobart. Photo: Supplied.
Both restaurants are owned and operated by Tracey Keeley, along with her sons Matthew and Nicholas Keeley. The Keeleys also run Pollen Cafe at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
“We’re deeply honoured to be named the ACT Restaurant of the Year. Lunetta has been a labour of love from day one, from restoring this beautiful Red Hill landmark to crafting each detail of the dining experience,” Tracey said.
“We’re so grateful for the support from our guests, the Canberra community, and our extraordinary team who bring it all to life each day.”
Executive chef Tristan Rebbettes developed Lunetta’s fine-dining, fire-driven menu and offers a range of European-style dishes made with local produce, like Ulladulla line-caught butterflied blue mackerel, mussels from Jervis Bay, and salad greens from award-winning producers Living Earth Farm near Young. The premium offering also includes the option to add Italian caviar to certain dishes and features local truffles.
Lunetta restaurant at Red Hill is an iconic Canberra building. Photo: Lillie Thompson.
The award comes hot on the heels of recognition for the impressive refurbishment of this iconic building, which first opened in 1963. Czech-born architect Miles Jalk created the original design, and Dr Enrico Taglietti added new convex bay windows two decades after it first opened. The recent refurbishment was awarded the Monocle Design Award for Best Renovation 2025 and the Enduring Architecture Award presented by the Australian Institute of Architects.
The awards, now celebrating their 45th year of culinary excellence across the continent, were held for the first time in Hobart, at The Henry Jones Art Hotel. Other winners on the night included Sydney’s Saint Peter, a highly awarded seafood restaurant headed up by Chef Josh Niland. The Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality award went to Tony Tan for his long career in culinary education in Asian cuisine. The multi-level Melburnian behemoth Maison Batard by the Chris Lucas Group was announced as the Best New Restaurant of the year.
Lunetta’s win is a testament to the ambitious vision of the Keeley family, and another well-earned accolade for this light on the hill.
Lunetta is located upstairs at Red Hill Lookout and is open Wednesday and Thursday, 5:30 pm until late, and Friday and Saturday, 12 noon until late. Follow Lunetta on Instagram.
Lunetta Trattoria is located downstairs at Red Hill Lookout and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11:30 am until late.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
