Where to eat in the Barossa Valley
With Gather Round upon us and games being played in our spectacular Barossa Valley, take heed of some suggestions of where to eat while you’re there.
Otherness Wines
Owner Grant Dickson is one of the best-known wine and food devotees in the Barossa. His calming wine-centric space acts as a food destination, a wine bar, and a cellar door where he presents a range of collaboration drops, designed by Grant and a number of local winemakers. It also is a shifting feast, each day (Thursday to Monday). Wine tastings begin at 11am, before lunch on a rolling menu of exquisite shared seasonal morsels by chefs Sam Smith and Emily Thomas. Around 3pm, things again turn to tasting, and cocktails, and then dinner (Thursday to Saturday) from 6pm offers more delicious sharing food from this innovative kitchen.
Otherness Wines
Vintners Bar & Grill
Peter Clarke and Rami Heer are a dream team, giving guests a sensory peek into the flavours of the Barossa. Chef Peter’s menu, presented as two, three, or four courses, is a keen picture of the best local produce. His “little bits” and smaller plates are sharing dishes. Larger meals, from steaks and quail to porchetta or a big beef rib can be ordered solo, or shared. The likes of sweetcorn and local feta croquettes and fried pigs’ ears with barbecue sauce tell the story of his adventurous kitchen, followed by smoked tuna or perhaps traditional blue swimmer crab pasta. Desserts are upbeat classics.
Fino Seppeltsfield
Things began, famously, in a quaint old building in Willunga. David Swain and Sharon Romeo had something like a sea change, moving across town to the mod, smart digs in the Seppeltsfield fold. Here, adjacent a beautiful barrel room and cellar door, their justifiably busy restaurant is in the hands of head chef Daniel Murphy who is continuing a vision of sharing plates, working with local producers and transcribing their spoils into elegant seasonal dishes. The menus, comprising set options of three, four or six courses (four or six on weekends), can be paired with wines. And a full veg/vegan menu has been constructed.
Fino Seppeltsfield
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Barossa Pho
It sounds pretty casual, and dishes such as “my mum’s fried pork and vegetable spring rolls with salad herbs” back up the theme. So will the prices, but there are also so many plates with wow factor in their different attitude and beautiful presentation. Locals in the know frequent Barossa Pho for the delicious meals, easy Asian vibe, and pricing that encourages frequent attendance. The mandatory hot pots and noodles are offered alongside some beauties, not least the gorgeous whole stuffed baby squid with tamarind sauce, and chim cut nuong mat ong which is grilled quail with honey sauce.
Essen
As a striking and serious attachment to the famous Artisans of the Barossa, you won’t be surprised to learn that Essen is a way of describing “how we like to approach the enjoyment of food – with wine”. The sharp and sleek building and its expansive verandah are contemporary architectural works where you can linger leisurely over food and wine presented a la carte, or as a five-course menu Wednesday to Sunday for lunch, and dinner on Fridays. Adjacent are Delikatessen for all-day eats and drinks, the Providore for platters, wine and local produce, as well as private rooms for groups and meetings.
Essen / Photograph Tourism Australia/South Australian Tourism Commission
FermentAsian
The inimitable Tuoi Do, award-winning chef and owner of FermentAsian, was one of the first to put Southeast Asian food into the realms of finer dining in SA. It began as a tribute to her Vietnamese heritage, with the aid of her parents, who tend her edible gardens. The menu and the restaurant space have grown, yet never waver from Tuoi’s penchant for lip-smacking flavours delivered in style. It’s fresh, clean eating, gleaned from her home plots and the local community. And now, Tuoi offers a way to safely linger over her excellent food and wine list, offering two three-bedroom guesthouses a short walk away.
FermentAsian / Photograph South Australian Tourism Commission / Duy Dash
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Appellation
Beautiful dining spaces flooded with dappled light streaming from sunny fields and vineyards form a light, bright setting for Appellation, a restaurant long considered one of the country’s regional best. The dining space and menu has shifted with the times. You can graze an innovative degustation menu matched with memorable wines, or take a window table for two and sup on a relaxed, seasonal menu. Both will feature local garden produce. While it is an integral arm to the adjacent The Louise suites, the restaurant also welcomes non-staying guests at dinner.
Appellation / Photograph South Australian Tourism Commission
Vino Lokal
Wendy, Elisa and Lucy are at the helm of Vino Lokal, a bistro-style restaurant which they describe as a collaboration celebrating “craftsmanship, good food and the art of winemaking”. The menu, while concise, is designed to be wine friendly, with all dishes meant for sharing. The wine collection on hand is quite eclectic, with a marked appreciation for small producers, and the cocktails are fun. Breakfast and lunch are served until 3pm. For dinner, Friday and Saturday, old fashioned classics including baked camembert and steaks rest alongside the likes of baked harissa kingfish. A feed-me option is available for groups of four or more.
Vino Lokal
Barossa Valley Chocolate Company
It’s one of those must-go destinations when visiting a wine region with your family or visitors. The usual mixed food preferences are covered. Chocolate of all descriptions, and viewing windows to see the makings, are souvenir experiences, and there is Benni’s Cafe & Gelati Bar for those making it a lunchtime stop. The menu delivers stone-baked pizzas, hot dogs and burgers for those seeking simpler foods, or beef ragu on egg noodles for the bigger appetite. Or follow the chocolate theme and feast on a shared milk chocolate fondue, with cake, lollies, waffles and fresh fruit to sweep through the choccy pot.
Barossa Valley Chocolate Company / Photograph South Australian Tourism Commission/Duy Dash
Char Barossa
Wine and a big juicy steak. It’s a match, brought about by a local team who opened the Char doors in 2019. The restaurant is all about great steaks, including Mayura Station wagyu rump, scotch and rib eye from the chargrill. Add charred broccolini and the main meat eater in your party will be satisfied. For those looking for more of a mix there are burgers, lamb racks, smoked duck and chicken. On the sauce side, the bone marrow and red wine jus will elicit considerable excitement, or a red chimichurri will feed the fiery palate. And the desserts are of the super-comfort variety.
The article originally featured in the 2024 issue of SALIFE Food+Wine+Travel magazine.
