14 top Barossa Valley restaurants for lunch and dinner

With exceptional dining reimagined at the speed of light, there’s always something interesting to sample at the best restaurants in the Barossa Valley.

When you’re renowned for producing the best wine in the world, it makes sense to level up your culinary offerings. Exploiting the region’s seasonal supply of quality produce, Barossans have cooked up a raft of superb eateries, plentiful provedores, and once-in-a-lifetime food experiences. Here, the best restaurants in the Barossa Valley for you to indulge in.

1. Essen at Artisans of the Barossa

A pitched roof, deluge of natural light and views out across a procession of vines and the Mount Lofty Ranges play home to Essen, the benchmark dining space at Artisans of the Barossa, which has undoubtedly grown into one of the best wineries and cellar doors in town since floating onto the scene in 2021.

Find Essen at the Artisans of Barossa winery. (Image: Tourism Australia/ NECI)

Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a three-hour lunch sitting between 12pm and 3pm, the fine dining a la carte restaurant offers a four-course menu that strives to shine a light on the very best local produce. Devoured alongside an expertly considered wine pairing from Artisans’ collection of more than 100 top local drops, the dishes are fresh and flavourful no matter the time of year, making it one of the best restaurants in the Barossa Valley.

On the hunt for a quick caffeine and sambo pit-stop? More casual fare, plus excellent coffee, is also going at Artisans’ Delikatessen & Providore.

2. The Atrium at Hentley Farm

Winery dining in the most sophisticated of forms, The Atrium at Hentley Farm waves a wand over wild, foraged ingredients, turning them into delicate works of art.

The serene setting at Atrium is one of its many draws. (Image: Barossa Grape & Wine Association/ Sven Kovac)

A formal dining room featuring magnificent glass panels at the rear of Hentley Farm’s old stable-cum-cellar door, one of the Barossa Valley’s loveliest wine-tasting experiences, takes bookings for its Lunch Discovery Experience from Thursday to Sunday. Choose from either the Discovery Menu or the Chef’s Table, both paired with variously curated wine selections depending on your choice of luxury.

Chef Clare Falzon and her team know their way around culinary tweezers, delivering elegant meals including the much-buzzed-about eggshell packed with yoghurt and passionfruit, making it one of the best restaurants in the Barossa Valley.

Everything on the menu is a work of art. (Image: Barossa Grape & Wine Association/ Sven Kovac)

3. El Estanco

Entering Greenock, right on the fringe of Barossan wine country, doesn’t feel like much. But this small country town’s sly charms will stay with you long after you’ve ventured back into the belly of the Barossa Valley beast.

Expect a mix of Mexican, Spanish and Argentinian dishes at El Estanco. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

El Estanco, a mishmash structure of pressed metal, stone and well-worn brick on Murray Street, housing a mix of superb Mexican, Spanish and Argentinian dishes, is a rowdy, fun-filled breakfast and lunch refuge from Wednesday to Monday. Plus, Friday night’s Pizza Fiesta menu rolls out chubby-crusted wood fire masterpieces from its outdoor pizza oven, each begging to be chased down with a top-notch local drop.

Be sure to leave room for dessert. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

The fit-out itself is utterly epic. Outside, sunny blooms poke out from a cluster of 100-year-old cactuses in the space’s pebbled feature garden while wild plants share a terrace space dotted with tables. Inside, a sleek guacamole-green bar, more personality-plus cacti, exposed brick and stone, plus pitched ceilings are the perfect recipe for hipster-chic.

The guacamole-green bar is a stylish focal point. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Further in the mix, its patisserie churns out bread, drool-worthy sweets, and cold drip coffee, plus there’s a gift shop in case you get bored. What of those South American dishes? Authentic, abundant, and lathered in love every time.

4. Char Barossa

Crack open your favourite bottle from a day of winery-hopping at the warm and relaxed Char Barossa, conveniently located on the main stretch of shops in Tanunda and long-standing as one of the best restaurants in the Barossa Valley. Offering BYO throughout its lunch and dinner services, this family-owned bar and grill deliver hearty burgers and steaks in a casual environment.

Take a seat in the Char Garden, a tiled outdoor space looking onto leafy greenery, and dive straight into a precisely grilled cut of meat such as the South Australian King Henry pork chop, weighing in at 450g and served with crackling on a bed of sauerkraut.

If you’re stopping by on a Wednesday or Thursday, Char’s ‘Churasco’ menu, a fabulous tapas edit packed with 100g portions of South American-inspired goodness, is also worth a look-in.

5. Barossa Valley Brewing

All that wine slurping leaving you famished? Just down a bit from Char Barossa, on Murray Street, is the equally inviting Barossa Valley Brewing, home to Tanunda’s most homely beer garden, terrific tinnies and a stack of pub classics.

Stop by for a laid-back lunch or dinner at one of their long indoor or outdoor picnic tables or set up shop around one of the venue’s wood fires. Dishing up 15-inch woodfire pizzas plus generous comfort food including the ‘sticky peanut butter chocolate milkshake stout pork ribs’ made from the team’s sinfully delicious stout, the brewery is barrels of fun. Live music lights up the beer garden on weekends.

6. Lyndoch Lavender Farm & Cafe

You’d better like lavender if you’re checking out this Barossa Valley hotspot, which has attracted a steady stream of visitors for the past 30-odd years – these guys can’t get enough of the stuff. Lavender ice cream, lavender honey, lavender scones, lavender biscuits… you dream it, these guys make magic of it.

Open for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea in its cafe on the weekends, while also operating as a working lavender farm and gift shop every other day of the week, Lyndoch Lavender Farm & Cafe serves up a luscious collection of light meals and treats on its large terrace and out on picnic tables surrounded by those famous purple-laced shrubs.

7. The Farm Eatery at Maggie Beer Barossa

An iconic Barossan despite originating from Sydney, Maggie Beer and her Nuriootpa farm have long drawn crowds, desperate for a glimpse of where the celebrated chef originally crafted her famous pheasant and pate, plus her range of gourmet food and ingredients.

The Farm Shop has long drawn a crowd. (Image: Josie Withers)

Now, the spotlight arguably shines brighter on her daughter Elli’s restaurant, The Farm Eatery, one of the best restaurants in the Barossa Valley.

The Farm Eatery is now a major drawcard. (Image: Tourism Australia/ NECI)

Transforming Maggie’s former on-site function centre into an uplifting dining space offering three-course and five-course seasonable set lunch menus, Elli and chef Tim Bourke are making waves through dishes that are abundant yet refined.

Inside the buzzing dining room at The Farm Eatery. (Image: Tourism Australia/ NECI)

Embracing local produce and guided heavily by Maggie the matriarch, The Farm Eatery is guaranteed great dining in a setting stacked with character and charm.

The location is something extra special. (Image: Josie Withers)

8. Contour at The Louise

It’s party time at Contour, a homey bar and dining space located in Marananga’s outstanding The Louise, luxury Barossa Valley accommodation of the highest order. Open for dinner Thursday to Monday from 5 pm – 9 pm, this is great hospitality and quality cooking, but the mood is easy-going and gleeful – kind of the Barossa in a nutshell, really.

If you’re there in time for sunset, wrangle a seat right up by the windows offering unbeatable views across acres of vines and a horizon speckled with tumbling green hills, before picture-perfect cocktails and brilliantly executed dishes steal your gaze.

There’s also room to let your hair down at the long, sleek bar featuring cushy black panelling and creating softness amid such vivid views. As for the food, expect some of the best burgers in the region plus wonderful Asian-inspired surprises.

A winning combination at Contour Bar & Kitchen. (Image: John Monstesi)

9. Appellation at The Louise

Contour’s older, suaver sibling is Appellation, a major player within the Barossa’s fine dining scene. Welcoming guests for smart dinner sittings nightly, the space is modern and slick yet unstuffy due to knowledgeable, friendly waitstaff and that cosy, plush carpeting they’ve cleverly installed.

Inside the dining space Appellation. (Image: The Louise)

Its seasonal produce is finessed with bucketloads of care and presented as either a degustation or bountiful dinner for two. Executive Chef Asher Blackford brings international flair and expertise to his menu which overflows with delicious local treasures supplied by his people – a tight community of passionate Barossan farmers and growers.

The menu at Appellation is a treat for the taste buds. (Image: John Monstesi)

Those unforgettable views, similarly spied at Contour, are the cherry on top.

The deck at Appellation boasts some pretty incredible views. (Image: The Louise)

10. Ember Pizza Barossa

From the heroes behind Barossa Distilling Company, specialists in spirits, and Harvest Kitchen, the eatery at Calabria Family Wines in the Barossa’s Vine Vale, comes Ember Pizza Barossa – a place committed to creating a seriously awesome slice.

Devour one slice after another at Ember Pizza Barossa. (Image: Barossa Grape & Wine Association/ Sven Kovac)

Open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday, plus lunch Friday to Sunday, Ember’s perfectly blistered wood oven bases, hearty lashings of flavour and chilled-out, kid-friendly atmosphere make it one of the best restaurants in the Barossa.

Soak up the romantic setting. (Image: Barossa Grape & Wine Association/ Sven Kovac)

The oven itself, imported from Italy, is a marvellous sight in all of its monochromatic tiled glory, like an otherworldly spaceship sent from Neapolitan gods. And the festival of food continues beyond pizza with authentic Italian meatballs, arancini and ‘tear ‘n’ share’ antipasto platters on Ember’s ‘Kick Off’ menu, plus a collection of bellissimo desserts.

11. Fino at Seppeltsfield

And you thought the Seppeltsfield estate, one of the Barossa Valley’s best winery experiences, was extraordinary enough. Fino at Seppeltsfield, complete with its own collection of towering palm trees and lush lawns, and set at the foot of Seppeltsfield’s grand cascading water feature, offers a long, meandering lunch to remember. Whether you’re outside under an umbrella in the spacious courtyard or inside its earthy, bustling dining room, this feast offers countless flavour bombs in a lively, light-filled setting.

Prepare for an onslaught of flavour bombs at Fino. (Image: Fino Seppeltsfield)

Open seven days and led by famed Barossa chef Daniel Murphy, Fino’s open kitchen pulls together brilliant local produce, delivering highly considered à la carte or set-share menus filled with plates that almost look too good to devour. The experience is so good, they set up a second Fino over in Adelaide’s CBD, where the praise extends even further.

The lively atmosphere makes for a memorable experience. (Image: Fino Seppeltsfield)

12. Tanunda Bakery & Cafe

Nope, technically it’s not a restaurant, but no comprehensive list of the most delectable dishes within the Barossa can skip over good old Tanunda Bakery & Cafe on the main street of Tanunda. After all, when you’re winery crawling the day away, sometimes a buttery pastry is all the fuel you need.

Open from 7am until 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 7am until 3pm on Saturday, the Tanunda bakery is stuffed to the brim with savoury pies and pastries, including the ridiculously blissful cheese dog, fresh salad rolls and pizza rolls, German pretzels, homemade soups, artisan breads and a smorgasbord of the sweetest of treats. Donuts, streusels, buns, slices, cakes, twists and tarts – there’s no escaping the temptations of this much-adored culinary mainstay.

13. Otherness

The magnificently titled Otherness is an Angaston restaurant/wine bar that offers one of the best value tasting menus around: $70 for five courses, plus dessert. Of course, there’s nothing to say you must eat that many courses – although you really should give it a go.

Order the degustation at The Otherness. (Image: Barossa Australia)

Diners at Otherness, which is also a micro-producer cellar door, can enjoy pastries for breakfast, all manner of cured meats, olives and cheeses for lunch, and contemporary dishes with matching wine experiences for dinner. And we’re not talking an interstate job lot, but the result of former Fino at Seppeltsfield Executive Chef Sam Smith’s masterful collaborations with local growers.

The bright and open setting at The Otherness. (Image: Barossa Australia)

Don’t be surprised if you see some of the Barossa’s biggest names in food seated for a meal in this joint – Otherness is a Barossan industry favourite.

14. Flaxman Wines

If you’re more of a ‘private long lunch among the vineyards’ kind of person, a reservation at Flaxman Wines is your pass to indulgence. This bespoke, and so-scenic-it’s-silly, dining experience devised by former MasterChef contestant Col Sheppard, is set amongst the brand’s winery, which was purchased by Col behind his wife’s back (so the story goes).

Dine among the vines at Flaxman Wines. (Image: Barossa Australia)

It’s a good thing he did because the addition of a private mid-week, three-course lunch among the vines for four to six people has led to Flaxman crafting one of the best restaurants in the region. You can also join one of its monthly weekend-long lunches or book a private lunch at any time. The private option is suitable for groups of eight to 12, and the five-course meal can be held under the pergola, in the cellar door or even in the cellar. It’s your call.

Find more experiences, accommodation, eating and entertainment options in our Barossa Valley travel guide.