Top winery restaurants in the Hunter Valley

Restaurant Cuvee at Peterson House

Located within the sandstone walls of Peterson House, Restaurant Cuvee frames its vineyard with grand timber trusses and floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s a fitting setting for a breakfast complete with a glass or two of bubbles or a long lunch. Come back later in the day and head chef Chad Pridue serves up nuanced dishes like spatchcock with truffled pork salami and pesto, or garlicky prawns paired with asparagus and peas. Prepare to settle in for a meal you won’t forget in a hurry. 

Margan Wines & Restaurant

Margan Wines are estate-grown and estate-made, not to mention they take home awards from around the world. Once you’ve enjoyed a tasting at the cellar door, slide into the onsite restaurant that exemplifies the same high-quality ethos. Hyper-local menus here are crafted around harvest from the kitchen garden and orchard, which is home to olive groves, free-range chickens, lambs and beehives. Your five-course culinary journey might include a crab bisque with parsnip, black garlic and cavolo nero, perhaps. Or barbecued Binnie Wagyu beef, sitting pretty on a plate of beetroot, radicchio and red cabbage. The menu is updated weekly, which means you’re treated to surprising bites every time you return. 

Esca Bimbadgen at Bimbadgen Estate

Perched above the winery with stunning vineyard and golf course views, Esca Bimbadgen combines modern-Australian cuisine with subtle pan-Asian influences. Their salmon gravlax and grilled pork belly have to be tasted to be believed. Order dishes to share over lunch or enjoy a three- or four-course dinner paired with Bimbadgen’s estate-grown wines. 

Muse Restaurant at Hungerford Hill Winery

Hungerford Hill is a legend among Hunter Valley wineries producing drops since 1967. Its restaurant, Muse, is the perfect spot to sample its award-winning vintages. The five-course menu is seasonal, with a focus on Hunter Valley produce. Think Jerusalem artichokes enveloped in Binnorie brie cream, with the added crunch of Branxton pecans and brik pastry, with a drizzle of honey. Or grilled Paroo kangaroo atop buckwheat and pickled shiitake mushrooms. Chef and owner Troy Rhoades-Brown nurtures a close relationship with regional purveyors – you can read all about them on his menu while you wait for staff to deliver plates that are almost too pretty to eat. Almost…

Iron Gate Kitchen at Iron Gate Estate

Inspired by wood, smoke, fire and the grill, chef Joey Ingram cooks up bold Iberian flavours. From flame-charred meats to smoky seafood, Iron Gate Kitchen‘s menu tastes like a holiday in the Mediterranean. Each plate celebrates flavour and is best shared over a leisurely afternoon in the sun-drenched estate. Every Friday, an 8-course Spanish feast is offered, complete with live entertainment.

The Gates Restaurant at Leogate Estate Wines

While you can order à la carte at The Gates, we recommend leaving your meal in the hands of the chef – the five-course degustation comes paired with award-winning Leogate wines. This means you could sit down to manuka honey-glazed pork with a 2019 Creek Bed Reserve Chardonnay. A combination made in heaven. Or a confit duck leg and 2018 Gatecrasher Pinot Noir. The sustainable estate that the restaurant overlooks is postcard-worthy with vines that date back to the 1970s; they were planted by one of the founding fathers of the modern Australian wine industry, Len Evans AO OBE.

Restaurant Botanica at Spicers Vineyards Estate

With its own private grounds of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes – which stretch almost all the way to the doorstep of the main guesthouse – Spicers Vineyards Estate is your one-stop-shop if you want to wine, dine and sleep among the vines. Sample the fruits of the estate with a bottle (or three) from the climate-controlled cellar’s 350-plus collection, try some vino-therapy at the luxe Spa Anise and dine on chef Matthew Bremerkamp’s farm-fresh fare at Restaurant Botanica. Many of the ingredients are picked straight from the kitchen gardens, not to mention the resident pigs. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer serene views while you indulge in dishes like Moreton Bay bug tortellini with zucchini and tomato essence, or lamb rump with black garlic and root vegetable gratin.

Cézan Trattoria & Bar at Krinklewood Biodynamic Winery

A little piece of the mediterranean in the Hunter, Cézan Trattoria & Bar at Krinklewood Biodynamic Winery serves up flavoursome, seasonal dining. Think delicate kingfish crudo, creamy hummus and rustic flatbreads. Each dish is thoughtfully paired with Krinklewood’s organic wines creating a seamless journey from plate to glass.

The Mill at Estate Tuscany

Situated on the grounds of Estate Tuscany, which overlooks 300 acres of vineyards, The Mill has built a reputation for itself as one of the destination diners in the upper Hunter Valley, thanks to winning a Chef’s Hat in 2020. Come for the magic mountain views of the surrounding Brokenback Ranges, stay for executive chef William Townsend’s outstanding seasonal menu. Think wood-fired prawns sprinkled with watermelon radish, pan-seared scallops served with chilli-celery-brown butter sauce or braised beef short ribs with a side of black garlic kasundi. All served with matching wines, of course.

The Wood Restaurant at Brokenwood Wines

Coffin Bay oysters, Manning Valley T-bone and Redgate Farm duck are just some of the local delicacies served at The Wood Restaurant. Executive Chef Sean Townsend focuses on perfectly balancing the flavours of every dish with an eye for detail that is sure to astound. Specialising in wood fired cuisine, share a bottle of Brokenwood Wines‘s finest as you feast at your new favourite dinner spot.