Orleana Restaurant is not new to the dining scene, but its menu is thanks to its new executive chef and Adelaide local of arkhé fame, Jake Kellie. The restaurant, which is located on the historic Kingsford property in the Barossa, is one of the prettiest spots in the region for a long lunch. The new seasonally inspired menu makes a trip here well worth it. You’ll get to sample the very best produce and wine the region has to offer, all while being treated to stunning views of the Barossa’s rolling hills. kingsfordbarossa.com.au

This might just be Tassie’s best-kept secret. Located at Piermont, a seaside retreat made up of stone cottages, the accommodations fly relatively under the radar when it comes to luxury properties across Australia. On-site restaurant Homestead boasts sweeping views of Great Oyster Bay and the Swansea countryside. The restaurant is open to the public for lunch and dinner, and takes full advantage of local producers, sourcing the freshest seafood and best quality meat for its seasonal menu. piermont.com.au

Josh Niland’s take on beachside, family-style dining is a shift from his Saint Peter menu, but the result is just as impressive, and delicious. Niland moved into the Catseye Beach Club space at The Sundays when the family-friendly luxury resort opened in May 2025. While still staying true to his core principles – sustainability and quality – Niland sources the finest Queensland produce to create a share-style menu that the whole family will love. hamiltonisland.com.au

After you’ve at Exp. Restaurant in the heart of Hunter Valley, it will come as no surprise that it’s been operating for more than a decade. The magic in the menu comes from the wide range of fermentation techniques that husband-and-wife duo Emma and Frank Fawkner are constantly refining. Think house-made vinegars and garums to miso, koji, cheese and charcuterie. exprestaurant.com.au

Bistro Livi is not the kind of restaurant you might expect to find deep in the lush heart of cane country, but this little gem is right at home in the arty community of Murwillumbah on the Tweed River. Though it may be founded by three old hands of Melbourne’s hospitality scene, with a fit-out by Melbourne design darling Flack Studio, Livi is all about the Tweed on the plate, building simple but effortlessly sophisticated dishes around beautiful produce from the surrounding sub-tropical farmland and nearby coast. bistrolivi.com

While Jackalope’s signature dining offering may be Doot Doot Doot, its winery restaurant, Rare Hare, is just as worthy of a visit. Overlooking LL Vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula, the views are picture perfect. Dishes are cooked over woodfire and showcase the very best seasonal produce the region has to offer. Naturally, dishes pair perfectly with LL Vineyard wines. jackalopehotels.com

No road trip along Tassie’s East Coast is complete without a stop at Bicheno’s Lobster Shack. A 2 hour 20 minute drive from Hobart, this family-run seafood restaurant not only offers one of the best lobster rolls in Australia; it also boasts uninterrupted views of Waubs Bay, from where the lobster is hauled in fresh each day. Stunning food paired with stunning views? It doesn’t get much better than this. lobstershacktasmania.com.au

Rooted in a garden-to-plate ethos, Milk Haus, located just outside the town of Milton, has become synonymous with locally grown and sourced ingredients, and a thoughtfully crafted seasonal menu. Serving breakfast, lunch and drinks, wander through the kitchen garden after your meal to see the very produce that inspired your plate. milkhaus.com.au

When locals are vying for a booking, you know a restaurant is something special – and de’sendent is exactly that. Set in an unassuming shop on Margaret River’s main street, this moody, intimate diner delivers an ever-changing, always-intriguing tasting menu that champions the South West’s best. Chef Evan Hayter has farmers and fishers on speed-dial to dish up anything from Margaret River venison and deep-sea crystal crab to just-caught local fish and Albany rock oysters. Paired with a WA-heavy wine list, it’s a true taste of the region. desendent.com

It’s as if someone plucked a pint-sized wine bar from Sydney’s Inner West and plonked it in the heart of Orange. Hey Rosey is a 20-seater wine bar that may be small, but it over-delivers when it comes to the wine and food. The wine list is ever-changing, featuring local, international and independent producers. When it comes to food, chef Hugh Piper, formerly of Dear Sainte Eloise, plates up small bites that pair perfectly with wine list – think anchovy toasts, charcuterie and seasonal bites mostly sourced from local Central West NSW producers. heyrosey.au

Get a real taste of McLaren Vale at The Salopian Inn. Sourcing seasonal ingredients from the kitchen garden, which has been nurtured for more than a decade, chef Karena Armstrong is dedicated to each dish being local, environmental and ethical. If they can’t grow it themselves, The Salopian Inn team works closely with local growers, makers and producers, who supply pasture-fed beef and lamb, pasture-raised free-range poultry and pork, and ethically sourced South Australian food. Not only is the food ethical, it’s also delicious. The bar also does not disappoint – innkeeper Alex Marchetti has a selection of more than 250 gins from Australia and abroad, and while here, you simply must check out the wine cellar, which boasts more than 600 local and international wines. salopian.com.au

This feels less like a restaurant, and more like a leisurely lunch spent at the sprawling estate of a wealthy country aunt. Other guests might be dining nearby, but when you take a seat here, you immediately feel as if it’s just you and your lunch date, being waited on by smooth-moving staff who manage to balance quiet efficiency with just the right level of attentiveness. The food is exquisite – in concept, in presentation and in flavour – with each course in the seasonally inspired Discovery Menu managing to delight in a different way. Be sure to visit the cellar door after your meal, then watch the afternoon draw to a close as a remarkable array of birdlife alights on the trees surrounding you. hentleyfarm.com.au

You can’t skip dining at The Union Bank in Orange. Just off the main street of town, The Schoolhouse Restaurant is popular with locals and travellers alike. Whether you want to dine solo or as a group, there are many spaces to suit your needs. The food is hearty and delicious – think elevated takes on pub classics – but the menu is always changing with the seasons and produce available, sometimes weekly, so you can expect something new each time you visit. theunionbank.com.au

Perched on the spine of the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Mapleton Pub has been given a whole new lease on life by the owners of nearby organic producer, The Falls Farm, who have transformed this old beauty on the hill. Former Spicers chef Cameron Matthews works in lockstep with the Falls team on a gastropub menu that reads like a shopping list from a farmers’ market. mapleton.pub

Local ingredients, sustainable cooking and open-fire cuisine is what you can expect at Eschalot, a cottage-esque restaurant nestled in the heart of historic Berrima Village. Here, acclaimed Southern Highlands chef Matty Roberts is guided by seasonality and what can be sourced from local growers, foragers and small-scale producers. Choose from the chef’s ‘feed me’ menu or the a la carte seasonal offering for modern Australian dishes that tell a story of time, place and terroir. eschalot.com.au