Wear your favourite flanno to Tomahawks and you’ll fit right in. The American-style bar and diner is located right in the mountain town of Bright and it’s where locals go when they want some hearty, filling dude food. The menu runs to wagyu cheeseburgers, Korean sticky fried chicken, beef ribs and chargrilled broccoli with smoked almonds. Take the family to form some nostalgia-inducing road-trip memories on your way to Mount Hotham. Open Wednesday to Sunday from noon. 15 Camp Street, Bright; tomahawksbright.com.au

Eliza, Angela and Nicholas Brown opened KIN inside the 19th-century castle at All Saints Estate near Rutherglen in 2023. The siblings from wine-growing royalty also own the neighbouring property, St Leonards Vineyard in Wahgunyah. The KIN menu is, as you would expect, regionally grounded, served in a room of curved leather booths with floor-to-ceiling vineyard views. Worth investigating is the All Saints fortified wine list, back vintages included. All Saints Road, Wahgunyah; allsaintswine.com.au

The bony ridge of the Black Ranges is framed in the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the Chrismont Restaurant & Larder, set high above the creases of the King Valley. Settle in for dishes that draw from the Pizzini family’s Italian heritage, like slow-cooked osso buco or house-made potato gnocchi. Enjoy your seasonal feast alongside the estate’s prosecco, barbera and nebbiolo. The new Retreat Studios make an overnight stay an option. 251 Upper King River Road, Cheshunt; chrismont.com.au

Mansfield’s most interesting dinner option is a pan-Asian bar and eatery with a lot of ambition. Be equally bold with your order of crispy prawn dumplings with black vinegar and soy, a wagyu cheeseburger with habanero mustard, monkfish sliders and a round of clever cocktails. The eatery is lively and fun and likes to loosen the proverbial tie on weekends. Upgrade your gatho and order the Middle Eastern mezze menu. 26 High Street, Mansfield; thefields3722.com

This small bar and eatery tucked inside a heritage building on Rutherglen’s main street does seasonal share plates that marry European inspiration with the distinct character of Victorian produce. It’s the sort of place where a glass of local fortified wine seems entirely appropriate at 6pm on a Friday. The menu pivots around provenance and what’s in season and the wine list runs almost exclusively to Victorian small producers. 84 Main Street, Rutherglen; instagram.com/grace.rutherglen

Ava is the kind of destination diner that has helped the cosy Victorian town of Milawa remain on the map for foodies. Located on the Snow Road in Milawa’s culinary corridor, Ava is operated by brother-sister duo Paul Szeligiewicz (executive chef) and Monique Szeligiewicz (the front-of-house superstar). Plump for the prawn and scallop tortellini with laksa, or the lamb belly with tarragon and yoghurt, served in a warm brick-fronted room with an all-Australian and New Zealand wine list. Shop 1, 1594 Snow Road, Milawa; avamilawa.com.au

Michael Ryan has been cooking some of the best food in regional Victoria for almost two decades. The high-ceilinged space was a gold rush-era bank in Beechworth in the 1850s and includes accommodation in the old stables. The kaiseki-inspired tasting menu offers four courses with options like wild venison tataki with pickled rhubarb and sashimi with beetroot and pomegranate. The Parlour Amaro Bar, pouring Ryan’s own Beechworth Bitters range, is a more casual option. 86 Ford Street, Beechworth; theprovenance.com.au

John Darling planted the first commercial vines in the upper King Valley in 1970. His daughters Grace and Sophie now run the estate, making small-batch wines with minimal intervention adjacent to the cellar door. The setting is quietly spectacular: vines embroidering the valley below, mountains beyond. A weekend cellar door stop rather than a full restaurant, but the wines and view are worth the drive up from Whitfield. Open weekends. 94 Whitty Lane, Whitfield; darlingestate.com.au

The six-generation Jones family has been farming this land since 1860. Chef Briony Bradford, who trained with Michelin-starred chefs in London before landing in Rutherglen, runs a French country kitchen that pivots with the seasons and her mood. Murray Grey beef, local pork, duck and trout all make appearances on the menu. Dine beside the vines or order the charcuterie plate to take on a picnic in the grounds. Open Thursday to Monday for lunch. 61 Jones Road, Rutherglen; joneswinery.com.au

The Ritchie family has been farming at the base of the Victorian Alps for more than 140 years and established Delatite Winery in 1968. In 2021 they opened an architecturally designed cellar door and dining room framing views of Mount Buller. The share-plate menu draws from the estate’s own orchard, a growing permaculture garden and local producers and the biodynamic wines are excellent. Sit outside in summer; curl up by the fire in winter. 390 Pollards Road, Mansfield; delatitewinery.com.au

Stanley Pub was established in this tiny Victorian town in 1854 and, all these years on, remains the beating heart of the tiny farming town 10 minutes from Beechworth. Chef Sally Wright overhauled the menu a few years ago and now runs a high-end, Asian-inspired kitchen inside a pub that features pops of purple wisteria trailing on the verandah, an apple-box timber bar and a leafy beer garden. Share plates, local wines and a general store add to the charm. 6-12 Myrtleford-Stanley Road, Stanley; stanleypub.com.au

Australia’s first certified sustainable vineyard, established in 1886, sits on a natural billabong outside Rutherglen, one of the cosiest regional towns in Victoria to visit over winter. The lakeside restaurant serves estate-grown lamb, honey, citrus, wheat and seasonal vegetables paired with single-vineyard wines. Eat on the heritage homestead veranda or on the deck overlooking the water at the winery led with innovation by seven generations. 12 Moodemere Road, Rutherglen; moodemerewines.com.au

This European-style wine bar in a historic building is the place to be on Beechworth’s main street. The wine bar has a shady courtyard filled with dappled green light that sets the backdrop for food-friendly natural wines. The focus is almost exclusively on Beechworth wines poured by the glass and paired with tapas-style plates like grass-fed beef carpaccio and a trio of Appellation Oysters. Check current hours before visiting. 40 Ford Street, Beechworth; vinobarbeechworth.com

The restaurant at Milawa’s famous winery is built around a seasonal share menu produced almost entirely from what’s growing in the kitchen garden. Executive chef Bodee Price’s cooking is clever without being overwrought and changes with the seasons. Enjoy a share-style feast with family and friends or a light lunch while looping around the Pedal to Produce trail. The five-course Slow Lunch with matched wines is the way to do it properly. 244 Milawa-Bobinawarrah Road, Milawa; brownbrothers.com.au

This rustic coffee bar shares a converted mechanic’s garage with Reed & Co. Distillery, which tells you something about the grit-meets-glam neighbourhood the cosy Victorian town of Bright has become. Sixpence roasts small-batch coffee in the foothills of the Alps and takes the whole process seriously from bean selection through to the cup. Follow the cyclists coming off the Rail Trail who have worked out the best Pedal to Produce pit stops. 15 Wills Street, Bright; sixpencecoffee.com.au