3 Best Restaurants in The Clare Valley, South Australia

It may look like a standard country pub from the outside, but step through the front door and you’ll find an entirely different story. Plentiful leather chesterfields, chaise longues, and a shimmering blue-and-gold pressed-tin bar set the scene for the valley’s best dining experience. The elevated pub food includes delights such as duck sliders, honey roasted pumpkin, and chicken, beef and fennel meatballs, while the degustation begins with an hour long tour of the owners’ organic, biodynamic farm where much of the produce is sourced.

The adjacent six-bedroom house is available for rent and is perfect for larger groups.

The dining area at this local favorite spills from a 1850s cottage onto a beautiful veranda overlooking a flower-filled garden and rows of grapevines. The menu changes seasonally, but entrées might include fish tagine with olives, apricots, and Skillogalee figs with saffron and lemon couscous or dukkah-crusted chicken breast. You can't go wrong with the "vine pruner's lunch," chef Diana Palmer's spin on the British plowman's meal, a platter of rum-glazed local ham, cheddar cheese, chutney, and crusty bread.

Gourmet picnic baskets can be ordered (24-hours notice required).

People have watched the world go by from the veranda of this landmark hotel in Auburn, 17 km (10 miles) south of Sevenhill, since it was built in 1849. Pull up a chair overlooking the street and partake of the filling comfort food like braised lamb shanks with wilted greens and creamy mashed potato to go along with an excellent selection of drinks.