4 Best Restaurants in McLaren Vale, Fleurieu Peninsula

Billed as an eclectic regional dining experience, the Salopian Inn sources its food from a home garden (the menu comes with a map of the plot) as well as pasture-fed, locally sourced beef and lamb, free-range poultry and pork, and sustainably caught local seafood. Expect plenty of influences from across Asia in the cooking, which is best sampled on the A$85 tasting menu. Guests are encouraged to wander down to the wine cellar to pick an accompanying bottle.

"(Not a Greek restaurant)" warns the menu at this gorgeous restaurant on the cliffs at Port Willunga, 10 km (6 miles) southwest of McLaren Vale. Instead you’ll find plenty of seafood drawn from the aqua seas framed by large windows that make this an unforgettable dining experience---the Szechuan pepper squid with seasonal salad is a perennial favorite. There’s a two-course minimum on weekends but despite the white linen tablecloths it’s a relaxed dining experience. If you’re after something even more casual, the attached fish-and-chip kiosk is incredibly popular in summer.

The multicourse tasting menu at this winery restaurant is the most beautiful food you’ll encounter in the Vale. The presentation is often striking and innovative but the dishes themselves are still eminently approachable. Multiple seafood courses lead into a three-part main before desserts paired with Maxwell’s other famous beverage: mead. The venue itself melds traditional materials like stone and timber with more modern touches and overlooks gnarled 60-year-old shiraz vines and a working winery.

Local families, winemakers, and travelers all convene here for great seafood and a stellar wine list, all in a relaxed, comfortable setting. There are daily specials not to miss, and the menu ranges from fresh oysters to excellent bar food like classic schnitzel and and salt-and-pepper squid, and also includes more composed Modern Australian dishes with fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables.

Proprietor Doug Govan is particularly fond of Burgundy, so you might get to enjoy some very special Pinot Noir if you go down in the cellar to pick out a bottle.