Located just an hour by car from Melbourne, this cool-climate region offers a dining scene that complements its celebrated wines.
Eat & Drink
The Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges offer various options for dining and drinking in a scenic natural setting.
Various dining options are available in the villages and townships, ranging from intimate restaurants and contemporary cafes to venues with beautiful views. Visitors can enjoy fresh scones and Devonshire tea or choose from savoury and sweet treats at the local bakeries and coffee shops.
The distilleries in our area offer tasting paddles, shared platters, and degustation options. Additionally, there are restaurants with kitchen gardens to explore, passionate chefs, and locally sourced produce that keeps customers coming back.
No matter what you're looking for, you'll find it here, and we'll help you find it. Come with us to Yarra Valley Winery Tours.
Oakridge has the best vine dining
The dining room at Oakridge offers beautiful vineyard views, and the kitchen gardens play a crucial role in Aaron Brodie's menus. Dishes like salted kohlrabi and lovage with Murray cod and emu mortadella highlight sustainability. Visitors can also taste wine at the cellar door to choose favourites from the estate's award-winning selection.
TarraWarra Estate has a great winery restaurant
This rammed-earth winery, restaurant, and gallery is located against a hill and offers a variety of dining and tasting options. The cellar door provides a unique setting for tastings, and the chef offers a range of menu items, from olives to desserts.
Jayden Ong Winery & Cellar Bar is a top cellar bar
Jayden Ong, a famous vintner in Yarra Valley, provides excellent service and a relaxed visitor atmosphere. The barrel-lined room with extravagant floral displays is an evocative setting for a glass (or two) with snacks such as salami and pickled peppers. However, hungry people should be on the lookout for local rainbow trout with sorrel and butter sauce. Book ahead for a relaxed tasting with an expert.
Four Pillars makes the best gin
The Healesville headquarters now offers mini-G&T paddles, guided tastings, and interactive distilling experiences for gin enthusiasts. The recent $7 million renovation includes a thermo-friendly copper exterior and an indoor-outdoor garden where various G&Ts are served from taps. Snacks like gin-cured salmon bagels and hot chips with gin salt are also available, made using botanicals leftover from the distillation process.
Yarra Valley Dairy has the best cheese
Visitors can enjoy artisan cheeses made on-site at a former milking shed, including a creamy marinated Persian fetta. The range includes farmhouse styles from France and Italy. Local produce, such as preserves and crackers, is also available. Customers can also opt to stay and enjoy a cheese platter with a glass of local wine while overlooking the farm.
Innocent Bystander has the best pizza
A popular local restaurant located on Healesville's outskirts offers a variety of options, including easy-drinking wines on tap and thin-based pizzas cooked in a wood oven. Paellas cooked over the fire are also a popular choice.
Try Round Bird Can't Fly for breakfast
This café in Lilydale offers a variety of dishes made with local produce, including potato, ham, and cheese croquettes topped with poached eggs and hollandaise, as well as breakfast greens, mushrooms, and hummus. Laura Webb James prepares from scratch most items, such as granola and smoked salmon.
The Independent Gembrook is the best Argentinian restaurant
This South American pit stop, originally an old motor garage, is frequented by locals and families arriving from the Puffing Billy steam train. The menu showcases Mauro Callegari's Argentinian roots with beef empanadas, provolone cheese with chimichurri, and upscale offerings like lime-cured scallops with green chilli and spiced salt. The restaurant features a family-friendly outdoor beer garden, complete with playground facilities.
Napoleone Cider Orchard Bar has the best cider
The Orchard Bar, an apple-focused establishment connected to Punt Road Wines, has become popular in the Valley. Serving pear and apple ciders from a renovated shipping container in the Pink Lady Orchard, they also offer calvados, cocktails, and guest ciders. Guests can relax at shaded tables with a laid-back atmosphere and, on weekends, enjoy a variety of food trucks at the garden party.
