Delicious lunch spots to try in the Hunter Valley

Lunch with a view: Bistro Molines

Bistro Molines is the kind of place you’ll arrive at and never want to leave. From the dreamy setting overlooking rolling hills of vines to the food and service, everything is perfection. The decor transports you to the south of France, replete with wrought-iron chairs and candelabras, whitewashed cupboards and elaborate flower arrangements. When the sun is shining, book a table in the paved courtyard. Then order dishes like house-smoked quail on a cassoulet of beans, or baked figs filled with gorgonzola wrapped in prosciutto. If you can’t bear to tear yourself away, check in to the on-site Little Orchard Cottage.  

Bistro Molines, Mount View

Casual lunch dining: Leaves & Fishes

You could spend a day – multiple even – at Leaves & Fishes, which is part homewares store, part accommodation and part restaurant. It’s the latter that draws crowds come lunchtime. Whether you choose to eat in the dining room or on the lush grounds, you’ll be treated to Asian-inspired dishes like soft shell crab with Singapore chilli sauce, or szechuan-spiced chicken wings with pepper caramel and roasted peanuts. We wouldn’t blame you for ordering the fish and chips to enjoy on a picnic rug in the sun.  

Leaves and Fishes, Lovedale - Credit: Nikki To

Modern Italian with a local twist: éRemo Restaurant

The ethos at éRemo – the resident restaurant at Spicer’s Guesthouse – is all about connecting with local producers to create one-of-a-kind dishes. While the mod-Italian fare is undoubtedly the star of the show, once you visit, you’ll also want to linger thanks to the stunning views over the neighbouring vineyards. The kitchen serves up lunch seven days a week, and visitors can drop by for a meal even if they are not staying at the accommodation. Order generous serves of rock lobster and Calabrian chilli bucatini, roasted scallops with nduja cream, or dry-aged roasted Aylesbury duck coated in peach and muscatel chutney. If you are feeling especially hungry, opt for the ‘Avido’ (which means “greedy” in Italian) set menu, an indulgent four-course feast.

éRemo Restaurant, Hunter Valley

Farm-to-fork dining: Circa 1867

Lazy lunches don’t get much better than those enjoyed at Circa 1867, tucked into a heritage cottage overlooking Roscrea Estate’s verdant kitchen garden. Needless to say, the menu is all about paddock-to-plate fare. Eggs come from the property’s Japanese quails, veggies are plucked daily, butters and breads are made in-house. It’s hard to resist dishes like the smoked confit pork belly and wild-caught snapper, but there are plenty of options that hero vegetables as well. Because when they’re this fresh… 

Circa 1876, Roscrea Estate

A taste of Australia: Kawul

From bush tomatoes to lemon myrtle, saltbush and macadamia, Kawul is dedicated to heroing native Australian produce. Set on the family-owned Calais Estate and with endless views of vines, the restaurant’s menu is forward-thinking and relaxed. Which means you might start with damper and confit garlic or saltbush polenta chips, and then move on to Daintree barramundi on a bed of burnt onion puree. The dark chocolate fondant with bee pollen and wattleseed ice-cream is not to be missed.

Kawul at Calais Estate Winery, Polkolbin - Credit: Nikki To

French fare with flair: Mount Broke Restaurant

They say good things come in threes, and is absolutely the case at Mount Broke Restaurant. On Saturdays and Sundays, guests can pair wine tasting with a bistro lunch menu and beautiful views over the estate’s vines and the surrounding Brokenback Range. Overseen by French chef Julie Chevallier, the seasonal blackboard menu is European-inspired, so expect dishes like duck confit mushrooms with pommes sarladaises and truffle cream, or rib-eye steak cooked on the bone served with grenaille parsley potatoes and green salad. Leave room for the decadent desserts: the vanilla crème brûlée and chocolate fondant don’t disappoint.

Mount Broke Wines & Restaurant, Hunter Valley