Mintaro pub lunch We had a really enjoyable lunch at this…read moreheritage listed country pub. The lamb shank was delicious and the vegetable lasagne was good. The food on the other diners' plates also looked good! We did have to wait a while for our food though!

Right, so we were in the Clare Valley on a weeknight and desperately tried to find a restaurant…read more Our guide said that Mintaro is one of the most famous towns, not only for its historic buildings but also in terms of accommodation and restaurants. Well, whoever wrote that guide should consider rewriting it - at least in what concerns restaurants. The Magpie and Stump Hotel was the only place that was open in the whole town, it was probably also the only place where we saw lights or any sign of life. Walking in, you feel like you've been transferred back into time. Seriously. We walked in and my first thought was 'Where the hell am I here?'. The place looks old and outdated, yet somehow charming because it's very different to what you'd expect. They serve traditional pub food and the only other people in there had the same food as we did: pie. You can't go wrong with pie. It was good and they have a large selection of beer and wines. Would I go back? Well, it was truly a unique experience but, unless I'd be stuck in Mintaro, I don't really see a reason to drive into the middle of nowhere just to enjoy something I could have pretty much anywhere else.

This was actually quite a lovely pub out in the country, and it really did have some charm about…read moreit. Okay, being a country pub I wouldn't expect a huge selection of beers on tap, and they certainly don't have that, however I found that the service was quite good, and that atmosphere quite relaxing as well. There was even a rather nice beer garden down the side, which also added to the atmosphere of the place. Sure, it wasn't too crowded, but that sort of did have something to do with it being mid-afternoon. Still, it was a nice pub nonetheless.

We eat here a lot and almost always have a great time…read more The owners are very active within the but and the chef, Derek, is the owners son so cares about quality and variety of food. They menu changes every now and again but they always make sure to have at least one vegetarian meal on there. Husband informs me that the schnitzels are almost always moist and yummy this time no difference. We love the beer battered fries which are moreish and delectable! I have the sweet potato fries and a haloumi stack. Some days they have salad and veg bar and some days you pick salad or veg with your meal. Dessert was a Belgian chocolate cup which for $5 was amazing! They do takeaway as well which we take advantage of too. We will continue coming back her for many more years to come.

Honestly, I really wasn't all that impressed with this place, though I probably shouldn't be too…read moresurprised considering that it does happen to be a country pub. However, it is also one of those country pubs that just happens to be located out in one of the small towns on the approach to Clare. In a way this place probably shouldn't have had a bit more charm than it did, but it really was the service that put me off. Yeah, I wasn't all that thrilled with it.

An amazing meal, the entree's were pretty good as well…read more Pulled pork croquette and halloumi to start, the kids chicken nuggets we're home made for the little one, which she devoured. Shredded lamb and the rump for mains were delicious. Highly recommend a visit

A roadhouse in a 19th century buttery. Sounds like it should be in a quaint ye olde English…read morevillage, instead it's located at the entrance to the Clare Valley. And with a debonaire looking grasshopper as its namesake, it could be a place straight out of Wind In The Willows. The Grasshopper Roadhouse is one of those places that you feel has been there forever. I remember passing it many times travelling from Clare to Adelaide as a kid. And now I can show it off to my own daughter. Apparently it was named after it's sister business, The Grasshopper Inn, in the UK. And I suppose a roadhouse is the modern equivalent to those old English inns. Unfortunately you won't be able to order a pint of ale to go with your slab of stilton, but you are able to get a decent coffee and Pine-Lime Splice ice-cream (if that's your bag - and when you're 5 years old, it generally is). They also proclaim to have a big all day brekkie, hamburgers and the usual roadhouse fare. You can also fuel up while you're there. There is the option of sitting inside and taking in the general quaintness of the stone building, or you can sit outside at the hewn stone picnic table and chairs. Although on a particularly sunny day, with minimal shade, it may leave you feeling a little on the cooked side. Coming into the so-called 'silly season', it's important to stop, revive, survive. What better way to do that, than in true Ratty and Mole style at the Grasshopper Roadhouse.

We chose the Riesling Trail & Clare Valley Cottages (RTCV) due to the proximity to the trail--it's…read moreliterally at your front door--and the sense of privacy the photos suggested. We were chuffed with our decision. We stayed in Daisy Cottage which is the Southern most cottage, and one of the most private. It was small and tidy--just what we needed for a weekend away. The wood fire made the cottage just perfect. In the living area there was a queen size bed and small couch, off to the side an ample kitchenette, and a bathroom with a full-size spa bath. We opted for the Getaway Package which included provisions for a hot breakfast--I told them I was vegan and was met with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, bread; all the good stuff,--a bottle of wine, port and a few other little touches to make the stay even more enjoyable. We also got discount bike hire as part of this package. As I said earlier, the cottages are right on the trail. The bike hire place is directly across the road. We spent half a day on the Riesling Trail, visiting Kirrihill, Tim Adams, Sevenhill and Little Red Grape in Sevenhill--the adjacent homeware store is amazing. All these wineries are highly recommended. RTCV Cottages are perfect for a couple wanting to get away from the city for a weekend. Highly recommended.

The service in this place turned out to be rather good, but then again this is sort of something…read morethat I have come to expect from a lot of these country pubs. The town itself is rather quiet, as was the pub, which was something that I certainly did appreciate. However, the beer selection was somewhat limited, but once again, this was one of those things that I have also sort of come to expect as well. However, as a pub, yeah. This place did happen to be rather nice.

I grew up in Mallala so the pub has fond memories for me but it wasn't until Dylan took over that…read morethe pub became the great social place it is now. There are quite often events or live music of some kind on weekends. The bar area is fairly small but it's cozy and fun. The outside area is big and great for events etc. We had boo's christening after party in the outside area. They set up big tables for us and we filled the area. While they are happy to change items on the menu to fit it would be great if they could work on adding more items to the menu that are vegetarian. Food and drink are reasonable priced. Some of my friends did complain that service was a bit grumpy and rude (but probably the large amount of people we had in our party contributed to that) which was a bit embarrassing for us as we had gone on about how friendly they are. On other times when we have gone for tea etc they are lovely and friendly.

Well, we were on our way back from Burra, and the last couple of towns that we had passed through,…read morewhile they did have pubs in them, they weren't really open, so we arrived in Tarlee, which did have a pub, that was also open. Look, I wouldn't expect anything all that fancy from this place, but as a country pub it is pretty good. The staff were quite friendly, and yeah, the the beef schnitzel, yeah that was awesome.

Great location! Nice little cottage real shame the fires not open type and it has eighties spa…read moreinstead of cast iron bath and a lot of eighties fit out (but underneath it is a genuine old cottage). Not as quite good as website depicts. However, location and availability is the key! I would still highly recommend it.