Harry's deli is my favourite new addition to Mclaren Vale. It's interior is cool and full of timber…read morewith a real industrial feel. There's a large outdoor seating area and limited seating inside with a few tables seating 4/5 and a long table through the middle of the deli. The staff are attentive and they made insanely good coffees (in addicted to their chai lattes). The menu has something for most tastes- big platters featuring locally sourced meats and cheeses, focaccias, salads and cakes to name a few. Prices are pretty standard, some may think the platters a bit overpriced but they are actually very filling. These guys are very passionate about supporting businesses on the Fleurieu Peninsula and in SA. So many of my favourite producers feature on the menu- say cheese, Four winds chocolate, swell beer, dawn patrol coffee roasters, spice girlz and fine and dandy Teahouse. It's the perfect place to kick back with a coffee, have a long lunch or a sneaky wine (because it's attached to Wirra Wirra, one of the best wineries going around). This has become a local haunt and we are here all the time!

Great place for a bit of nosh and fab wine... find their choice of…read moreCoffee a bit bitter, but you can always choose the hot chic instead!

Wow - all I can say is wow!…read more It took us a while to visit Carmel's Cafe Bar And Grill, mainly because I remember this place when it was the magnificent silver service restaurant Limeburners, then Awganix. I pine for those restaurants, especially the former ... but I digress ;) Carmel's is a more informal affair, but the food is magnificent - I'm not using that word lightly either! We started with warm house-made bread served with olive oil, olives and dukkah - absolutely delicious. For main I ordered the Kansas Style slow smoked red gum 'Pulled Pork' - here's the description: 'Smoked over red gum for hours, served with a fennel, apple & mixed nut slaw, cheese and spring onion potatoes and a fluffy buttered roll. A sure favourite!' Oh yes, I'm already dreaming of when I can have this again - the pork just fell apart when I skewered it with my fork, and had a spiciness which wasn't too overpowering, but gave it a bit of a kick. I'm not normally a coleslaw person, but this was delicious - the potatoes served under the pork were an unexpected treat! This meal was seriously mouth-watering - and only $26! The serves are enormous (I think they are competing with The Barn next door), and way too much for me ... but I made a valiant effort, and made sure I ate all that pork!! My partner had Dave's American Pork Ribs - dunno who Dave is, but he sure knows how to cook ribs - yummy!! This is definitely not a place to take vegetarians - there are a few token veg menu items, but the meat is definitely the star of this place. I would have given Carmel's 5 stars - but there was a very loud table of 12 seated right next to us, and they were so loud and obnoxious that we couldn't really have a conversation between ourselves. I noticed that there was a separate room nearby, and think that the staff should have moved them into there so the rest of us could enjoy our meals in peace. Apart from that, I am very much looking forward to coming here again and sampling more menu items ... that's if I can get away from that amazing pulled pork ... hmmmm ... ;)

Today we were at Carmel's in McLaren Vale. A restaurant in the heart of South Australian wineland…read more Hubby and I have been here many times before although it had been at least a few years since our last visit. Although we arrived fairly early - 6pm - on a Thursday (steak specials night) I was surprised that there weren't many people there. Last time we came was on steak specials night too and it was packed! When I got the menu I understood why. While the steak specials are ok, they are not what they were last time I was here. Last time I'm sure they were under or around $20 each, this time they were about $5 - $7 off the regular price. Still, I knew the quality was going to be good so I didn't mind too much. I love the ambiance inside this place. Music playing softly, dim lighting, lots of wooden tables, an enclosed and added on paved outdoor area and a lovely fireplace going right behind us. I thought the menu had lots of great options even for non meat eaters. I was intending to eat steak tonight seeing as I was here so I had a look at the specials and noticed a 300 gram black onyx rump. I probably don't get out much but I hadn't heard of black onyx before so I asked the waiter. He was very lovely and said he'd go and check with the chef as he didn't want to misinform me. The waiter told us simply that it's a cross between Wagyu and Black Angus beef. That sold it for me so I decided to go for that. Now every time I've ordered steak I've asked for it medium-rare but always thought it was cooked too much. I was just a little afraid of what I'd get if I asked for it rare. I mentioned this to the waiter and he said they could always put it back on the grill if I thought it was too rare so I chose to have it cooked rare. Hubby went for the 350 gram scotch fillet which he chose to have cooked medium rare. We also ordered some bread with a trio of butters. The bread was really nice. Very toasty warm and crispy and those delicious butters just melted on it when we buttered it on. My only complaint was there was not enough bread to the butter! We were hungry and went through those few slices very quickly. The butters were seeded mustard, tuscan herb & garlic and bacon jam. I liked the herb and garlic one the best. The seeded mustard was ok but I didn't notice a strong taste. The bacon jam was also ok but it had a strange sweetness to it. It was a great starter though, accompanied by a delicious house cabernet sauvignon. The mains looked soooo good when they came out! The Black Onyx is on the left and the Scotch Fillet is on the right. I'm not going to review them separately as we both were in raptures with our meals. The meat was just so gorgeously tender and I definitely made the right choice in ordering it rare. The waitress who brought the food out to us came back a few minutes later to make sure it was ok but the original waiter who'd seen us at the door, also came back a little while after that to make sure it was ok for me and that I didn't want it cooked a little more. I thought that was really great service. I honestly wanted to go into that kitchen and shake the chef's hand. I don't have steak very often so I want it to be good when I do and this was really exceptional. I didn't try any of hubby's but gave him some of mine and he said they had similar seasoning but mine tasted "meatier". I'm not sure what that meant but he liked it. The fries and salad were really good too. You can tell they source quality ingredients and are proud of what comes out of their kitchen. As mentioned, this was not our first trip to Carmel's and I have to say we have been impressed every time we've gone, whether we've had steak, pasta or pizza. The food and service have always been great and I would definitely recommend this place if you are wanting a nice night out.

I have driven past this little cafe a few times and always been curious to what it's like. Today I…read morewent for a quick morning coffee and cake. Unfortunately coffee isn't the best I've ever had but it's not the worst. I tried the cinnamon tea cake, it was okay but I'm not sold on it. Customer service out standing, lady who served me was friendly and welcoming and informative of the selection of cakes (side note - they have delicious GF options for those who live GF). The shop itself, I see what they are trying to do with the vintage look and it's kinda cute and quirky. I will come back mainly to try their all day breakfast menu on offer! I'll add to my review when that happens.

A bit daggy and not the best coffee ever, but their homemade cake and biscuits are always yummoread more

Go here. There are three dining options at d'Arenberg - the expensive $200 per person cube, the…read moretraditional full service restaurant and a bar with make your own cheese and meat boards. Go for the bar.

Polly's wine lounge is just outside of the D'arenberg cube. You build you're own platters. The was…read morean absolutely amazing experience. We shared between 3 people and had huge serving of meat, cheese we chose the focaccia which was delicious. Since I don't eat meat he recommended the mushroom pate which was to die for a must get spread on the focaccia. Dessert we had the Jaffa brownie best thing ever. The whole meal was a wonderful experience. Thanks to a Lachlan who served us and was a great guy.

Awesome cheese shop selling both imported and local adelaide hills cheeses (Woodside Cheese Wrights…read more& Udder Delights). Coffees are also great. Atmosphere is nice and relaxed with nice art work on the walls. There is a big open space good for groups and kids and some more secluded areas out the back if you need a quieter space to chat.

What a lovely spot! We came here on a Saturday afternoon for coffee, and were not disappointed…read more Delicious long black (yay!), another of our party reported that their cake was fantastic too. They stock a lot of cheese (duh!), as well as a lot of local produce - we stocked up on cheese and sourdough bread ... but will definitely have to come back for lunch, since the menu looked very enticing. Brekkie looks good too, but I have heard that it gets very busy!

I'm not sure what this place was before, but it now has a really lovely little cafe retrofitted…read moreinto it. The coffee is at a solid good level but not outstanding. Importantly though they're one of the few places open on public holidays who do all day breakfast. I was there late - around 3pm when they close at 4 - after a very late New Years party. They had unfortunately run out of the beans for a fantastic sounding Moroccan breakfast, so I went for the big breakfast. The price difference was on the house, which sets the tone for this place - they care about their customers. The food is very obviously good quality, and while the breakfast was more than large enough, the quality is what really stood out. With the exception of a pre-processed hash brown, every piece was perfectly cooked and utterly delicious. A final stand-out are the staff. This is how staff at every cafe should be - energetic, smiling and super friendly. I'll definitely be back whenever I want to treat myself :)

A beautiful outlook and great modern meals using local ingredients. Meat dishes were exceptionalread more

Bracegirdles is an excellent place to grab something nice and chocolatey. They make sweet and…read moreabsolutely amazing (sugary and unhealthy) chocolate that just melts in your mouth. This store is probably the closest to my house, even though it is around 20 mins South, however when I am down here for a break at the nearby caravan park, I am sure to pop in. No matter what you choose off the menu, you can be sure of two things: 1) It will most likely contain sugar 2) It will be awesome I have had their hot chocolate once, and it was very nice - I wish I could make one as good at home. I have also tried their iced chocolate, which was just as good. Service is ok and staff are generally attentive, with not too long a wait for what you ordered. It is nice to sit out in the sun at McLaren Vale on a nice day. Bracegirdles is also a very nice location on the main street which provides a good view too. I really probably shouldn't come here too often for my health but the heart wants what the heart wants (even if what the heart wants is bad for the heart).

The amazing hot chocolate is saving this from a 2 star review…read more I went for a friends birthday breakfast on a summer morning so it was quite hot outside. I was the first to arrive and was directed to an outdoor table by a friendly waitress and was given menus and upon request table water. The birthday girl and the rest of the group arrived and she wanted to sit inside with the aircon. This time an older, very grumpy looking waitress came out and didn't bother trying to hide her annoyance at us wanting to move tables. We went inside and she angrily dragged tables around as loudly as physically possible and threw the chairs in the general direction of the table and stormed off. We were shocked but just ignored it and sat down. We waited about 10 minutes but she didn't go and get our water and menus from outside so I had to do that. There isn't table service so you have to go to the counter and order. I ordered the big breakfast and a hot chocolate. I felt like a coffee but I've been her once before and the coffee was not good. Once again I had to deal with the terrible service from the waitress whilst ordering. She just seemed so angry to be there and made everyone feel very uncomfortable. We were in a large group so with all of us chatting we were being fairly loud. When the waitress came with my hot chocolate I mustn't have heard her the first time because I turned around to her yelling 'HELLOOOO ARE YOU LISTENING?! Here's your drink!' by this point I couldn't help laugh at how unbelievably bad this service was. I wasn't even offended anymore it was just comical. The hot chocolate was divine though. It's just pure melted chocolate, no syrups or powders and you can really taste the difference. I ordered just a basic milk hot chocolate which was quite pricey at $6 but worth it. They had chilli hot chocolate on the menu too and another exotic sounding one. I would have chosen one of those but had heartburn at the time but I'd like to come back and try them. When my breakfast came it was a very generous serving size. It was very average tasting though and far too salty. I was expecting something great for the price so I was disappointed. The homemade baked beans basically just tasted like canned tomatoes which was very disappointing because the Green Room in Willunga has the most amazing homemade ones ever at a cheaper price and I was expecting that sort of standard. Overall I would return for hot chocolate and maybe to try a desert but won't bother for a meal again. Just be prepared for terrible service and avoid the middle aged blonde woman if possible.

For years this place was frequently our place to go for breakfast on a Saturday morning. The people…read moreare really nice and the food was great. Especially the scrambled eggs and the coffee. the last four times we have been there my cappuccino has fudge chocolate squirted on it and the scrambled eggs are well over cooked and brown. I kept thinking the would return back to how it was but it hasn't. I don't care how fancy the art is, a cappuccino does not have liquid chocolate on it. Plus you were great with the food. What happened? have scrambled eggs at Dee Dees and see the difference.

Another cafe hidden in the back streets of suburbia which is popular with both locals and cyclists…read morepassing through. I enjoyed the Spanish omelette and chai latte for brunch. It was very tasty and filling. The staff were friendly and service was prompt. I'd love to come back again to try what else is on the menu.