South Australia votes Vintners in Barossa as their favourite regional restaurant

This is South Australia’s favourite restaurant from the delicious.SA: Regional 50 list, as voted by you

For a restaurant with the same chef to keep trading for 24 years is remarkable enough. For that restaurant to be at the peak of its powers after so long is nearly unheard of.

Vintners Bar and Grill is the exception to the rule. Many Barossa locals say it has never been better. And now the warm and welcoming eatery, next to the market sheds on the main road into Angaston, has won the People’s Choice Award in the delicious.SA: Regional 50.

Readers were asked to nominate their favourite from the Regional 50 list that was put together by The Advertiser’s food team. The delicious.SA: Regional 50 is an online guide that allows you to search for restaurants by location, with reviews for all.

A meal at Vintners Bar and Grill. Picture: M Hassett

While The Barn steakhouse near Mount Gambier finished second, Barossa restaurants filled three of the top four places, with FermentAsian and Hentley Farm next in the voting.

Chef Peter Clarke was there when Vintners opened in 1996 and manager Rami Heer has overseen the dining room for the past 15 years.

Clarke believes this consistency in key roles is the secret of Vintners success.

“People love familiar faces,” he says, “and we are always there to greet them.

“It’s hard hours, long hours but it is very rewarding. I still love what I do.”

Vintners Bar and Grill head chef Peter Clarke on the property. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

The cooking at Vintners has constantly evolved, melding influences from West and East, particularly Japan. The current menu includes a scallop and fennel pie, Malaysian-style curry of local goat and quail with fermented broad beans, as well as a signature rib of beef to share.

Clarke says this year has been the most challenging he has been through, with the “circuit breaker” lockdown in November a particular nightmare.

Now, however, the restaurant is flat out at lunch and dinner with plenty of new customers filling the tables.

“People from Adelaide come in and say we didn’t know this place existed or even that they had never been to the Barossa before,” Clarke says. “It’s great for the region and for us.”

Explore SA’s top 50 regional restaurants at advertiser.com.au/delicious50