Delicious lunch spots to try in the Hunter Valley

For lunch with a view: Bistro Molines, Mount View 

Bistro Molines is the kind of place you never want to leave. From the dreamy setting overlooking rolling hills of vines to the old fashioned, warm hospitality, it feels like the perfect imagining of what a great Hunter Valley restaurant should be. 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. Then, after you’ve had the last piece of chocolate tart and the last sip of liqueur, check in to the Little Orchard Cottage, an onsite charming two-bedroom a short walk away.  

Bistro Molines, Mount View

For modern Italian with a local twist: éRemo Restaurant, Polkobin

The ethos at éRemo – the resident restaurant at Spicer’s Guesthouse – is all about connecting with local producers to inspire and reimagine Italian cooking. The benefit of a lunch booking: the stunning views of the countryside. The kitchen serves 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 roasted mahi mahi with tapenade butter, whole spatchcock with spicy nduja and risoni. If you are feeling especially hungry, opt for the indulgent ‘Avido’ (which means “greedy” in Italian) set menu. 

éRemo Restaurant - Credit: Spicers Retreats

For farm-to-fork dining: Circa 1876, Pokolbin 

Lazy lunches at Circa 1876 feel like grand parties in a country estate. Enter into a charming building, dine with green views and find dishes that look like miniature sculpture gardens. The two- or three-course menu, overseen by executive chef Joey Ingram (former head chef at Margan) is all about paddock-to-plate fare. Eggs come from the property’s hens, veggies are plucked daily, and almost everything is made in-house. You might find garden leeks are combined with caviar and mussels in a Sardinian fregola or the orchard’s blood orange used to flavour scallops alongside ginger and hazelnut.  

Circa 1876, Roscrea Estate

For bao by the water: Lucky Duck Restaurant, Lovedale   

The Hunter Valley culinary scene is known for destination fine dining among the vines – here, Lucky Duck provides something different in feel, view and taste. You enter a verdant, tropical garden scene; you’re seated by a picturesque pond, and you can order a banquet of dishes that combine the flavours of East Asia. Try Filipino-style pork belly skewers, duck bao or a full barramundi roasted over coals and enriched by a kombu dashi. In between courses, nab a bag of fish food for the perch in the pond next door – all proceeds from the fish food go towards to the Hunter Wildlife Rescue – and when you’re finished dining, you can check into waterside bungalows of Leaves and Fishes.  

Lucky Duck - Credit: Hunter Valley Visitor Centre

For a local institution: Margan Restaurant, Broke 

These days sustainable and farm-to-table dining are buzz words. Back in 2006, however, when Andrew and Lisa Margan opened Margan Restaurant on the grounds of their eco-winery under the same name, it was ground-breaking. Today, the acclaimed restaurant is run under the same principles: the garden provides 90% of produce, meat adheres to a strict ethical-sourcing policy and restaurant waste is processed back into the farm ecosystem. or you that means the option of dining in a cellar door complete with barrels; a luxurious, everchanging but simple menu; and an optional tour through the Margan family farm.   

Aerial over Margan Wines and Restaurant

For casual Italian: Harkham Restaurant, Pokolbin   

The Hunter Valley is flush with elegant set-course-only restaurants, and casual, easy-going experiences are rarer to find. Harkham Restaurant is filling the niche with an affordable menu of Italian classics (with a few options for splashing out), a casual dining room (which still includes views of an undulating countryside) and a relaxed service style. You might end up with a $25 pasta or a Neapolitan pizza topped with meatballs to share but if you do want to elevate the luxury, order a Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne and ask for the caviar cart to be rolled out. 

Harkham Restaurant, Pokolbin - Credit: Nikki To | The Cru

For country cafe dining: Worn Out Wares, Singleton 

Part-florist, part-shop, part-cafe and part-workshop space, Worn Out Wares is a central part of the Singleton community and a key stop for any wise traveller heading to and from the Hunter. Drop in for a coffee roasted by Central Coast makers Glee Coffee, try the locally loved Reuben and ask about the tart of the day, or share a seasonal grazing plate that includes local cheese, house-made relishes and bread from loved Novocastrians Uprising Bakery. Then, take a minute to pick a local bloom or upgrade your house with homewares from great NSW artisans.  

Worn Out Wares, Singleton - Credit: Nikki To

For picnic dining: Jimmy Joans, Rothbury   

In summer sit under a gum tree in the garden under an umbrella with a ceviche, a dozen oysters and either a martini or an iced latte. In winter, cosy up next to the fireplace with a chicken and leek pie, an old fashioned and a food friend. Either option represents the Jimmy Joans philosophy: reviving the authentic, warm hospitality of the late Jim and Joan Moyle (grandparents of Kim Starkey, one of the venue’s founders). This means everyone, whether you’ve just walked off a long morning on the farm or a luxury wine tour, is welcome and the menu and vibe is set up to match. If you’d like your burger, koftas or roast chook with a side of live music, check the all-day venue’s socials for dates. 

Jimmy Joans - Credit: Hunter Valley Visitor Centre

For barbecue in the garden: Yellow Billy Restaurant, Pokolbin   

Before you order, check out the barbecue set up – you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to an Argentinian celebration. Plus, after you see lamb shoulders, pork and chicken slowly turning golden brown from the attention of a live flame, it might affect your order. On top of the barbecued meats, the menu brings together charred vegetables and Mediterranean/South American-leaning share plates that complement the hero proteins. You can feast outside in the same garden that supplies a fair chunk of the produce, or in humble dining room that looks onto the Hunter Valley bush surrounds.