The 33 best Pokolbin, Australia breweries and craft beer

We walked into an empty restaurant at 2:15pm on a Thursday mid December. No servers came up to us at any point during the meal to ask how things were or if they could bring us anything. We ordered 2 pizza's from the QR code on the table. Both were average wood fired pizzas, under-seasoned in our opinion. However the main issue was that there were 2 staff working during the time we were there and neither of them felt any need to check on their only customers. Poor service in a region where there are so many other options. Needless to say we won’t be back.

Unfortunately it was a slow weekday in Winter when we went there for lunch just after 1pm. We were the only table and it felt like we were intruding. We asked if they were open and were told there were only a few items of food available. Basically nothing fresh, only fried. We ordered the only hot food available which was fries, arancini and wings. The wings had no sauce other than a pot of aioli (ie no buffalo sauce or bbq sauce - just deep fried and therefore a bit dry.) The chips were served with the same aioli and tomato sauce- fine. The arancini were fine. Bonus points because they turned on two heaters when we asked (it was a freezing day!) The music was 80s rock which was abrasive given we were the only table - would have been a vibe if it was packed with people downing ale on a summer afternoon. So it was probably just bad timing for us.

The food and beer were quite tastey, so no issues there. But the older server lady at the bar was unpleasant. Clearly didn't want to be there, borderline rude and didn't pour beers very well at all. Not really something you expect for a brewery in the hunter. Not in a massive rush to come back because of that.

My Sydney Clients Love the Location - Food, Beer & Gin on the Kings Birthday weekend The Tours Van by HVTNCS ™

Such delicious pizza - the Sausage and Potatoe option was amazing - a flavour bomb. Fries are really generous and crispy, with a delicious aoli option. Loved the Black Forrest Stout and the Old Nessy Scottish Strong Ale - amazing, fabulous flavours. Great service and super location. Would highly recommend.

Great beers, and decent pizza. Mixed up the food orders but that was because people were scrambling to get out of a sudden storm and switch tables. Was also dog-friendly which is a plus for those with furry friends. Would recommend a stop here if you're into a wide variety of beers.

The food is really good here, best pizza I have had in a long while. Kids meal was very decent also, hand cut chips very nice touch. Service was fast and friendly. Would definitely come here again. I liked that they had their own beer on tap and tasting paddles as well. The beers were not that impressive, would have like to have seen a nice bold IPA, or a hazy IPA. The beers that had on offer were very approachable and easy drinking. Suits more non craft drinkers. Despite that, awesome location and great place to grab a bit to eat in the vineyards.

I hated my experience at Hope Estate this week. We dropped in for a beer tasting and it was the worst tasting paddle I've ever had at any brewery, ever. I'm not exaggerating either, I tried 4 beers and couldn't finish any of them so left we left pretty disappointed. My four beers were: Pineapple Sour Blood Orange NEIPA Chocolate Milk Porter Extra Stout The pineapple sour was top 3 of the worst things that ive ever tasted, waaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too sweet, sickly sweet and sour but in a nasty way. I've tried dozens of amazing sour beers from the best like wildflower and others and this one tasted like the first attempt by a homebrewer who didn't have a clue what they were doing 0.2/10 The blood orange NEIPA was awful as well and undrinkable, it had a weird taste and tasted nothing like blood orange. If you've ever had Daintons blood orange NEIPA you will be deeply dissapointed here 1/10. The choc milk stout was gross and tasted like literal chocolate milk had been mixed with beer 1/10. And lastly the extra stout which was barrel aged was smoky, I didn't realise it was smoky when I ordered it and didn't see smoke mentioned in the description. I don't totally hate smoked beers but this one was bad, it smelled like an old nasty camp fire and left an after-taste like I'd been drinking liquid ash, yuk 0.3/10. I even tried mixing the pineapple sour with the NEIPA but it just ruined both even more. We definitely won't ever be going back here as to be brutally honest, if you can make even half decent drinkable beers after being in business for several years than it's obvious you either don't know what your doing, or you can't divorce the gimmicky spirit distilling side from your brewery and therefore can't just make simple enjoyable beers so with that I'd say this place isn't even a real brewery but a gimmicky gin/vodka/passion pop producer masquerading as one to try and please the "blokes"

Any incredible venue with excellent variety for wines, craft beers and spirits. Gary had bags of personality and was most excellent for the wine tasting - very passionate and informative. Highly recommend.

Great tastings. We did a beer tasting and a wine tasting. The lady who completed the wine tasting was very knowledgeable and professional. The venue was beautiful. There were kangaroos around.

As frequent visitors of Hope Estate, we usually enjoy our time here—the staff are consistently friendly, and the atmosphere is great. Most of the time, the drinks are spot on, but occasionally they can be a bit hit or miss. On our latest visit, the garnish on my drink looked pretty sad, which was a bit disappointing considering the usual standard. Still, it won’t stop us from coming back, but a little more consistency would go a long way.

Had the tower moscato that I loved. Met Mr Gary, manager, who is jolly good fellow. Giving us a warm welcome and a great history lesson on the Hunter region. Thanks Mr Gary!

We had an amazing experience at Hope Estate Winery! We did a wine tasting with Nathan, and he was absolutely fantastic. So friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about the wines. He made us feel completely relaxed and comfortable throughout the tasting, answering all our questions and sharing great insights about each wine. Highly recommend visiting!

Absolutely our favourite place in the Hunter ! Something for everyone, beer, wine, spirits and liqueur….. the staff are so friendly and knowledgeable, you honestly feel like your visiting a mates house You could spend your whole weekend here and be happy ! Good tunes, good vibes ! Great service

We wanted to visit the dessert bar upstairs but unfortunately it was closed. Decided to try the cider paddles for $15 each seeing as we were there and had to wait until 3pm for check in. Is a nice relaxing setting. The staff were friendly and efficient despite clearly being understaffed. Cider is a good alternative to wine tasting and they have juice paddles for kids as well.

Absolutely loved it. As a cider lover, this was so wonderful for me. Our server was so beautiful with a wicked sense of humour and truly knew the ciders. My girlfriends who aren’t huge cider fans were all able to order a drink they enjoyed thoroughly. The ambience of the place is so lovely and I can’t wait to come back to get some more cider.

The Mog Champ sends his regards. I've always been a big fan of ciders so this wasn't the first time I've been here. Any cider-lover should give this place a visit because they have a good selection for their cider tasting platters. Their service is quick and the atmosphere is nice because on a day with great weather it feels amazing to have something refreshing to go with it. Thanks for the tasting platter as always! Won't be the last visit from me that's for sure! Mogliest Regards, Your Mog Champ

The Brazilian BBQ in the weekend is absoluty amazing! Tastes great and isn't expensive for what you get! Maybe a bit understaffed (the personel of the cidery) for such a big venue, but they made up for that with great smiles and views!

Stunning views around, great service, amazing selection of drinks and out of this world Brazilian BBQ from Pampa Flame🔥

This is a cute little Cider House in Lambloch Estate (look for Lambloch Estate sign, the Cider House sign is small and miss-able). For $15, you can sample four of their ciders on a Paddle. It is a pleasant way to spend the afternoon before going to dinner. My favourite was the Dark Grape cider. There is also a little Cafe on top if you don't want to drink cider.

I stop by with my wife and little girl to check them out staff are all very friendly and they have a really nice setting hear with relaxing outside seating looking at vineyard. The cider and tasting was priced reasonably

They had a large range of gin, vodka and liqueurs. The taste testing was $10 and you get to try 6 different spirits of your own choosing. I liked the popcorn liquor.

Beautiful setting, great selection, and thoroughly enjoyable tasting. On a recent visit to the Hunter Valley, we decided to do a tasting at the Hunter Distillery, namely for their selection of gin and liqueurs. From arrival we were warmly greeted with the tasting options well explained to us by our host Kylie. For our tasting we chose Mystery Gin, Coffee Vodka, Chilli Vodka (has a real kick to it!),and for liqueurs Blackberry, Popcorn (our favourite!) and Passionfruit. All amazing. We ended up buying a bottle of the popcorn liqueur and a mystery gin. Really enjoyed our conversation with our host Kylie also - very down to earth, knowledgeable and friendly, and added to the truly postive experience. I highly recommend visting this place when you are next in the Hunter Valley, and a thanks to Kylie and her team for the warm welcome and quality product.

One of the best spirit tastings I ever had. Boutique distillery for a reason. Mystery gin was my favorite. Popcorn liqueur was outstanding It was like liquid popcorn. I enjoyed their coffee vodka which will be good for espresso martini. Also, their lychee and hazelnut liqueur. Must do activity while in Hunter's valley.

We had such a great taste testing experience yesterday!! The lady with the accent was amazing, we could talk to her all day lol! She went out of her way to give us recommendations for our anniversary dinner and looked up distances etc for us. She's amazing!!

My friends and I had the loveliest time on Saturday morning having a tasting at the Distillery. Your friendliness, professional approach and your knowledge was awesome. Thank you for your kindness and passing on many great pieces of information about the Hunter Valley.You set us up for fabulous day.

This is an excellent stop to taste a good range of distilled products. The staff member who served us was very knowledgeable and took time to explain the process of making the various drinks. We mostly enjoyed the schnapps and liqueurs and purchased a few bottles. I particularly enjoyed the hazelnut and lychee liqueurs.

An enjoyable tasting experience. The staff member we interacted with was very friendly. It costs $5 for 10 samples which you don't pay if you buy one of their products. A lot of interesting flavours to try. The honey vodka and gin were quite good. Ended up purchasing the honeydew melon liqueur which was fantastic.

Great location close to the wineries and nice food. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, moving tables and heaters around to make sure we were confortable. Massive playground for the kids and a large grass area. Live music. Good range of beers. Highly recommend!

Terrific beer and good atmosphere with live music on the Friday night we were there, though one of the worst meals of my life. Eggplant lasagna was dried up, small and tasteless. The curry was watery and bland. Other meals for our group were overcooked.

We’re locals and often come here for beers, wine and food, but what we got last Saturday was honestly terrible. I don’t like leaving bad reviews (especially since I work in hospitality myself), but we invited our parents for lunch and it was such a let-down. It felt like we were served the last scraps before the kitchen closed. My mum paid $30 for a chicken breast that was barely 100g, with a salad that looked like a cow had chewed it first. A couple of chips with the burger, just thrown on the plate to make it look like more ,not good at all. And I won’t even get started on the burnt schnitzel… We also waited an hour for the food, which I can understand if you’re busy, but please get the kitchen in order 🤌🏽This was a really disappointing experience.

Monday - buy one, get one free. Great value. I took my friends here on Monday and we had wonderful food. Friendly service. Plenty of places to sit (inside or out), bottle of wine was a very reasonable price. Overall, highly recommended.

3.5 stars. We had a nice time here on a sunny afternoon in Winter. Prices are fair, $50 for a burger and tacos, $9 schooners. Outdoor play equipment for the kids. Only complaint is that they have a QR code for food but they don’t bring it out. Seems a bit odd to have it both ways, you order, you collect. Pay attention to your phone or your food will just sit there for 20 mins like ours did

No courtesy bus - webpage phone number wrong I saw their ad in a local tourist brochure advertising a courtesy bus “everyday”. Their website also advertised this. I called the number that is on the website but it was disconnected. I tried the number on Google but it put me through to an automated assistant who gave me the phone number very quickly including the international country code. It took 4 goes to write it down as the assistant couldn’t text it to me. When I finally spoke to someone they said that there was no courtesy bus tomorrow. I mentioned the problems with the website and they seemed to know about it. It was very frustrating. If you are going to advertise a service, you need to be able to deliver it. And you need to keep your website up to date.

As locals thrilled to come here with the family and enjoy the food, drinks and atmosphere. Great work team.

Went to Matilda Bay for dinner on the 1st of January and only had a set menu, which is reasonable to keep up with the amount of guests they would have however the meals were way overpriced. They did however bring out a slice of bread with butter whilst waiting for our main and dessert. Ordered the pork belly for main and was delicious however not filling at all, with ordering the chocolate mousse for dessert which was also delicious with the touch of fruit they put with it. Service was average with waiters not looking very happy.

Cool brewery to visit however the restaurant is quite old. We had to get the banquet and the food was average. The meat was cooked really well, soft and tender but was just lacking some flavour. The best part is you can order beer paddles to your table and get a free midi from it too when you return your paddle. Id recommend trying both the light and dark paddles to see which you like. You will love this place if you enjoy pale ale’s but personally I love lagers and there wasn’t many options for that.

Fast service. But the door greeter did not like that we didn't have a booking. The dining rooms were pretty well spaced and not too full. Food service came out very quickly same with drinks. Online ordering was simple enough to understand and pretty quick. Some parts have a very beer housey vibe to it.

Great place for a change from the wineries. There's a few good beers on tap and I'd recommend getting the tasting platter - it's good value at $15 for 6 beers and you get a middy of your favorite when you return the paddle to the bar. The only downside is the lack of ambience in the bar area - maybe a bit of music would liven the place up a bit but other than that great place to check out

We stayed a couple of nights in the Hunter Valley resort. Therefore we had dinner 2 nights there. Food was great, Lamb Rump was cooked to perfection. Tap beers and cider are ice cold (perfect). The wine tasting is really nice, fun, suitable for people who know about wine and for those who have no knowledge at all. David conducted the wine tasting, was good and enjoyable. Breakfast is poor, but dinner is a great option, you can have as much wine as you want and just walk back to the room. Also great to enjoy a midday drink or dessert looking at the vineyard. Good price, good portions.

I went here recently with some friends, the service was very quick and the beers are amazing. I had a very average buttermilk chicken but my friends loved their pizza's.

Came here as part of a wine tasting tour. The portions of Calamari and beef patty were generous, but the pickled ginger was a little overpowering and the calamari arrived soggy and a little cold. Unless it was meant as a cold dish....? :) The Beer Sampling Paddle was fun, and you get a complimentary Midi-sized beer of your choice if you return the beer paddle (I don't know why... do people usually steal/keep the paddle as a souvenir or from being in an intoxicated state. I'd recommend the Ginger Beer for the free midi!

Highly recommend coming here for a tasting. There was 10 of us and originally we weren’t going to go here but very happy we did it last minute! Joe was our host and did a great job with explaining each tester and making us laugh along the way.

Mostly I wanted to try the gin, & I did end up getting a bottle of the Bush Gin to take home. The Native Plum Finger Lime was also nice, but the Blue Island was, to me, a typical example of a tipple that plays up the butterfly pea colour changing gimmick to try to make up for the flavour. (Just not to my tastes, ultimately - I’m sure others would disagree with me on this!) Staff were lovely & knowledgeable and the tiny tasting cups are totally charming. A bit disappointed that the tasting fee isn’t put towards cellar door purchases as it is at some other places, but I do understand the need for it.

Thank you Paige for being an amazing host for our hens party. Paige was informative and went above and beyond with her customer service skills. Highly recommend a tasting of your wonderful products. Thanks guys.

My wife and I went there for our honeymoon to do a gin & vodka tasting and honestly it was some of the best ones we've ever tried. For what you are paying it's great value and was a great opportunity to have a better idea how different alcohol tastes. Definitely recommend and a beautiful place for it too!

Such a great experience for something different to wine in the Hunter Valley. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great time! The Mocha vodka is worth trying.

Great little spot for gin and vodka. Where you can find a few very delicious flavours!!! The blue gin and caramel vodka are the must try if you are a sweet tooth.

Vodkas, gins and liqueurs. We had a great time as a family tasting some options. The standard tasting package gives you the option to taste 5 spirits from what's on offer. However, some who were there seemed to have gone the full spread. The staff are friendly and know their stuff. The different flavours are delicious and everyone in our party of six found at least three or four flavours that they considered buying. If we hadn't just bought a bunch the previous day, we would have walked away with several bottles. Prices are comparable with other local distilleries.

I loved it. Neill was an amazing host. Very fun and knowledgeable and was so excited about sharing his knowledge. Free gin & vodka tasting if you book online. Highly recommended.

A wonderful little boutique visited during a brief tour of wineries in Hunter Valley. My wife and I loved the tastes of the lovely and dare I add incredibly delicious produce which were presented to us by very friendly (and accommodating staff). So good, I brought back a trio of flavoured mini bottles which will get consumed over a protracted period of time in order to savour both the memories of our trip as well as the delight of enjoying the drinks! You really should stop by in you find yourself in the region - or even if you're simply driving through.

Highly recommend heading to Small Mouth for a tasting if you are heading to the hunter valley. Free tasting and you get to choose the 8 flavours you try!

I came across these guys at the Ekka this year and I honestly can’t recommend them enough. Their range is incredible, the flavours are next level, and the quality really stands out. On top of that, the customer service was friendly and genuine, which made the whole experience even better. I grabbed two bottles to start with and I’m already excited to finish them so I can order more. Easily a 10/10 – I’d recommend them to absolutely anyone looking for something amazing.

I was lucky enough to be gifted a bottle of Elderflower Gin, it looked amazing. The 'shimmering purple colouring with silver glitter was beautiful. I have never tasked anything like it, it had a mild floral sweetness with a slight aniseed flavour. It was that nice, I decided to drink it straight. Absolutely beautiful.

The tastings here are great and loved the team. Some were a bit short and blunt but was end of the day and so many people coming through it was understandable so no hard feelings. Good spot to finish the day

An excellent range of vodkas, gins and liqueur to try out (for free). Great recommendations from the staff; thank you for recommending the blueberry, elderflower and passionfruit assortments :) they also accommodated to our requests. We bought a few of our own back to give to our friends for Christmas. After the trip, we only found out that they've used 100% organic ingredients based on one of the travel guides we read in our hotel. We'll definitely return when we pass by.

We had an amazing time at 4 Pines – there’s truly something for everyone. The kids especially loved feeding the farm animals, and we all enjoyed activities like the horse-drawn buggy ride and segway. The location is perfect, nestled close to the wineries, and we visited over the weekend with friends. Everyone had a great time. I particularly enjoyed the lunch and would highly recommend booking ahead, as it gets quite busy on weekends. The wood-fired pizzas were a highlight! My wife chose the Me Goreng, and we ordered pasta for the kids. I also tried the 4 Pines IPA – it had a lovely hoppy character with citrus and fruity notes. The restaurant staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful throughout our visit.

Great place for lunch with a view when visiting the Hunter Valley. Good choice of beverages and the food was fresh and delicious. Friendly, helpful staff make it an all round enjoyable experience. The scenery is stunning and a walk around the grounds to visit the resident Ostrich is must do. Highly recommend you book as it is a very busy popular spot and lunch service finishes as 3pm. We could only get a 2pm spot as we only booked the night before so missed out on trying dessert as we didn't realise the kitchen closed at 3pm. In saying that, it still was such a relaxing spot to enjoy the afternoon and we will definitely be back

We stayed here for our wedding anniversary and what a perfect place for it. Beautiful farmlands with horses and one bloody big chicken(ostrich). Sat out on the grass for breakfast overlooking the countryside, was absolutely stunning with the morning sun poking through. The breakfast clean up staff were very well mannered and quite pretty as well. Their vineyard tour was very insightful and educating. I walked away knowing a lot more than I walked in with. The wine tasting that followed the tour was absolutely brilliant, a vast collection of wines showcasing some of the best the region has to offer. Our tour guide and wine tasting host was Hannah, she was perfect. Hannah has so much passion and love for the industry and her job. Bright, bubbly and full of life, 100% entertaining. I highly recommend having a tour and tasting from her. Outstanding work. Overall, I would recommend 4 Pines at the Farm to anyone and everyone. We will definitely come back for another visit, will bring the kids with us next time.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the 4 Pines at the Farm on Sunday 4 October 2025. The sun was shining & the winery was a-buzz with people, food & fantastic wines/beers.

Amazing food, very fast service considering it was school holidays and it was packed, and we were a group of 18, excellent drink selection, loved the cocktails. Glad we booked in advance. Absolutely LOVED the Segway experience with Adam, we will definitely do it again. Thoroughly recommend 4Pines and we look forward to returning.

Beautiful spot with a great view. I ordered the Nasi Goreng , it was a bit too sweet for my taste. Service was okay, and prices are on the higher side.

We visited 4 Pines at the Farm in the Hunter Valley and really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. Sitting out on the veranda was lovely; calm, open views and a great setting to unwind. Food wise, it was a mixed experience. My wagyu beef burger was delicious and everyone else at the table enjoyed their meals, but my dad’s pork belly was unfortunately soggy instead of crispy, which was disappointing. The service setup was a bit confusing. We had to get our own menus, seat ourselves, and order at the bar under the bartender’s instructions, even though there was a “please wait for service” sign at the entrance. On a positive note, the young girl making coffee was excellent; friendly, helpful, and clearly working hard to keep things running smoothly. Overall, a beautiful spot with great potential, but a few small tweaks to service consistency and food quality would really elevate the experience. It was a birthday celebration, so something a little additional would be nice.

We arrived at 8:30pm for dinner and waited at the hostess desk. The barman was kind enough to check in on us, and shortly after a staff member greeted us. He looked at the reservation list before seating us, which felt unnecessary as most tables were empty. We were then taken to a table in another room, but unfortunately it hadn’t been cleaned. After waiting for it to be wiped down, I requested to be seated elsewhere, which thankfully wasn’t an issue. We ordered three Sirloin Steaks – one medium, one medium rare, and one well done. Unfortunately, the medium came out medium-well, and the medium rare came out medium. This was disappointing as I’ve had steak here before and it was juicy, tender, and cooked perfectly. This time it felt rushed, possibly due to the time we arrived. I also ordered a coffee, but after waiting I had to follow up myself, only to find it had been left sitting on the counter. If the bar isn’t busy, it would be great if drinks could be delivered straight to the table so they don’t go cold. Hunter Valley is a premium destination, and the dining experience should reflect that. I know this restaurant can deliver better, as I’ve experienced it before – but consistency in service and quality really matters.

The staff were very friendly, and since it was a weekday afternoon, it wasn’t crowded. The weather was nice, so it was great to sit at an outdoor table and enjoy a relaxed meal. Some people even brought their dogs. With plenty of parking spaces and dining tables, it seems like a good place to visit for birthdays or events. As it’s a pub, you do need to order and pick up drinks yourself, but that’s not really a big downside. 😊

We visited Harrington’s over the long weekend and had an amazing experience! The place is quite spacious with a great atmosphere, and the live music band made the evening even better. They offer some good vegetarian options — we especially loved the vegetarian pizza! There’s also a lively sports bar inside and plenty of parking available. Definitely a must-visit spot when you’re in the Hunter region!

An absolute gem of a place to stay!! It really is a one stop shop, with several bars, a bistro and an excellent liquor store. We had the Sunday roast - roast pork with gravy, baby new potatoes and fresh steamed greens. Well done chef!! The bar staff are fantastic too. Very helpful and great at making cocktails. The rooms were immaculate and served by very cheery and pleasant housekeeping staff. We really enjoyed our time here and will be back!!

This was a perfect afternoon spent at Harrigan's Hunter Valley with perfect food and perfect service all served with many smiles. Our host Michelle was overlooking all ours and a couple of special requests by us and other guests I overheard needed seating at short notice. A Beautiful building with Great music and further fun into the night. A Hundred Thank You's to the Lovely Michelle and Harrigan's. Cheers !!!

My friends were performing last night at this venue I had never been here before so I came up early to have lunch with another friend we found the whole experience to be wonderful the Manager Michelle was extremely professional, courteous, warm & welcoming, Tony our Service Attendant was so charming & courteous nothing was too much trouble in fact all the Staff were really friendly & helpful. We stayed until close so we were observing the Staff for nine hours, we watched Michelle the Manager be involved in all facets of running such a lge establishment & I must say I have never seen someone so hands on to ensure that everything ran smoothly we had the best time & the entertainment was outstanding the crowd loved them, the food was delicious as was the coffee so a huge thankyou to everyone involved we will be back soon & regularly from now on.

Hold your heads in SHAME management of The Mercure who manage Harrigans Hunter Valley! What absolutely shambolic and poor service you provided over the weekend. The money paid by 48 people to enjoy a weekend stay was totally ruined by you from the second we sought to obtain our room keys from the Mercure Hunter Valley. Having been told that there is no longer a reception at Harrigans and to collect keys from the Mercure upon arrival 48 people were told oh they at Harrigans! Mistake #1. Mistake #2 was having finally found someone with keys more than 70% of the names on envelopes were not of our party! A great game of lotto ensued. Annoying if only in the fact that several people were meant to lodge together but ultimately could not oh and at least 3 people had no where to put their head. Mistake#3 by management was not to advise staff at Harrigans we were even coming! 😡 Mistake#4 Rooms were unclean. The fridge had a half eaten pizza in it when trying to first use the fridge and the garbage bin was full of food and waste. So, in turning up for breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday their was one staff member trying to check us in for breakfast, paid for as part of our accommodation, but not advised to staff, and one chef, and yes no one else. One can only, heap praise on those staff for their support, and patience in ensuring we were fed. The food was very good. Thanks Chef! A fresh made coffee though was a stretch to far those staff and to be fair to them no complaints. But for our incredible, resolute, organiser not quite sure where we would have been. Safe to say none of our party will ever use Harrigans again. And not for the want of the staff trying to help. Management try THINKING LIKE THE CUSTOMER NOT YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Cos the first improves the second.

I try to reserve leaving reviews for places that truly deserve it, for excellent or terrible reasons only. Tonight’s service by the lovely staff at Goldfish (specifically Bella and David) were second to none and above and beyond. I chose this venue for my best mates 26th birthday due to living locally and often seeing the turn out of people filling the restaurants and I understand why now. From the moment we walked up to the doors to be seated, to the moment of paying the bill, it was a truly wonderful experience and will have us happily coming back. The food was absolutely delicious and did not miss on any level leaving us full and content. Bella’s service was the highlight of the night paired with David’s understanding and recommendation of drinks resulted in us happily spending more time and money at this venue. I truly hope the atmosphere is filled with as much energy for every customer with every staff member as it was tonight. (I highly suggest the lamb shoulder for 2 as well as the colouring in… oh and be sure to ask for the “Blue Balls” you will NOT be disappointed)

Original flavours of varieties of sea fish including salmon, cod n other tasty choices.. Medium priced within reach.. Mild to moderate flavoured.. With good selection of sides. Comfortable atmosphere and average services.

We had our wedding reception at goldfish and yesterday returned for our 1 year anniversary. The service was amazing and our anniversary was celebrated! Our waiter was very attentive, friendly and helpful. The food was delicious (particularly the cheesecake!). We will return again :)

Went for dinner tonight for a mates birthday and it was amazing. Great service is an understatement, David and Bella made the experience so much better than just going to any regular restaurant. Food was extremely yummy and filling. Would definitely recommend the halloween drink to try🫐

Another great meal in Hunter at Goldfish. Enjoyed the entrees and could not go past the Lamb Shoulder. No room for desert this time. PS - look at the Octoberfest specials

Great Margarita pizza, and the squid is freshly cooked Beer unknown it’s probably local brand, is fantastic, see for yourself. Book in advance on website!

Great lunch venue and next to 2 wine tasting venues (killing 2 birds with 1 stone)! Friendly staff and great view from outdoor seating. Good range of food on the menu, chose the lamb pizza and scallops!

Highly recommend this $10 wine tasting — such a great bargain! The wines were surprisingly good, and the customer service was excellent. Olivia looked after us — she was kind, professional, and made the experience even better. She introduced us to some lovely wines that exceeded our expectations. Would definitely come back!

Just had fabulous tasting at Tempus Two. Huge range of varieties, gotta go back to try some more, but the cases I’m taking home will do for now. Our host Heather was delightful and well informed. Great experience!

I am extremely disappointed with my wine tasting experience today. The server was completely unprofessional—she simply handed me a wine list without any introduction or guidance and expected me to choose on my own from the $10 for six bottles option. How was I supposed to make a decision without assistance? When I asked if she had any recommendations or more unique wines to suggest, she just told me to upgrade my tasting package. Her attitude was dismissive and uninterested throughout. To make matters worse, one of the red wines we tried was clearly just opened and hadn’t been aerated at all—it was bitter and astringent. It was obvious that the server had very limited knowledge about the wines, as she couldn’t answer basic questions. Overall, a frustrating and unsatisfying visit.

We had the pleasure of being looked after by Jacob last Sunday to do our wine tasting. He was brilliant! He introduced us to different wine options based on the answers we would give him on his targeting questions. He tailored made the experience for us, rather than saying its these 6 and that's it! We had the best afternoon there and a real introduction to the Hunter Valley wine region as we were visiting from WA. This is a must stop for any traveler to the area and wants to learn more about the wines. Thank you again Jacob for your amazing knowledge and customer service, and a shout out to Courtney who was also lovely and very knowledgeable about the area and gave us some great tips to visit to eat. 10 out of 10 guys!!

The lovely blonde lady who looked after us gave us a try and sold us with the Choc Coffee cream which was amazing and gave the story how it was made from wine. The lovely lady's name was Heather.

It did take a little while for us to be acknowledged and served (especially as it was fairly quiet at the time), but once we were, the women were absolutely lovely! We had a great tasting, they were so friendly, knowledgeable, and made the experience really enjoyable. Also, please bring back the Dolce Rosa! It’s my absolute favourite and one of the main reasons we visit the Hunter 🤩 such a beautiful wine!!

We did a tasting with Courtney and she was incredible! My wife is currently 31 weeks pregnant and she was more than accomodating providing her with a non alcoholic tasting whilst I was able to enjoy an amazing and educated wine tasting! Courtney was incredible and so friendly! We will definitely be back 😊

A wonderful experience where you are greeted with a beautiful smile as soon as you enter. I met Nana who made me feel welcomed and even added some famous cheese to my breakfast that I wanted to try. You truly feel like you are in the country and true to its name the TASTE is authentically country. Rich, fresh and wholesome food and the coffee is worth raving about! Plenty of beautiful trinkets and pictures to look at around the cafe too. And don’t forget the cheese tasting next door! Thank you Nana. I will be back soon! 🌻 💜

Absolutely loved “Taste of the Country” in the Hunter Valley! “Nan” is an absolute gem — nothing is ever too much trouble. We called last minute on a Sunday with zero notice asking if she could fit 17 of us in for a late breakfast, and she welcomed us like we were old friends visiting her home. She made sure everyone (especially the kids!) was comfortable and looked after, which made the whole experience feel extra special. The food was incredible — huge portions and so full of flavour. The scrambled eggs were honestly the best I’ve had in years, and the pricing was super reasonable. We loved it so much we came back the next day with just our little family (Nan even remembered our names) to try their Special - pie with mash, peas and gravy — and it did not disappoint! Absolutely delicious. Can’t recommend this place enough — amazing food, warm country hospitality, and Nan’s kindness really makes it feel like home. 💛 Excuse the half eaten pie picture…. We couldn’t wait to dive in. Ken and Kristy

Visited here on our way home to Brisbane. We ordered savoury mince, eggs Benny, scones, toastie and some cold coffee drinks. Every meal was delicious, warm and exactly how you wish your nan made it. The scones were the best I've ever had in my life. The cafe itself was absolutely beautiful, lovely decorations and fantastic selection of home-made produce. Fantastic outdoor seating and a well priced menu. The best asset was the lovely lady serving us, nothing was too much trouble, some fantastic stories told and great conversation. This place was exactly what we wanted it to be more, an absolute gem in the Hunter Valley Region. We will be back!

Good food and good service. They should consider switching from using their customers names to table numbers. That would be more efficient. Their gravy is amazing! Sorry about the pics. When I thought on taking them, we had started eating already 😅

Cafe with a stunning view and huge space for kids to run around - food coffee and service were average but we had a good time here

Very friendly and accommodating staff. The food was great. Food was served by cook/chef itself, which is i think it is good. Incident happened where the salt 🧂lid came off and went it all over my sister's plate. Informed the staff, and they changed the meal ASAP.

This place is amazing, has the best eggs Benny and is so filling, they're big breakfast is huge and delicious 😋 They used to be in Hunter Valley Gardens but are now next to Hunterbelle cheese factory. It is definitely a place to visit if you want an old fashioned descent breakfast. By the way the girls are very friendly too Thank you 😊

Unfortunately not the best place to go to. Ordered the roast pork with crackling and the kitchen had poured sauce over the crackling so it went soggy. Beers and cocktails were good and bar staff were friendly. Need to have some sort of queuing control at the bar so people know where they should queue and served in order. Tables need to be wiped over after lunch so as they are clean for dinner.

The beef ribs were excellent, paired with a very tasty potato purée. The fish and chips were a bit underwhelming, as the batter lacked flavor. The wagyu beef rump was cooked perfectly to order—no complaints there. Unfortunately, the mussels were a letdown; they arrived cold, which took away from the experience, although the sauce itself was delicious even served that way. The garden salad served with the meals was actually very good—worth mentioning, especially since some reviews suggested otherwise.. The Beeramisu was fantastic—a standout dessert—but it would have been even better with a bit less cream.

Ate there twice in 2 days. Everyone enjoyed their meals. The menu is sufficiently varied but retains some familiar goto dishes. Weekly smoked meat special is great. Smoked porchetta this week was awesome but their beef brisket burger was the star for me. Loved their twice fried potatoes with the tangy ranch dressing. $10 for a schooner felt a bit expensive considering they brew it themselves, but it didn't stop me enjoying a few. Lovedale Lager was my favourite.. Definitely be back for more as soon as possible.

Great tacos, healthy serve washed down perfectly with Blood Orange Cider, exclusively on tap here in the Hunter. Worth a visit for extensive range of @sydneybrewerhuntervalley brews on tap, including limited editions like Dream Weaver.

No taste at all. Fish must have stored long time in fridge and you can feel it’s gone bad. Very bland. Once you bit the food, you can feel it had been frozen and re heated few times. They pour a pint of beer when asked for a ginger beer, and without rectifying the issue, ask the customer to get 2 ginger beers as it’s already been charged. Don’t recommend this place at all.

We came as a family for a birthday lunch and was delighted with the friendly staff, the cleanliness of the restaurant and the seating arrangement. We sat at a table outside on a beautiful day under shade sails. Absolutely beautiful. Food was amazing! Highly recommend Lovedale Bar + Grill.

Bought the scotch fillet $60 and the mac n cheese $18. When I went up to get the food it was in takeaway boxes and when I told them I didn’t order takeaway the chef said you ordered takeaway and shrugged me off even though the waiter showed me the chefs receipt didn’t say takeaway, so they just gave me two extra plates to put it in. Also ordered the scotch fillet medium rare and it was well done and the mac n cheese was the size of my palm which is so small for $18. Definitely got scammed

The most amazing wine experience! Stunning location with amazing views, ponds with fish jumping around and ducks/bird grazing between shrubs. This location has the friendliest puppies greet you and walk you to your table. Plenty of parking overlooking beautiful valleys, ponds and a massive garden with an assortment of flowers. I had the pleasure of spending my 21st birthday here and our host treated my family, friends and I to a tasting on the house and a beautiful moscato for the drive home! The whole experience was filled with so many laughs and wines tailored to all of our guests pallets. I could not recommend this property more if you could spare a moment of your time to visit this gentleman and try out a tasting. It really will be some of the best memories you can take home from the Hunter.

The best wine tasting I’ve been to. The lady running it was extremely knowledgeable, and told us about her experience producing wine, as well as sharing with us in -depth detail about the wine we were tasting and the history of the site. She was funny and engaging, and we ended up getting a free bottle of wine and tasting experience that reflects the brilliant nature of the Hanging Tree winery. The location is amazing, and there is outdoor activities for kids, tons of parking, and extremely friendly dogs. Personally, I don’t think it can get much better.

Had a wonderful tasting here last Sunday with an expansive selection of beautifully crafted wines. Loved the whole experience and became a member on the spot to unlock lots of savings too. Mike our host shared his knowledge generously and our guests from the UK came away immensely impressed. Well done to the family and team at Hanging Tree Wines for the terrific sanctuary you have created.

Had an awesome afternoon tasting wines. Mike served us and was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable and very generous. I would not hesitate in returning. The wines are some of the best we have tasted in the Hunter. I would highly recommend this winery.

We just had a wonderful wine tasting, with Mike as our host. Not only was he knowledgeable and informative about the wines and wine tasting as a whole, he was amusing and very friendly. The setting of the vineyard was gorgeous and we could have spent hours there. Definitely recommend ❤️

Warm, welcoming and unforgettable (even if you don't like wine you will love it here) and if you love dogs you will love it too - highly recommend! Visited for a wine tasting with my partner and friends. While I'm not usually a wine drinker, Ken, made me feel included by offering me a glass of Moscato which to my surprise, I really enjoyed and ended up buying a bottle home with me. He also went above and beyond to make the experience really special, was super funny, and made my friends feel comfortable even though they don't speak much English. Thankyou for an amazing experience, I will definitely come here again.

Had a fantastic experience at this winery! The boss was super friendly and generous in letting us try a range of sparkling wines, each one excellent. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and it’s also a perfect spot for people with dogs. Highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area!

Hubby and I came here for a tour and tasting on our honeymoon and the experience exceeded our expectations by a mile! Geoff is so knowledgeable and thorough with his tours, it was such an informative and interesting experience, and Mandy took us on a wonderful tasting journey through some of their beautiful wines. Of course we bought some and immediately signed up to their wine club - which is free to join. I cannot recommend Iron Gate highly enough for a lovely, warm and intimate experience and stunning, small batch wines - an absolute must if you’re in the Hunter Valley!

Very friendly staff and nice wine. Great food, great view and great service. We did both wine tasting, $10/person so it was a very fair price. We also enjoyed their kitchen with such a great experience. Good food and beverages.

Iron Gate had such an incredible atmosphere. The moment we walked in, we were taken by the warm, relaxed vibe and stunning views that set the perfect backdrop for our meal. The food was absolutely outstanding from start to finish. We began with the wood-fired bread and chorizo. The steak was cooked to perfection and the potatoes were delicious. Combined with the gorgeous scenery and inviting ambiance, our experience at Iron Gate was truly unforgettable.

My husband and I had the most wonderful time for a wine tasting today. We had the whole place to ourself on a Monday, Mandy was amazing and very knowledgeable. The wines were absolutely incredible, we ended up walking away with 4 different bottles. Great view, atmosphere, feels like your in Europe! Couldn’t recommend more!!

My husband and I visited Iron Gate Estate for a mid-morning wine tasting followed by a delicious lunch, and we had the best time! The tasting felt cosy and intimate, with the freedom to choose where we wanted to sit. We picked a quiet table against the wall in the bar area, and Eden, our host, made the experience even better with his friendly and welcoming approach. Although we were given a menu to select our own wines, we decided to let Eden surprise us with his personal picks, and it made the tasting so much more fun and exciting! There were definitely some standouts we both really enjoyed 🍷. Lunch was an absolute highlight. The restaurant was buzzing with a fantastic atmosphere, and every dish we ordered was incredible. From the Paella arancini with squid ink aioli and Salt-cod croquetas, to the Spanish pesto, pumpkin & goats’ curd woodfired bread, Free-range pork belly with salsa roja, and wood-grilled baby broccoli, everything was packed with flavour. We ended on a sweet note with the burnt Basque cheesecake — absolutely divine! 😍 The winery itself is stunning, with interiors and exteriors that give such authentic Spanish vibes. We can’t wait to come back in summer and hopefully enjoy the beautiful outdoor seating. For this visit though, the cosy indoor setting was just perfect

We had an amazing time with our friends and enjoying some of the best wines from the region! Huge shoutout to Marine for explaining everything so clearly, she made the experience even better. Fantastic selection and beautiful place, highly recommend!

Loved all the wines! Walked away with 2 bottles. The sparkling rose and Touriga were our faves of the day! Also such a cute venue. Highly recommend.

If you only have time to visit one winery in the Hunter, Savannah Estate might just blow you away - it certainly did for us! All of the wines we tried were incredible across the board. We also did the pie tasting which was so worth doing, and easily was the highlight of our trip. Shout out to our server Hunter, who was so lovely and knowledgeable, and made our day so much fun! Thanks once again, hope to be back soon 🤩🍷

Savannah Estate Winery is one of the Hunter Valley’s most delightful hidden gems. Host Karen brings a rare personal touch to every guest experience, greeting visitors with warmth and genuine hospitality. Her passion goes beyond the wine itself – she shares a wealth of knowledge about the region, its history, and its hidden spots, making every visit both enriching and memorable. This is more than a wine tasting – it’s a heartfelt Hunter Valley experience.

Had an amazing experience at Savannah Estate with Karen who was so patient in teaching us all there is to know about the Family estate and wineries, along with the different wines. We opted for the Pie and Wine tasting. A must try if you are visiting the Hunter valley. My favorite was the Reserve Muscat which went so well with the Caramel White chocolate goodness. I wish I could go back 3 hours and experience it all over again!

To say our experience here was great would be an understatement. It was absolutely phenomenal. We had Kelly and Hunter go through our pie and wine tasting experience and it was the highlight to our trip. The pies were so delicious and the wines paired were a match made in heaven. Thank you Hunter and Kelly for the BEAUTIFUL experience. We will definitely be back ☺️

Absolutely brilliant winery. We did the pie and wine tasting which was such a fun and delicious experience. A very clever way to taste wines elevated alongside food and the pies were to die for. Their sweet wines were especially amazing. I’ll be drinking the frizzante all summer

Everything was amazing! From the moment we walked in the door, the service, the wine and all the yummy pies, fabulous! Savannah looked after our group of 6 ladies like no-one else on our 3 days of wine tours. Thanks so much Savannah and team! We’ll be back and recommending you to all! 🩷

Called in here for a glass of wine before headed to a luncheon. Ladies in the cellar door were absolutely lovely. I had a sparkling brut and husband had a glass of semillon. Beautiful wines in a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. Thanks for the experience! Will be back for a tasting!

Nice cheese and wine pairings, and we appreciated being offered an extra wine to try. The view over the vineyard is lovely and peaceful. Unfortunately, the experience was let down by indifferent service. Staff didn’t check in at all during the tasting, and there was no engagement or follow-up. We had our two kids with us and ordered the children’s juice paddle. They were told it was a “guessing game” and that someone would come back later to reveal what the juices were — but no one ever returned. When we asked another staff member, they simply said they had no idea. Extremely poor form when you’re offering a kids’ experience. The nearby roadworks didn’t help the setting, and the included lollies were nothing special. Not recommended, especially for families.

Easy to book, experience was ready when we arrived. Kids really enjoyed their first experience with a paddle board. They enjoyed guessing the different flavours of their drinks. Cheeses and chocolates were lovely matching the wines.

Puff and pour is a must! The curry puffs paired with the wine were probably the most delicious I’ve ever had, they are cooked in house and authentic. The variety of flavours and taste leaves you wanting more, or the recipe! The children’s paddles were colourful and a big hit for the kids. The estate was a perfect rainy day activity however had lawn games out the front for children to explore and play when the sun is shining. The estate itself is beautiful and welcoming. The staff are friendly and very knowledgeable! We will definitely be back! Cannot recommend enough!

Came for the chocolate and wine tasting, staff were really engaging and seemed genuinely passionate about their produce which was lovely. Favourite was the Riesling Solera, don’t let the cognac smell put you off if you don’t like it, it’s delicious !!

It was a very lovely visit to taste wines - all of the wines were very good and the cheeses complemented it gracefully. I truly recommend if you're a true wine lover.

I loved this place, I highly recommend it! I got the cheese and wine tasting, it was delicious. Also redhead Hannah was pretty awesome and great energy for everyone that came in there!

Beautiful spot! Amazing service. The best tasting paddles for adults and kids. Highly recommend the wine and cheese paddle. Loved our experience. Thank you.

Nice spot with a good look ✨ and it smelled unreal inside 🤤🍫—proper chocolate heaven 😍. But honestly, felt more like a boutique shop 🛍️ than an actual chocolate factory 🏭. Bit too much random stuff 🧼🍯 from other brands 🏷️, would’ve been better if they stuck to selling their own 💯. Seating was almost non-existent 🪑🚫 which made no sense 🤷—massive missed opportunity 🌅 with that view outside 🌳☕. Coffee shop didn’t have a clear menu 📋❌, and the whole vibe inside was kinda flat 😶‍🌫️. Staff seemed bored 😐, tall bloke at the door gave security energy 🕴️🔍, not sure what his deal was 🤨. Prices were wild 💸—$89 for 36 pieces ⁉️ Chocolate tasted good 😋🍬, not denying that ✅, but kinda overpriced 💰 and overhyped 📢 tbh smh ngl pmo 🫠🤦‍♂️. All up: looked nice 👀, smelled better 👃🍫, but the experience was average 🫤. So much missed opportunity 🙄, they should contact me 📞 and I'll send them a business plan 📈🧠 to make it wayyyy better 🔥💡 trust on that crodie 🫱. Still a nice visit tho, wouldn’t not recommend it 🤷‍♀️👌.

Quite an extensive range of chocolate on offer in a large hall shaped room with the workshop. Pricing on product is quite high though its artisan chocolate made onsite and the products are delicious but the ice cream in the packets are simply boring, get rid of them.

Beautifully presented and very clean. Chocolates are quite pricey but I can appreciate the effort that goes in to each chocolate which is why the price is how it is. and they would benefit from samples. Highly reccomend the passionfruit creme small chocolates and the Dubai dark chocolate bar

A lot of different chocolates options, I’ve just bought a hot chocolate that was delicious

Very nice chocolate here. A huge variety. A very nice lady, Maria helped with my packing of the chocolate that I bought! Thanks Maria!

Despite what this place says on its website, it is NOT a dog friendly location. Dogs are not welcome on the verandah seating and are relegated to a dusty picnic table at the entrance to the shop. Security staff were abrupt at the door. Despite being able to read the sign on the front door of this location, the security guard opened the door and rudely exclaimed “you can’t bring a dog in here. You can’t bring your dog here”. Then shut the door. It was clear on the door, there was not need for his aggression. It is obvious that dogs are not allowed inside a food shop- we understand that. However, do not hold yourself out to be dog friendly if the only “friendly” location is a picnic table at the carpark. Unless your verandah is dog friendly and patrons can sit and enjoy your goods comfortably with their dog, then do not purport to be dog friendly. Only giving 2 streets for the goods, not the service or location.

A great find in the Hunter Valley. The hot chocolate is delicious and the Berry Sorbet was a star choice! Chocolates were so reasonably priced that I couldn't believe it. Staff friendly and helpful. Great range of local items from preserves to coffee. Favourite chocolate was the cherry liqueur. So tart and delicious. Watch the pit it's a whole cherry. Will be back.

It was a lovely looking pub. The food was expensive for what it was. It was $35 for a chickens snitzel and $26 for pulled pork nachos.

You can get a tradie meal for $15 which is about the size of a kids meal. I ordered schnitzel and chips and the schnitzel was a little bit smaller than one you get in the 12 pack from coles or woolies and it came with about 10 chips. I was thinking of adding a topper which would have cost $9 so happy I didn't as it would have only been about 3 tablespoons. My husband had a burger and chips also from the tradie menu $15. He was going to add a egg but didn't as they were going to charge $4 for one. Sauce cost extra $2, everything cost more which we understand most places charge for add ons but this place the prices are more than other places. One customer purchased steak for about $65 and it was the size of a small chicken breast. Only two staff members seemed friendly. Not worth going back to unless willing to pay over $40 each per meal. Response to owner being $17 not $15 was the only error I made which makes it worse for you. Everything else I posted was and is correct and I never said it wasn't fresh. I 100% know Huntlee Tavern is the correct place.

Good atmosphere, good food, cold drinks and good service. What else could you want? Oh a great play area for the kids!!

Waited over an hour for our dinner order, steak was under cooked. Fair game the waitress did offer to take it back to the kitchen or to serve a drink. After waiting that long we had waited long enough, Not a place we will be back to or recommend

Tried this new establishment for lunch and I have to agree with the other reviews.. The Food was only-just-acceptable pub food. On a brighter note...the decor is lovely, view exquisite, service friendly if not over keen on customer interaction. And the toilets are worth a visit. Hopefully they will sort out their food issues as its a busy place...we just wouldn't bother going back. Edit I've come back to edit this as we have indeed been back, several times. I do believe Huntlee Tavern have got their act together. It's always hopping and the staff are friendly and obliging. It's really good pub food now. So much better than our first experience. This time we had the Flathead and Chips plus the Salt & Pepper Calamari (Squid). Bit of a wait, but they were hopping busy. Food was well-cooked and tasty. Well done to owners who take the time to read reviews and fix mistakes. We'll definitely be back!

We have had lunch here on weekends five times now, over the last three months. The food is great with generous servings, service is good. Parking on a weekend could be a bit of a challenge when it's busy, but there is Empire St, and Coles around the corner, so all OK.

Was assaulted on the dance floor and the staff acted like they didn’t see it. Will never come back. Horrible atmosphere, bad staff and overpriced drinks… not happy

Beautiful location - set on a farm with activities such as horse riding and a pet farm with an array of animals. Amazing birds singing every morning. Staff were all helpful and polite. Outdoor pool wasn’t heated but clean. Unfortunately it closed early every day at 4:30/5pm. Wine tasting and info video was free. Restaurant was pleasant but no table service which wasn’t great considering the cost of the food. Rooms were decent but not super clean- carpet and furniture needs updating. Close to other vineyards and winery’s but rental car definitely needed.

Here for my friend’s wedding, blessed with such beautiful weather (not hot yet not too cold). The winter season is coming so the winery was dry but still the place still looks beautiful 🩷 the staff here are nice and friendly, although I didn’t see many of them during my visit. The rooms are a bit outdated, but as long as it’s clean and warm that’s alright with me. Breakfast tastes good and came with a lovely view as well. There was some activities like wine tasting and horse riding available as I saw on the brochure but didn’t get to try it because I had other event to attend. Beautiful place to visit 👌

Stayed for 2 nights over the weekend for our first couples get away without bub and it was amazing! The views were breathtaking, room was cozy, food at the bistro was delicious, loved having the farm animals only a short walk from our cottage and the wine theatre/ wine tasting was great too! Love that we chose this place as we found out it’s the only family owned and run vineyards in the Hunter Valley left so you won’t be disappointed 😊

My partner and I recently had our wedding here and we absolutely loved it! From the planning, to the actual day and even the day after, the staff were phenomenal, as were the food and beverages on offer. Highly recommend! Big thank you to Katie & Gean for making our dream come true, you ladies are absolute legends. 🤩

Stayed here with my partner and our two fur kids...poodles. The cabin was great, fire place was just great during the cold evenings. The dogs loved it. Clean, well presented and spacious. Covered parking. Lots of area to roam around, again the poodles loved it. Would love to visit again.

Stayed here for a few days. The hunter rooms are quite small so don't be fooled by the "sleeps 4" description. It does technically sleep 4, just not in a very spacious way. They are also a bit outdated, but that didn't bother me. The rooms are clean and have a warm homely feel to them. The farm itself has a lot of activities/attractions. The ostrich, deer and ponies along with the activities offer a lot you can do inside the resort itself. The location is just beautiful. The sunsets and sunrises are not ones to miss out on. Great restaurants in the area and Newcastle is always nearby for your beach needs.

Rooms ok. Service not that good. Location far from main wineries. Overpriced at most!!!. The price for simple accommodations was pricey. We expected something to astonish us. But, in the contrary, the room was 'motel' room level. Everything at the restaurant was too much expensive!!! It is not fair, as we need to have brekkie there and dinner as well. Even with the voucher (15 bucks for each of us) our brekkie bill was almost 50$ for only two of us ( imagine! 80$ for breakfast, for 2 persons!!) And no live music, never! Only chit chatting. And the other meals as well, overpriced!! I am not coming back. And I do not recommend for anyone. Be aware!!!

We visited Peter Dayton today a nd had the absolute pleasure of having Tracy as our host! She let us know that she was new to the winery, but she was such a GEM! She really made our experience amazing and walked us through the wines while also being so personable and such a lovely woman. We had such a great and enjoyable time and will visit again (hopefully Tracy will be working!)

We had my daughter’s hens last weekend. We were welcome by the staff. We are assigned Kelly and she was the most polite, accommodating and wonderful person. Even though it was busy she managed to assist with every wish. The food was excellent, the wines were lovely and the gin was equally great. Thank you for the wonderful experience and thank you Kelly for making it special.

My mum has moved in the Hunter Valley for years and I am here constantly once a month, I honestly have never had a better experience than today at Peter Drayton. This was my first time here and I was the driver, Clive kept us all entertained with his amazing knowledge and personality. Also have to mention… I was told the wine is amazing!!! Couldn’t fault any of it and the gin is a must try!!!! Thank you Clive

Would not recommend doing a gin tasting here, service was very disappointing, staff members mumbling comments under their breath took us back. No explanation of the gin tasting, workers unprofessional and inconsiderate. We were looking forward to this gin tasting, but unfortunately would recommend spending your money elsewhere

Food is very bland and a very limited menu. Not sure how you make pizza and arancini that bland. Beer is good. Atmosphere is not bad.

We would like to do a shout out to Clive. Thank you so much for such an amazing wine tasting experience Clive!! He made us feel very welcome and comfortable. He is very knowledgable and we learnt so much from him especially the 3 sips rule when tasting wine! What a top bloke!!! Highly recommend him when it comes to wine tasting and we will be coming back again soon. I also forgot to mention - this place is pet friendly! Yes!! You can eat, taste wine or beer with your dog sitting right next to you!!! WIN WIN!!!

Popped in for lunch today. I'd heard good things about the pizza. We shared a paddle of beer. Lots of original and interesting flavours there. Quick service and friendly staff.

We passed by this fish and chips store on our way to Hunter valley for hot air balloon. The portions are pretty generous and tastes delicious. Super friendly owner, will definitely come back if we pass by again.

Great little 70s takeaway nestled in the Cessnock community , no smashed avo on toast or skinny lattes here , just old fashioned fish & chip takeaway , reasonably priced , friendly service , hand cut chips , plenty of parking out the front , minutes away from Cessnock CBD .

Obviously dirty old oil that they cooked in. $4 for chips, as you can see in my photo, not really many. Will never eat here again nor recommend. Dirty establishment. They are closed Monday and Tuesday, you would think they'd clean up the place.

Definitely wont be going back, the battered fish was horrible, it left a dirty taste in my mouth, I think it was Bassa, chips i really don't know what happened there, Scallops looked unrecognisable. Oil seems like it hasn't been changed in a while, also it seems the Temperature of the oil is way to high as well, wasted my money basically

Orderedscollops witch come out well over cooked chips arnt the best either

Run by cute and friendly asian couple. 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Gave us 2 free sauces. ✌🏻 Cute takeaway place with DIY signs😚 Food was reasonable for the price. 😋

Awesome little spot, the food's great, and the staff is super friendly.

Dropped in on the way home from Smoke in Broke and what a wonderful stop it was. My husband had the Whiskey Flight tasting. He thoroughly enjoyed all four of them and his favourite was No.3. Would definitely recommend stopping and enjoying this tasting experience with Ella and Craig who were very helpful and knowledgeable.

Tower Whiskey Distillery in the Hunter Valley offers quality Australian whiskey-making. Their No. B1 Bourbon Barrel American Oak is exceptionally smooth, making it a standout expression that's well worth trying. The distillery demonstrates impressive craftsmanship and makes for a great visit in the Hunter Valley's spirits scene.

We loved our experience at Tower distillery, Ella was amazing. She knew a lot about the whole process and was just happy to make our experience enjoyable. We are already talking about making plans to come back.

Very good experience. Lovely staff who explained all the details. There were 4 whiskeys to taste.

We visited as an impromptu visit without a booking. Ella made us welcome immediately and provided us with options for a tasting. She was professional and informative and added to a great experience before we finally walked away with some amazing whiskey to enjoy when we get home

We really appreciated being looked after yesterday. We were able to choose our preferred spot and our party could enjoy tasting the fine whisky on offer and catching up. We each followed up with a dram of our favourite whisky around the open fire. A great afternoon and I think we all plan to return sometime soon with other friends to share what was a thoroughly delightful afternoon and venue and whisky tasting.

I had a very disappointing experience. When I walked in, two staff members were rude and unwelcoming. They didn’t greet us properly when I said “hello,” the response was blunt and dismissive with just a short “hi.” I stood there waiting for some engagement, but they stayed silent, which made the situation feel awkward. I ended up looking around uncomfortably before leaving. Staff should be more welcoming and approachable.

Stopped in at Far Distillery during a trip through the Hunter and had an awesome experience. The service was fantastic – friendly, relaxed, and super knowledgeable. Ben really made the visit – he knows his stuff and clearly loves what he does. He walked me through the range and made the whole tasting really enjoyable. You can tell a lot of care goes into every bottle. Big fan of the Signature Gin and Shiraz Gin. For the whisky drinker their barrel-aged gin will be right up your alley. Far Distillery is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. Great gin, great people, and a relaxed vibe. Can’t wait to come back!

We dropped by to do a wine and gin tasting on the weekend and we were very impressed with the friendly service and beautiful location. Couldn't leave without getting a bottle of their unique gin; absolutely delightful poured over ice or with tonic. Highly recommend!

Visited the distillery as part of a Two Fat Blokes tasting tour. The staff were informed and friendly. We returned the following day to buy wine, gin and the super home made chocolates. I could not recommend more! Just pop in and try a few things...there is nothing to dislike and plenty to appreciate.

Great experience. Staff are welcoming, go above and beyond to make sure the experience is memorable. They are so knowledgeable about gin. Great afternoon it was so hard to decide which gin to take home. We will definitely be back. Thank you!

Amazing distillery with a wonderful selection of unique gins - especially the Signature No.1 - and Amanda was great at explaining the unique aromatics, taste and production history of everything FAR distillery has to offer. Definitely worth coming if you'd like to try something else other than wine in the Hunter region. 😊

By far the best tasting we attended in the Hunter Valley. Ben was hilarious and we cannot wait to come back. The Gin is the best we have ever had and we ordered it all! You will not be disappointed.

Great tasting experience with Ben at F.A.R Distillery. Shiraz Gin is so delicious!!

The selection of cheeses in the cool room was excellent, and there was a very good range of small goods, sauces and charcuterie items.. The shop is a bit tight though and is hard to navigate with only a few people in there. The service was ok but a little cold...nothing outstanding. I'd recommend it for the products only.

Hot food is okay. Staff are very friendly and helpful. No menus on display so check out the photos first. Some things are a bit pricey… $25 a jar of jam. Really? Otherwise a great little spot to get some food to sit on the grass and soak up that hunter valley fresh air!!

Great ice cream, cheese tasting $5/pp is okay, not perfect, but great to hang out with friends and family. Great location, there is Thai/Japanese restaurant next door. Great range of stuff like honey, cheese, candies in this shop to buy.

Everyone knows it, always plenty of parking, it has been here for years and as a meeting place it is excellent. There are many and varied cheeses available here and it is well worth a visit to try, and buy, some unusual cheeses not available in your local supermarket.

Upbeat different type of winery 🍷 Great atmosphere and wine tasting 👌

This place isn't just a cheese shop you can buy sandwiches and other treats here as well. It is pretty pricy but does have a good selection of different cheeses. Friendly staff and service was good.

Small shop that has a lot of produce to look at. Only one small tasting tray available with no customer service to assist so people in a long line as they wait for others to dine out on the tasting offerings. There was only a small selection of cheeses available for purchase. Plenty of cold meet and crackers but given it is a cheese shop, I would have thought more emphasis on cheese. Plenty of parking nearby.

Absolute Aroma is hands down the best Indian restaurant in the Hunter Valley! A family-run gem serving authentic Indian cuisine made with honest-to-goodness ingredients. The flavours are rich, fresh, and absolutely delicious. The service is always warm and welcoming, and the value is fantastic. Highly recommended- let's support small local businesses like this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An absolute gem in the Hunter Valley! We had the pleasure of dining at Absolute Aroma, a lovely family-owned Indian restaurant, and it was truly a standout experience. From the moment we walked in, the warm hospitality made us feel right at home. The dosas were absolutely fantastic — crisp, perfectly spiced, and better than even the ones we've had at one of the famous restaurant's in Harris Park! Every dish we tried was full of authentic flavor — the butter chicken was rich and comforting, the naan soft and fresh, and the rice complemented everything beautifully. To finish off, the kulfi desserts were a perfect sweet touch — creamy and just the right amount of indulgence. Highly recommend this spot if you're in the area. Authentic, delicious, and made with love — Absolute Aroma truly lives up to its name!

This was the only Indian restaurant I could find in Cessnock and it did NOT disappoint. The chicken 65 was outstanding, crisp, sour and spicy. The dhum biriani was decent with good flavour and enough pieces to suffice. The staff was friendly and helped whenever needed. Overall, very happy with the experience.

Absolutely amazing on all levels. The friendly atmosphere is very welcoming. We eat Indian food a lot in various places around Australia and this is by far the best we have had. Can’t praise it enough. Have eaten here and got take away 3 times in August. It’s BYO and the prices for the food are very reasonable.

Swaadisht...Trust me... I tried Malai kofta, kadahi paneer with three types of bread.It was served Hot & Fresh.. Also try Rasmalai in sweets 😋 You'll enjoy with light indian instrumental music..

What a fantastic experience had by my family (including one picky eater who devoured everything on his plate) the food was amazing some of the best Indian cuisine I have tasted, the service was amazing we were served and had our meals in a timely manner even though they were quite busy!! The staff were more than happy to explain what was in the dishes and took time to ensure we knew what we were ordering (including the level of spicyness). The staff were all so friendly and happy going above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. The atmosphere was lovely, was enough seating for our family without feeling squished. I would highly recommend Absolute Aroma in Cessnock to satisfy you Craving for authentic Indian cuisine- I only wish I could give more than 5 stars!!! We will definitely be returning soon.

5 Stars – Amazing Experience! Absolutely loved our meal at Absolute Aroma Indian Restaurant in Cessnock! The food was packed with flavour and perfectly spiced — we tried the Chicken Patiyala, Methi Malai Chicken, and garlic naan, and every bite was delicious. The portions were generous and well-presented. The service was friendly and attentive, and the staff made sure we were comfortable throughout. The ambiance was warm and welcoming — perfect for a relaxed dinner. Highly recommend this place if you’re craving authentic Indian food in the Hunter region. We’ll definitely be coming back!

I like that they stock those hard to find drinks not so keen on the rude customer service

Only visited once good customer service and polite.

Leigh is an absolutely champ! Helped my girlfriend find a tasty drink. Now she crying listening to her high school playlist asking me if Id love her if she was a worm.

Good staff but don't expect help when asking for a case to be carried out to the car when your hands are full. That's why the 3/5 stars.

Practical, convenient, easy access, great selection efficient staff.

I never go there. My daughter lives 200 metres from here. Please stop asking me to review.

Great drive through. Always friendly and eager to help

We had dinner at the wood restaurant last night and it was unbelievable. Originally we wanted to try the lamb which was sold out. So we opted for the T-bone steak instead with potatoes, salad and broccoli. We also got the mushrooms with black aioli to start. All of this was delicious and the best meal we’ve had in ages! Highly recommend for any occasion.

My partner and I dined at the official opening of the newly renovated restaurant. We were served by the lovely Anastasia who was incredibly hospitable and friendly.. The food was outstanding and I highly recommend the Mother Fungus and Duck Skewers. Packed full of flavour and cooked to perfection. All this coupled with the fantastic Brokenwood wines made this visit truly memorable. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Food was absolutely delicious!! Husband is a steak aficionados and he was blown away. Had the dry aged rib eye (omg!!!), the oak leaf salad and kipfler potatoes. Wonderful setting too watching the chefs in the open kitchen. Wanted to come back tomorrow but they aren't open on a Wednesday!

Our car club organised lunch there for about 30 people with 4 courses. Each course had about 2 dishes served tapas style between every 4 people to share. The food was delicious, plentiful and a great variety of cuisines to sample. Nobody left hungry and everyone was happy with the food. The service was excellent, even with 30 people in our group. I would go back there again for lunch.

Nice environment and very good service. The food service was fast. We ordered four-course menu and a bottle of sparkling wine. The food quality was fine but we weren’t really impressed by the combination of the food. The quail was a bit burnt on the outside so we could taste some bitterness . And the main course portion was a bit small. Comparing to other restaurants in nearby area, 4-course menu under $100 pp is quite good deal. Given that the nice vibe and great service, we would like to revisit later when they have a new menu.

Today we had the most fabulous lunch at the newly renovated Wood Restaurant @ Brokenwood Wines. The Feed Me Menu at $120.00 was our choice and chef Sean and his teams attention to detail was evident in every dish. It was hard to pick the best but my wife and I agreed that the wood fired ribeye just won. The QLD prawns with prawn head sauce was stunning so definitely ask for extra sauce and bread, you will not stop until every bit of sauce is gone. The potato gnocchi was just as good. So if you are looking for a great lunch you must try The Wood. By the way the wines are very good as well.

We had a surprisingly lovely meal at The Wood restaurant on a whim last Sunday. We showed up with no booking and they easily seated my family, made up of two adults and four kids. The kids were no issue at all for the staff and despite initial skepticism from the kids regarding the slighted more elevated kids menu (gasp, no chicken and chips!), all my kids surprised themselves and me with how much they enjoyed the food. My husband and I had the Feed Me menu which was fantastic value at $95 a head - with seven or so courses it felt like a much fancier degustation and we ending up taking home half of our main, definitely not short on food. It felt like this option could be adjusted slightly to taste as well so make sure to consider it! All in all, a lovely Sunday out, thank you.

Wonderful place complete with kangaroos. We got great tips for wine and eats. I would love to come back sometime. The cottage we stayed in has disability access that is OK for someone who can walk a few steps, but isn't suitable for a wheelchair user without assistance.

A wonderful weekend, staying in a clean, spacious place Verandah at the front to enjoy your cup of tea! With a BBQ area in the back to enjoy your wine… close to all wineries and conveniences. The wildlife was spectacular! The little extras were just great Thank you for a wonderful stay x

My family of 4 had an amazing stay at Lilly Pilly Cottage at the Grange on Hermitage. Everything is impeccable, starting from the cottage, the rooms, the beds, the location, the views and the awesome hospitality! The sunrise view is breathtaking, the cottage is very well maintained, and the beds are very comfortable. There is a soccer field and a soccer ball is even provided for your stay - great to keep the kids and even adults energized! You can even spot kangaroos just outside! Highly recommended accommodation for everyone - couples, families and friends!

I've been eating to write a review a while now. My partner and I stayed here a few years ago. By far its the best accommodation we have stayed in the Hunter Valley. The rooms were a great size, very clean and comfortable. Every morning we had freshly baked muffins at our doorstep which we still talk about how delicious they were. I had booked for my partners birthday and due to driving up late after work from Sydney I asked if it was possible to provide a cheese platter and some wine and I was also offered that they can bake a birthday cake which I was happy about. We got to the room and waiting was a gorgeous cheese platter, 2 wines, fruit platter and a carrot cake. All was absolutely delicious. We were so happy with our stay, the service is definitely the best. Very welcoming and they go out of there way for great service and making our stay a memorable one. Highly recommend and will be comming back again :)

Newly renovated and spacious rooms, lounge and kitchen. Beds were so comfortable. Loved the vineyard views and proximity to famous wineries close by. Staff keep you updated at check in and check out. Large kitchen and BBQ available in outside deck. A family of kangaroos hopping nearby in the afternoons was a lovely bonus.

I don't think i have ever felt more welcomed in a hotel than i did at The Grange. Me and my family stayed in the guest cottage and it was the most peaceful experience we've ever had. The cottage sits on open parkland and there was plenty of space for the kids to run around, and as a bonus my daughter met one of the kids that lived on the property and was shown around the little chicken coop and veggie patch they had. On the 2 mornings we had there we were treated to beautiful fresh homemade muffins that was made by the owner, my husband and i agreed they were the best we've ever had! The kitchen was well equipped for cooking as it had everything you needed, so we were able to save money from eating out and stayed in to cook breakfast and dinner. Out of all the places we've stayed at locally this would be by far the best place we've stayed at. Next time we come back to hunter valley we would definitely plan to stay here again.

We had the most incredible stay- thank you. We rented 2 cottages for a family weekend. Five star hospitality. The beds are SO comfortable, smart TV, very clean, baby cot/high chair/bath provided, full breakfast provided including gluten free options and fresh farm eggs, the most amazing freshly baked muffins hand delivered each morning (Chris even made gluten free-delicious.) Surrounded by stunning wineries with top restaurants 5mins down the road. Was also so lovely seeing all the kangaroos in the paddock. Such a perfect getaway for family, couples, friends. We’ll be back. Thank you.

Great place! The sparrow jack spiced rum is really nice. Pizzas look fantastic and the place has an amazing vibe. Definitely worth spending some time here!

What a gem! Must visit, gorgeous tapas food and a great selection of flavoured spirits. Will def be back..... Well done guys 😍❤️🍹

What a view!!! We had a nice arvo. I recommend the Cheese and charcuterie plate to eat. Summertime gin to drink.

Took my Wife up to Pokolbin for the October long weekend.Drove up from Sydney on Friday the 30th of September.I Googled this place amongst 4 or 5 wineries to visit and wasn't disappointed.Wonderful Tasting section for their flavoured Vodka,Gin and Moonshine(I believe a very young Whiskey but called Moonshine to differentiate)Around to the left and overlooking the hills was the restaurant.We had a chicken Pizza with a garlic bread with a nice soft drink for my wife and a Chocolate/orange Porter for me.Wow.Best Pizza I had in years and I had to travel to Pokolbin to find it,LOL..We totally enjoyed the venue and would highly recommend it.Thank you.

Amazing tasting experience and wonderful staff, thank you Peta for hosting us and sharing all your knowledge! Bonus points for letting little Arnie in, he loved it 🐾

Took my wife to Pokolbin for her fortieth birthday and what a fantastic place to visit. Dropped by for a tasting and was not disappointed. Danny was a superb attentive host with many a funny tale to tell. We left with our arms full of product and a smile on our dials. We will be looking forward to coming back.

Great spot for a tasty meal with a beautiful outlook! The staff were very friendly, and helped us find the perfect drink from the broad range of beers and spirits. The food was amazing - and apparently set to get even better with a new menu on its way. The verandah is the place to be, set up with comfy lounges and bar stools, and is the perfect spot to kick back and watch the black cockatoos fly around the vineyard while the sun sets behind the mountain. I thoroughly recommend - and I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the valley.

Went on a weekend getaway trip for the partners birthday. We had such a great time and enjoyed the spa, and the complimentary snacks and added extras were such a nice touch it. Location was perfect! So close to general store/cafes/restaurants and wineries. We will definitely be back! Thanks Sonia x

What a great find in the Hunter Valley. A perfect place to spend a special occasion. They say it's the little things that count, they thought of everything. From the fresh flowers, the nice hand written welcome note, the clean environment, and the serene outlook from all the windows. They even left a bottle of wine as a birthday gift, the icing on the cake!! Very quiet location and away from the main road, no noise at all. Only a short drive to everywhere, very convenient. Breakfast and coffee were made available, the spa was the perfect temperature and was very relaxing after a long day out in the Hunter. Can thoroughly recommend and we will definitely be back. Thanks again. Great place to stay.

Stayed with my partner for his 40th birthday ! We loved everything about it! The location is fantastic, the room is very nice ! Extra 5 starts for the outdoor spa and fire pit ! It was a memorable stay ! Thank you very much!

A lovely stay in a beautiful Villa. We had a gorgeous hot tub outside and at night it is so peaceful looking at the stars. Bed was so comfortable and all the furnishings were lovely. Our host made my birthday special and the breakfast hamper was just perfect. Would stay again. Highly recommended 10 out of 10

Absolutely perfect weekend away. The location is central to everything in the Hunter Valley. The room was fantastic with plenty of little extra touches to make it a special stay, we will be staying here next time we visit!

Beautiful villas in a great location, close to anything in Hunter Valley. Grand Spa Villa has a private jacuzzi and an amazing bathroom so we were very happy, the gas fireplace is amazing, heats up the room in no time. Be aware though that there’s no housekeeping and it’s more self-service, but if you want to have a romantic getaway with your spouse, it’s great. The reason for 4 stars and not 5 is the internet as it’s listed as high-speed wifi but the wifi just doesn’t work, which can pose issues especially for foreigners as we used up all our daily allowance the first day. Apart from this, everything was great and Sonia is a good host. Highly recommended.

Stunning location in the Hunter Valley, perfect distance from venues. It's very peaceful, relaxing and comfortable, extremely clean. The interior design and the styling was beautiful. Would recommend to anyone looking for a peaceful, cozy weekend getaway in the hunter valley.

For a place that boasts stock from local breweries and vineyards the beer selection was no where near as diverse as I expected and I think only had options from one local craft brewery or maybe two but the rest was from sydney, I thought they would definitely have some of the amazing offerings from hope estate ( across the road) however I was sad to find nothing from hope estate at all.

Paid too much Food is good service is poor When you order room service the drop your food at the door like would you to a dog not even I hand feed my dog The cleaners really nice and polite Bare staff rude This holiday meant to be relaxing swimming pool nice The room is big but basic for $1297 for two nights I think I have been doubled charged Over all I thing the food is great but limited staff need yo be trained except the cleaning ladies they are expropriation they are angels

Perfect little bottle shop, lots of regular well known drinks and also local wines and drinks available as well.

Never open when they say they are! Showed up at 4pm for 2 days and shop is closed. Meant to close at 5pm.

Great range of local wines and beers.

Not much choice.

Good option for wine