Eat & Drink
Wine, Dine, Celebrate
The best eat & drink in Goolwa
Everything edible on the Fleurieu - wineries, restaurants, cafés, breweries, distilleries, markets and makers.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is a genuine paddock-to-plate region, and eating your way around it is half the reason to visit. This is one of South Australia's most productive corners - vineyards and olive groves, market gardens and orchards, almond and citrus, cheese makers and small-batch producers all within an easy drive of one another.
It shows up everywhere. Spend a morning at the famous Saturday farmers market in Willunga, graze your way through farm gates and cellar-door kitchens around McLaren Vale, or pick up fresh fish, local cheese, olive oil and just-baked bread to take to the beach. The region's restaurants and cafés lean hard on what's grown nearby, and many of the best meals are had at winery and brewery tables looking out over the vines.
From long vineyard lunches and seaside fish and chips to country bakeries and good coffee in almost every town, there's something for every appetite and budget. If you're planning a trip around food, aim for a weekend so you can catch the markets, and book ahead for the popular winery restaurants - they fill quickly, especially in spring and over the summer holidays.
Browse eat & drink by area
18 places
Aqua Cafe
A casual beachside cafe on the road into Goolwa Beach, with ocean views, gelato counter and the standard cafe menu - the natural lunch stop after a Goolwa Beach walk.
Ballast Stone Estate Wines
A Shaw-family Currency Creek estate (with a second cellar door at the Goolwa Wharf) pouring cool-climate Fleurieu reds and whites.
Bombora on the River
$$Seafood and river views on Barrage Road
An award-winning Goolwa cafe on the edge of the Murray River showcasing local produce - Coorong mullet, Goolwa cockles and Fleurieu wines - in a light-filled riverside dining room.
Corio Hotel
Heritage hotel on the Goolwa wharf road
Historic stone hotel on Railway Terrace, Goolwa - one of the town's most recognisable 19th-century buildings, with a pub, restaurant and accommodation.
Goolwa Hotel
An 1853 stone hotel on the corner of Cadell Street, still trading after 170 years, with the salvaged figurehead from the Irish sailing ship Mozambique displayed on its facade.
Hays St Bar + Kitchen
A European-inspired wine bar and restaurant in a rustic exposed-brick space just off Cadell Street, Goolwa - share plates, natural wines and slow service the way it should be.
Hector's Modern Australian Kitchen
$$$Riverfront dining on the Goolwa Wharf
Modern Australian restaurant on the Goolwa Wharf with uninterrupted views over the Murray and the PS Oscar W paddle steamer.
Home of Plenty
A Mediterranean and Palm Springs-inspired cellar door and wine bar in Currency Creek, pouring easy-drinking estate wines alongside a co-designed mezze menu.
Islanders Tavern
The only pub on Hindmarsh Island - a relaxed country tavern serving counter meals, local wine and beer, with views to the river channel and the Goolwa bridge.
Kuti Shack
$$Beachside seafood shack at Goolwa Beach
Seafood kiosk and cafe at the Goolwa Beach carpark from the Goolwa Pipi Company - specialising in pipis (kuti) pulled from the beach out front.
Motel Goolwa
A central, no-fuss motel on Cadell Street in the heart of Goolwa, with on-site cafe (Jack's Place) and walking distance to the wharf, the Cockle Train, the brewery and the river.
Motherduck
A treasured main-street Goolwa cafe for gourmet coffee, all-day brunch and produce-driven lunch plates.
One Paddock Currency Creek Winery
A Currency Creek winery, providore and restaurant on a sprawling vineyard estate, with multiple event spaces and a long lunch reputation.
Peninsula Providore (Nangkita Olive Grove)
An estate-grown EVOO producer at the Nangkita Olive Grove, with sit-down oil tastings, share platters and grove discovery tours - open the first full weekend of every month.
Salomon Estate
An Austrian Salomon family Finniss River estate producing premium Fleurieu Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and the flagship Alttus blend.
Shaw Family Vintners
A 900-acre family-owned Currency Creek estate, the anchor of the Currency Creek wine district, pouring a broad range including sparkling.
Steam Exchange Brewery
A small-batch microbrewery in the historic Goolwa Wharf goods shed, sharing a building with The Fleurieu Distillery and pouring four preservative-free hand-crafted beers.
The Fleurieu Distillery
$$Single malt whisky & Moon River Gin at Goolwa Wharf
Award-winning Australian single malt whisky distillery on Cutting Road at Goolwa Wharf, shared with the Steam Exchange Brewery.
Eat & Drink in Fleurieu Peninsula - frequently asked questions
What is the Fleurieu Peninsula known for when it comes to wine and food?
The Fleurieu is one of South Australia's great paddock-to-plate regions, anchored by the McLaren Vale wine district where Shiraz is the signature grape - it makes up the bulk of the crush - alongside increasingly celebrated old-vine Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. Beyond the cellar doors it is a genuine larder, with olive groves, almonds around Willunga, citrus and market gardens, Jersey-milk cheese and small-batch makers all within an easy drive. Names like d'Arenberg, Coriole and Chapel Hill sit alongside breweries, distilleries and weekend markets.
How many cellar doors are there on the Fleurieu, and which wine regions should I visit?
There are well over 100 cellar doors across the Fleurieu, spread through four main wine regions: McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Currency Creek and the Southern Fleurieu. McLaren Vale is the best-known and most concentrated, famous for bold reds, while Langhorne Creek and Currency Creek are quieter and reward those willing to explore a little further. You can easily build a day around a handful of cellar doors in any one of them.
Do I need to book to visit cellar doors, and are they family or dog friendly?
Walk-in tastings are common, but booking ahead is strongly recommended for seated tastings, long lunches and any group, and it is essential at popular spots, especially on weekends. Many McLaren Vale venues are very family and dog friendly, with lawns, playgrounds and kids' menus at some, and dogs welcome on a lead at numerous cellar doors - it is always worth confirming each venue's policy before you go. Most open daytime hours, roughly 10am to 5pm, with some restaurant and bar spaces running later.
Where can I find Fleurieu produce, cheese and craft beer or spirits beyond the wineries?
The Saturday-morning Willunga Farmers Market is the classic spot to meet local growers and makers, from Fleurieu Milk Company Jersey dairy to cheese, olives and seasonal fruit and veg. The peninsula also has a fast-growing craft beer and spirits scene, with breweries and distilleries offering taphouses and tastings, several of them family-friendly with outdoor space and lunch. Cheese lovers can also seek out local dairies and producers such as Blessed Cheese in McLaren Vale's main street.
When is the best time to visit the Fleurieu for food and wine?
Cellar doors are open year-round, but autumn around vintage (roughly March to May) is a beautiful time to visit, with the vines turning colour and harvest in full swing. McLaren Vale's long-running Sea and Vines Festival was retired after 2019, but the region's wineries and restaurants now run their own food, wine and music events through the year, with plenty happening across the June long weekend in particular. Summer and spring are also popular for sunny days spent grazing across multiple cellar doors.