Five regional Victorian restaurants worth the drive

Maybe just a lovely drive from Melbourne on a sunny day with a memorable meal at the end. Add these five faves to your must-visit restaurant list for regional Victoria, get in the car and enjoy a great day (or weekend) out.

Delatite Winery just out of Mansfield has joined the restaurant brigade and the Ritchie family welcomes diners with open arms (and bottles) to enjoy this lovely part of Victoria. Both the restaurant and terrace have views towards Mount Buller: the former features an $80 per-head shared degustation, the latter more casual platters and pizza. Local produce is a standout with dishes such as venison gozleme or a high country cheese platter and, of course, Delatite’s wines and mountain beers to wash it all down.

All Saints has not just one restaurant but two. Kin is the fine dining experience (and scored a chef’s hat to prove it) while Bonnie is more casual with pizza, cheese platters and salads. Either way, this castle-like winery outside Rutherglen has to be seen to be believed. Kin in particular warrants a long lunch or dinner in its airy dining space and the respect with which chef Jack Cassidy treats lamb from the surrounding paddocks or perhaps Milawa duck (among other menu items) will set your taste buds a-tingle.

Another winery restaurant, this time closer to Melbourne near Romsey in the Macedon Ranges. Mount Monument is named for the nearby rocky outcrop and the winery is itself a monument with architecture by Nonda Katsilidis (MONA, Eureka Tower), a sculpture walk and some cracking Pinot and Chardonnay wines from the cellar door. The new restaurant run by Gisborne chef Ben Salt is divine: the $85 set-course menu focuses on local produce and over four courses is a tour of the region’s finest.

The Stanley Pub, about 10 minutes from Beechworth, has been around since the 1850s but last year got a new lease of life. Local chef Sally Wright has taken over the kitchen, the interior décor is now country-rustic-meets-belle-époque and the beer garden is as massive and welcoming as ever. Plates tend towards an Asian influence (try tonkatsu pork or red duck curry), there’s a ‘feed me’ option and kids are particularly well catered for. Rarely do history, charm and flavour combine this brilliantly so make a day of it.

There’s a distinctly French flavour to Chauncy, which is not surprising given part-owner Louis Naeples hails from La Belle France and partner Tess Murray is a sommelier with a love of local and French wine. Their Heathcote restaurant is a heritage sandstone building seating just 16 and although the menu changes regularly, expect a tour de force of French classic cuisine with Australian influences: lobster with warrigal greens, or venison, beetroot and cauliflower may feature. Intimate, exquisite and rural-chic, it’s definitely worth the trip out of town.

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