It’s official: If you love food, you need to get to South Australia

On its debut outing to Australia, the famed French guide awarded two stars to one South Australian restaurant and one star to a further ten – proof that the state punches way above its modest population in the gastronomic stakes. This is, after all, the home of four of the country’s best wine and produce districts in the Barossa, Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale; a massive natural advantage the state’s chefs use to their benefit.

Now to celebrate MICHELIN’s arrival on Australian soil, the South Australian Tourism Commission is giving one winner the chance to enjoy a food and travel experience with a former MICHELIN Guide inspector, sampling the state’s newly recognised restaurants and regional food and wine. It’s valued at up to $20,000, but to live like a MICHELIN Guide inspector is a truly money-can’t-buy experience – enter here. 20 runners-up will receive one dining booking valued at $500 at a MICHELIN Guide-recognised venue.

Whether you win the big prize or are planning your own ultimate foodie journey, there are stacks of incredible spots to seek out on your next road trip around the state. Here’s your guide to the 11 Michelin-starred venues in South Australia.

The wineries

This is the wine state – so of course South Australia’s wineries are well represented in Michelin’s guide.

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For those looking to go all out on a foodie-focused trip down south, the essential stop is at Magill Estate Restaurant, the only restaurant awarded a highly prestigious two stars from Michelin. Magill Estate boasts an incredible view of Penfolds Winery from its position at the base of the Adelaide Hills, with floor-to-ceiling windows that make sunset the best hour for any reservation here. MICHELIN called chef Scott Huggins’ food “high concept” – think smoked pork tenderloin, wrapped in aged lardo and cabbage, finished tableside with miso butter and pork muntrie sauces.

Magill Estate Restaurant is on the outskirts of Adelaide, making it an easy hop to and fro your accommodation. But most of South Australia’s wine districts are located at different points on the map about an hour’s drive from the state capital, meaning they’re an achievable day trip (perhaps with the assistance of a designated driver, lest you indulge at the vineyards).

Further into the Adelaide Hills, about 45 minutes from town, is Anvers Restaurant, which impressed the MICHELIN judges with its glass dining room and quintessentially Australian dishes like Paroo Kangaroo and damper bread. Around 30 minutes away north by car is LVN Restaurant at Bird in Hand, where everything is cooked over a live fire using produce grown on-site.

If you’re doing the Barossa, be sure to hit Hentley Farm, a winery that transforms its repurposed barn into a dining room and leans on its natural charms: the restaurant is open for lunch only, so you can take in daytime views of the lovely garden as you eat. South of Adelaide in McLaren Vale, it’s Maxwell Restaurant that earned a MICHELIN star for its globe-trotting cuisine that spans everything from Nordic to Japanese influences.

To do the Clare Valley – a 90-minute drive from Adelaide’s centre – set the coordinates for Skillogalee Barrel House, which earned a star for its mix of honest cooking, excellent produce and lovely setting. Skillogalee also offers accommodation, making it the perfect place to stuff yourself at dinner then stumble back to your on-site cottage to sleep.

The iconic locations and boundary pushers

It’s not just the food (or wine) that makes South Australia such a great place to dine. One of the state’s other big advantages is the incredible settings that restaurants make use of, whether it’s a table with a view of the vineyards or a dining room inside a repurposed historic space.

Botanic, the restaurant nestled inside the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, boasts both yesteryear charm and what MICHELIN describes as a “lovely, timeless setting”. Since 2021, Botanic has championed native ingredients like warrigal, Geraldton wax and bunya in a former 1800s tea house (the restaurant was reborn in 2021 with an all-new menu, so if you’ve been on previous trips to Adelaide, it’s time to revisit).

Aptos, meanwhile, turns a moody 19th-century church in the Adelaide Hills into a high-end dining room. You’ll need three hours for their 16-course tasting menu, which is enjoyed by just 14 guests per sitting, an unforgettably intimate experience. There’s no official dress code, “but guests tend to dress for the occasion” – so glam up.

You don’t have to leave Adelaide to experience three of the state’s most interesting meals. At arkhé, you can enjoy Asian-inspired cuisine in the vibrant suburb of Norwood; MICHELIN particularly enjoyed the Peking duck wontons with smoked duck broth and Eyrewoolf abalone. Plant-focused food takes centre stage at Aurora at ILA, situated within the city’s ILA Visual Arts Museum. And at Esmay, you’ll eat in a 40-person heritage-listed dining room that dates back to 1883 and comes complete with original fireplaces and stained-glass windows. Be sure to save room for dessert, which the MICHELIN judges had a particular fondness for.

The Esmay dining room is situated in the Hackney Hotel, which, set on the edge of the Botanic Garden, happens to be both a beautiful and very convenient place to base yourself in Adelaide during your stay. And with this much to eat, what a trip it will be.

Win the ultimate South Australian foodie escape with a former MICHELIN Guide inspector.

The Ultimate Reservation is a money-can’t-buy experience to live like a MICHELIN Guide inspector in South Australia, taking you beyond the table to discover its restaurants, regions, producers and people of Australia’s only MICHELIN-starred destination, with a former MICHELIN Guide inspector joining you along the way.

Think it should be you? Take a video of up to 60 seconds about why you’d love to experience The Ultimate Reservation for your chance to win for you and a companion. Visit southaustralia.com/ultimatereservation to enter.