Margaret River’s small but mighty restaurant scene keeps travellers returning for more.

Home to more than 200 wineries and responsible for more than 25 per cent of Australia’s premium wine, it’s fair to say that Margaret River is something of an Australian wine powerhouse. But this region has plenty more to offer beyond fine cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay; over the last two decades, an array of quality restaurants have sprung up, the laidback local lifestyle and progressive restaurant scene drawing in talented chefs from around Australia and abroad.

Paddock-to-plate dining is a local philosophy to live by, rather than a tokenistic nod here, and restaurant menus take their cues from the seasons, the burgeoning local art scene, and, of course, the house pours. Whether you’re after a memorable degustation dinner with a seamless estate wine pairing, modern Japanese food in a no-frills setting, uninterrupted beach views with your seafood supper, or a casual pub lunch in a sprawling local brewery, these Margaret River restaurants deliver.

The shortlist:

• Best family-friendly spot: Amelia Park Tavern
• Best date spot: Cape Lodge
• Best for fine dining: de’sendent
• Best for casual eats: Sons of Naples
• Best for seafood: Blue Manna Bistro

Busselton Pavilion

Hotelier John Parker (of The Parker Group) has proven successful in Perth with his sprawling, multi-level venues, including Dandelion and The Royal Hotel. Now, he’s brought a little of his magic to the Margaret River region with Busselton Pavilion, a combined pub, wine shop, and distillery in the newly renovated Busselton Central complex. Ex-Vasse Felix chef Brendan Pratt designed ‘the Pav’s’ ‘elevated pub fare’ menu alongside head chef Josh de Caen. It’s food that people are familiar with—think pork schnitzels and chicken and chips—taken to the next level with refinement and care. The kitchen’s trademark is its rotisserie, on which Pratt and de Caen cook the obligatory chicken, plus beef tongue with tomato XO sauce, cabbage drizzled with curry leaf butter, and scallops with XO sauce.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: Busselton Central, Shop T46/30 Kent St, Busselton

Amelia Park Tavern

The Amelia Park Tavern completes the Amelia Park story, the final acquisition for the quality meat, fine dining, and wine-making group. The tavern is more laid-back than the much-lauded Amelia Park Restaurant, with a sprawling covered deck, family-friendly grassed area, and a dress code that doesn’t discriminate against post-beach attire. A scotch fillet sandwich—using the group’s reared beef— Korean fried chicken and fish and chips are pub-style classics that remain on the menu year-round, while the more bistro-style dishes change regularly to reflect the season. In winter, that could mean Amelia Park lamb rack with dauphinoise potato. And in summer, a warm falafel salad.

Cuisine: Asian-inspired

Average price: $$ – $$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 5850 Bussell Hwy, Abbey

Cape Lodge

Sitting on 40 acres of manicured gardens and farmland, the Cape Lodge boutique hotel and restaurant feels very much like a luxurious private estate. The restaurant is one of a handful of places up there in esteem with the Margaret River wine region’s founding vineyards and lodge neighbours, Vasse Felix and Cullen.

Fresh local produce shines in the kitchen, all expertly prepared by head chef Adam Robson Chew. The three or five-course menus often feature abalone and Japanese-style wagyu sourced locally and complemented by in-season produce from the on-site garden.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$-$$$$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Address: 3341 Caves Rd, Yallingup

Other Side of the Moon

Bound by the ocean on not one but three sides, the Margaret River region is as well-known for its dramatic, high-contrast beaches and surfing as it is for its culinary scene. With that in mind, a trip to Pullman Bunker Bay’s Other Side of the Moon encapsulates both of the region’s major drawcards.

Enjoy uninterrupted views of the white sand and marbled waters from the restaurant—named after the nearby surf break on the western side of Cape Naturaliste—while dining on executive chef Mo Arun’s seasonal menu. It pays homage to local ingredients that flourish in each of the Wardandi Noongar six seasons and features proteins sourced from around the South West.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 42 Bunker Bay Road, off Cape Naturaliste Rd, Naturaliste

Wayfinder Cellar Door and Restaurant

Dunsborough town centre, though small, is highly concentrated with fashionable boutiques and organic-leaning cafes. At the heart of it all is Wayfinder Cellar Door and Restaurant, an urban outpost for the small-scale and certified organic winery in Cowaramup. With its limewashed walls and Victorian ash timber features, the tasting bar and restaurant are sleek and modern, yet they still feel light, breezy, and coastal, as all Dunsborough venues should.

In the kitchen, Colombian-born chef Felipe Montiel has designed a tight menu of dishes categorised as snacks, shares, and substantials. Sour duck curry, Albany sardines on toast, and ceviche of the day: it’s all made to be wine-adjacent. And there’s more wine than just Wayfinder’s. The tasting bar and dining room feature more local small-batch wines, Tasmanian wines, and limited runs of international wines, too.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$ – $$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 239 Naturaliste Terrace, Dunsborough

Lamont’s

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$ – $$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 67 Smiths Beach Rd, Yallingup, WA 6282

Despite being surrounded by some of the world’s best beaches, Margaret River has surprisingly few beachside restaurants. Lamont’s is an exception. The Smith’s Beach outpost of the Swan Valley winery and kitchen is just steps from the sand inside the Smith’s Beach Resort. They welcome sunkissed and salty-skinned diners in their relaxed, family-friendly dining room, which is open seven days a week. Expect a menu of refined modern Australian classics and a wine list that delves further beyond their own and into national and international drops.

Yarri

For many years, dinner in Dunsborough was limited to take-out and hearty pub fare. Then came Yarri. Founded by chef Aaron Carr—who spent more than two decades behind the burners at Vasse Felix—and the owners of Snake + Herring winery, the restaurant ushered in a new era of dining in the heart of the coastal town. The team employs a full-time gardener to tend to its organic vegetable garden on the Snake + Herring property and deliver the morning’s picks to the restaurant daily. The bounty forms the three or six-course menu’s basis, supplemented by local producers’ pippis, lamb, and sirloin.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: Unit 7/16 Cyrillean Way, Dunsborough, WA 6281

Bungalow Neighbourhood Social

Everything about Bungalow Neighborhood Social speaks to the wholesome and relaxed Dunsborough lifestyle. Tucked away on the more residential section of Naturaliste Terrace—beneath Peppy trees and behind a breezeblock wall—this mismatched, mid-century, Cali-American-style bar is all about high-quality sourdough ferment pizza, natural wines, and local beer. They’re very encouraging of local talent, too. So, throughout the week, there’s often live music or small art exhibitions to keep you entertained as you wine and dine.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 226 Naturaliste Terrace, Dunsborough

Blue Manna Bistro

Growing up on a beach in Far North Queensland, and with a fishmonger as a business partner, it was inevitable Coby Cockburn, owner and chef at Blue Manna Bistro, would wind up working with seafood. You can watch his filleting and shucking skills from a seat at the pass or settle in under the Peppy trees and festoon lighting on the deck outside. Cockburn is just as comfortable cooking with Asian flavours as he is with seafood, and much of his menu leans into flavours from Indonesia, Japan, China, and Malaysia; think delicately prepared chicken and scallop dim sims, sake-steamed Shark Bay clams, and a garlicky hot pot full of juicy Exmouth prawns.

Cuisine: Asian-inspired

Average price: $$$-$$$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: Shop 1/16 Cyrillean Way, Dunsborough

Miki’s Open Kitchen

Fresh Margaret River produce meets Japanese culinary technique at this compact restaurant tucked away in an unassuming shopping arcade. Don’t let the location and no-frills interiors fool you; there’s nothing low-key about the food served at Miki’s Open Kitchen.

Go all in with the ‘Miki’s Complete’ degustation menu, which spans eight courses and 23 different elements for a very reasonable $107 a head. The bite-sized pieces are best matched with Miki’s choice of cocktails and sake.

Cuisine: Japanese

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 131 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River

Morries

Cocktails and tapas are the name of the game at Morries, a cosy bar at the southern end of Margaret River’s main strip. There’s no overarching culinary influence here, with the approachable shared plates taking inspiration from all over the globe. Bounce from Thailand to Korea to Peru, dish to dish to dish. Paired with their picture-perfect cocktails (or the tapped monthly special, if you please), the varied menu makes for an exciting meal. On weeknights, ordering is easy with the ‘chef’s selection’ menu ($69 per person).

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$-$$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 2/149 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River

Chow’s Table

Chef Malcolm Chow’s (ex Vue de Monde and Tetsuya’s) smart-casual Chinese-Malay restaurant is a palate cleanser in a dining landscape saturated with modern Australian cuisine and rigidly designed degustation dinners. Even the space is refreshing, with clean lines and white walls, a la Scandinavian minimalism. Set before the House of Cards winery in Yallingup, the Chow’s Table $90/per person set menu is made for sharing, with dishes like the duck-fat-fried rice and lotus leaf-wrapped Barramundi winning over a legion of loyal diners.

Cuisine: Malay-Chinese

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: Unit 12/5 Quininup Rd, Yallingup

de’sendent

When Aramia closed in June 2023, it left a gaping hole in the Margaret River restaurant landscape. Thankfully, diners only had to wait six months to be reacquainted with head chef and co-owner Evan Hayter’s thoughtful and elaborate cooking. In January of 2024, Hayter again joined forces with Anne Spencer to open the intimate and edgy 35-seater de’sendent. Though dinner is primarily a multi-course degustation spotlighting the likes of local full-blooded wagyu, marron, and abalone, both early and late bookings can order from the restaurant’s a la carte snack menu.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Address: Unit 3/152 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River

Sons of Naples

Andrea Costantini and brothers Alessandro and Ferdinando Fucci are bringing a slice of southern Italy to southern Margaret River. The Fucci’s hail from Napoli, and cut their culinary teeth in Neapolitan pizzerias before moving to the South West. While pizzas are the main show at their casual and modern Italian eatery, Sons of Naples, the menu also extends to traditional Neapolitan primo, like handmade pasta and risotto. Dine in to explore their curated wine list featuring both local and Italian wines, or grab your pizza and pasta to-go.

Cuisine: Italian

Average price: $$ – $$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Address: 5/2 Andrews Way, Margaret River

For more insider tips and inspiration, see our ultimate travel guide to Margaret River.

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