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Ratings and reviews

Travellers' Choice2023
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Special offer
Meet at the Watervale Hotel at 4pm for a tour of Penobscot Farm to discuss organic and biodynamic farming. Followed by a six-course, individually plated degustation dinner at 6pm matched to Clare Valley Wines or Penobscot Farm Mocktails. $275 / head
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Details

PRICE RANGE
USD 10 - USD 82
CUISINES
Healthy, Australian, International, Gastropub
Sponsored by: Watervale Hotel Kitchen

Top 3 Reasons to Eat Here

1. All Day Dining 11am to 9pm
1. All Day Dining 11am to 9pm
"Would rate this place a 6/5 if we could."
CurryBrad
See reviews that mention All Day Dining 11am to 9pm
2. Fresh 'Farm to Plate' cuisine
2. Fresh 'Farm to Plate' cuisine
"A highlight of our trip to the Clare Valley."
DSDS1
See reviews that mention highlight of our trip
3. Promotes Clare Valley Wine
3. Promotes Clare Valley Wine
"Teamed with an amazing wine list and truly excellent service!"
T7816LDdavidp
See reviews that mention an amazing wine list
Reviews (151)
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Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Visiting the Watervale Hotel was something to remember with exquisite food, delicious cocktails and wine along with a cosy venue to relax in while soaking up the atmosphere. The customer service was of high quality and friendly with great recommendations to local spots to visit...while staying in Auburn. Highly recommend.More

Date of visit: November 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 1 week ago

Thanks Ashleigh. It was a pleasure to serve you. We hope to see you again soon. Warrick

Restaurant's Favourite
Reviewed 5 July 2022

The evening was magical, from the moment we walked into the hotel the whole experience was incredible and the ambiance amazing. The hotel has been restored to perfection and created wonderful places to savour the delicious delights grown in the owners farm. The kitchen creates...beautiful foods grown at the Penobscot Farm using bio-dynamic and organic principles. Everything about the evening was perfect, The menu spectacular and seasonal, lovely attentive staff, extensive wine list all in an amazing setting. A jewel in the region not to be missed, a must do!More

Date of visit: June 2022
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 22 October 2023

This hotel is a beauty that has been going for years. It was recommended to us and it did not disappoint. The food was excellent, although disappointed that the lamb was not available. The smalls and sides were all innovative and beautifully flavoured. Wine list...was extensive, both local and overseas - not sure why we need Bordeaux on the wine list when we are in one of the premier wine regions...I guess I'm old school. !! Heading back again.More

Date of visit: October 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 4 weeks ago

David, Thanks for your comments. I agree with you about the emphasis on the wine list. Ours is 80% Clare Valley and aims to promote the diversity and virtues of the region. The out-of-region wines I list are varieties and styles not available from the...More

Reviewed 21 October 2023 via mobile

Great venue with wonderful food & very good service. Frankie the resident staffy is such a cool little dog. Great wines to complement your culinary experience.

Date of visit: October 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 4 weeks ago

Mark, I have passed on your comments to my humans and the staff. They work hard to create a complete culinary experience. Frankie Blue Maitre D'og.

Reviewed 10 October 2023

Nicely done up throughout - courtyard, oven, grill area, lounges and nice small group dining rooms. Food was very nice. Might be better to call it The Watervale - it’s really a restaurant now and the pub name might confuse especially if people used to...go to the old pub. Bit cheeky in back of menu describing the old pub as uninviting- a lot of people liked the old pub!More

Date of visit: October 2023
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 12 October 2023

Ted, Thanks for your feedback. Yes, the Watervale Hotel is a farm fresh-to-plate restaurant in a casual country pub. We did consider changing its name but out of respect for the history and heritage of the old girl, we decided to keep calling her the...More

Reviewed 1 October 2023 via mobile

Went for dinner and knew very little about the venue or food. Both were fantastic. A beautiful restaurant (not a pub venue) , and the food was amazing. All 3 courses were faultless. Serves are not big so it is easy to eat 3 courses....Highly recommended and some of the best food we have had in a while.More

Date of visit: October 2023
Helpful?
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 9 October 2023

Thankyou Annie. It was a pleasure to serve you. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Warrick

Reviewed 21 August 2023

Arriving for a pub lunch we were totally unprepared for the experience we were about to have. After a traditional welcome by Warwick and being a large party, we were unable to decide on menu choices which is when Warwick put it in the hands...of his wife and the current South Australian Chef of the Year, Nicola. What followed was a degustation lunch of the finest station delivered by very friendly courteous and professional staff. Lunch progressed with visits from Warwick to ensure we were satisfied with the food, drinks and to tell us more anecdotal historical stories. One of the stories is that we were in fact dining in a four-cell lockup dating back to the mid-1900s. the loo being affectionately known as Solitary Confinement, we loved it all and made for a noisy bus trip back to our accommodation at Analby Station.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 23 August 2023

Thanks so much Lee. We love telling stories about the history of the area, including the Ngadjuri custodianship and the early pioneering days. We also love having friends come over from Anlaby Station. We share alot of history - as well as a commitment to...More

Reviewed 29 July 2023

Memorable lunch. Chose the 'feed me' option. No regrets at all. Excellent food prepared to a high standard. Staff are professional and seemed to be happy to be there. $85 ph is great value for the quality of the experience. Extensive wine list featuring the...best of the Clare Valley. Overall, highly recommended.More

Date of visit: July 2023
Helpful?
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 1 August 2023

Thanks John. Our Feed Me is ever-changing but always tries to be a complete meal that represents what is fresh from our farm, and other local suppliers. Warrick

Reviewed 18 July 2023 via mobile

This is a delicious and must do dining experience while in the Clare. The ambience is great- such nice styling courtesy of the wife of the owner who is also head chef, service was excellent- thanks Caterina! You wine recommendation and also tips for wineries...in Clare and Mclaren vale were spot on, and your humour and hospitality prowess are a real asset. We so enjoyed our dining experience because of your service. The king fish ceviche was sublime, buffalo mozzarella great and my husband liked his lamb cigars. Bizarre to say but the bread and butter here is one of those if I could only take one thing to a tropical island must haves this is one of them. I am still thinking about it! Can’t finish my review without mentioning Warwick with all of his charm as the owner, he makes the effort to be interesting and welcoming and overall we had a great experience at the Watervale.More

Date of visit: July 2023
Helpful?
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 20 July 2023

Thankyou very much. It was a pleasure to serve you. I hope you have had a great trip around South Australia's amazing wine regions. Warrick

Reviewed 11 July 2023

Vegetarians don’t miss this exquisite experience. We had the most creative, attractive and delicious degustation meal at the Watervale hotel. The atmosphere is lovely, staff friendly and knowledgeable, a real foodie place. I can’t wait to visit again.

Date of visit: July 2023
Helpful?
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 13 July 2023

Thankyou so much for your feedback. We grow the vegetables at our own organic, bio-dynamic Penobscot Farm. They take pride of place on all menus but of-course shine through in a vegetarian degustation. Warrick

Reviewed 7 July 2023

Steer Clear! Over-rated. Had a large group and when I went to pay there was an extra $40 charge. Apparently that's for the table water. Everyone gets charged per head for table water. I've personally never experienced or heard of that before and it would...have been nice to be told by the waiter that there were unreasonable costs incurred prior to finding this out when going to pay. This hotel is making a LOT of money off charging every diner for water. Other establishments seem to manage to be able to offer filtered water with no charge. I guess they have to pay for their renovations in some way. Not sure what the other meals were like but mine was cold. This hotel will be the flavour for a while but people will end up going elsewhere because they're being ripped off. Plenty of other nice restaurants in the Valley. I suggest trying one of those.More

Date of visit: November 2022
Helpful?
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 8 July 2023

Kylie, I am very disappointed to hear that. It is certainly not our policy to charge for water without advice. Indeed it is our policy to ask customers if they would like sparkling purified water, or purified water on arrival and advise that there is...More

Reviewed 25 June 2023

Arrived with great expectations of a great lunch 1pm booking. Service was pretty slow and abrupt when it did eventually happen. Veggies were great, lamb overdone. Friends eye fillet almost raw. Overpriced food and wine. Don't know how it won such high accolades. Certainly below...expectations.More

Date of visit: June 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 8 July 2023

Chris, I am so sorry that we failed to meet your expectations. I do recall your group and have talked to the waiter about how he can improve the speed of service in future. He was confused by the tables desire to hold off ordering...More

Reviewed 18 June 2023 via mobile

Beautiful renovated building. Best bread and butter but it stops there Food was disgusting - had to send back the lamb burger and our other meals were revolting. Had to wash our mouths out in the bathroom So disappointingMore

Date of visit: June 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 20 June 2023

Dear Leavers, I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your experience at the Watervale Hotel. I understand that you thought our lamb neck burger too salty and our risotto which has four kinds of cheese listed on the description too cheesy. I do...More

Reviewed 14 May 2023

This was a lovely spot to try something different. We were accompanied by 2 small pups for mother's day lunch. The food journey we chose was delicious and despite being so busy, the staff were so responsive. We needed to sit where we could secure...the dogs on leads so that meant sitting in the shade near the garden wall. This was a little cold and lonely but itcwas the best we could do to ensure the pups didn't wander and bother the other diners. It was fantastic that all the plates could be shared. But sometimes you look for simple food on the menu and everything was a new experience. That's fine for every now and then and for special ocassions but it would be the familiar favourites that would have me visit with hubby again. Don't get me wrong because I enjoyed every mouthful of the food that came so beautifully presented to the table but this is not going to be a regular exercise for us. I did see what looked like a pizza oven but no-where can I find a reference to pizza on any occasion being served at this hotel. I would go again if they had 2 menus. The ever changing gastronomic menu that we experienced today and a more familiar menu but with that perfect twist similar to a pub food menu but a little more up market. The kitchen knows what they're doing for sure but hubby wants pizza and schnitzel, where I'm happy to be a little more adventurous. To keep hubby happy we chose to share the delicious 1/2 roast chicken. I never order roast chicken but today, I did simply because it was the most familiar and acceptable to hubby.More

Date of visit: May 2023
Helpful?
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Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 20 June 2023

Maxine, You are right, we are a farm fresh to plate restaurant in a casual, dog friendly, country Pub. There are six hotels within 15 minutes of ours that serve Schnitzel, and another half dozen restaurants or fast food places that serve Pizza. Our big...More

Reviewed 13 May 2023

From the moment we stepped into Watervale we were greeted warmly and impressed by the beautiful surroundings of either indoor or outdoor dining . The waiting staff were attentive and very knowledgeable of the wine list and made great food suggestions. We choose the grazing...board to share and then our main meals were all beautifully presented and tasted delicious . A very impressive establishment and would highly recommend.More

Date of visit: April 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warrick Duthy, Owner at Watervale Hotel Kitchen, responded to this reviewResponded 13 May 2023

Thanks Bundameer, It was great to see you in Watervale. As we discussed the wine styles are very different to the Mornington Peninsular, and also very well suited to our food style. Warrick

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Questions & Answers
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CorinneD1143
10 April 2021|
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Response from parrots438 | Reviewed this property |
Normally on their website but can’t access it at the moment- maybe the menu is being changed.
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WATERVALE HOTEL KITCHEN - Updated 2023 Restaurant Reviews, Menu & Prices - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Watervale Hotel Kitchen

Yes, Watervale Hotel Kitchen is taking precautions against COVID-19. A full list is available within the "safety precautions" section of this page.

Watervale Hotel Kitchen is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4.5