Serafino Mclaren Vale Restaurant
+61 8 8323 8911+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
12:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Thu
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Fri
12:00 pm - 2:30 pm6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sat
12:00 pm - 2:30 pm6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
Travellers' Choice 2024
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, European, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Special Occasion Dining, Romantic, Groups, Business meetings
Does this restaurant offer free wifi?
Details
About
The Serafino Restaurant, holding a One Chefs Hat, overlooks Lake McLaren and offers delicious contemporary dining. Set in a stunning location with fine hospitality and a contemporary menu, Serafino Restaurant offers a superb dining experience, letting the natural flavours of each dish reach the palate, rather than over complicating the food. The cooking style is honest, real and unpretentious, with a menu that changes seasonally.
PRICE RANGE
$35.00 – $50.00
CUISINES
European
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
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4.5
629 reviews
Excellent
464
Very good
99
Average
30
Poor
23
Terrible
13
Sonya
2 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
In such a beautiful setting and feeling so welcomed from the moment we arrived was the beginning of a experience worth sharing.
The menu caters for everyone and food we chose was sensational, with layers of different flavours in a real fine dining style and the best part was that it was completely affordable.
Definitely on my list of favourite restaurants.
Written 11 January 2020
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.
jayne4d
Melbourne103 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
We enjoyed lunch for three here recently. The views to the lake and trees through the big windows were beautiful. There was a sense of elegance with white cloths, spaced tables and carpet - but by no means too stiff and formal, just a quiet, leisurely atmosphere. We all had the duck with caramelised apple and fermented carrot for mains with a side of baby potatoes and another of vine ripened tomatoes and burrata cheese - all delicious. We paired our meals with lovely wines from the attached vineyard. My husband had a sensational chocolate mousse/ fig dessert and us other two the strawberry/almond parfait. We thought it was a nice touch to have a “surprise “ box of wagyu strips and sesame crackers with a pear and gruyere topping, together with house made rolls and churned butter before our mains and another of chocolates and fruit teas after our desserts. The service couldn’t be faulted. What more could I say but, in an area where there are lots of restaurants to try, this one is a highlight!
Written 28 January 2020
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.
Susan A
Adelaide323 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Serafino restaurant is tasteful and very quiet and the view over the lake from the dining area is fantastic. The service is efficient and you are not rushed into making choices. The staff are friendly, helpful and welcoming. The duck was absolutely outstanding and the fish was also excellent. They serve little complementary tastings beforehand which were delicious and a lovely idea. The bread, baked on the premises, was divine! We had a wonderful evening and really enjoyed staying at the resort.
Written 7 January 2020
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.
Disappointed
1 contribution
Jan 2021 • couples
Despite the restaurant being half empty, the three inexperienced wait staff could not keep up with demand. Wait times were so long between courses we decided to leave without dessert, despite coming just to try these options. For well over $30 a plate I had five small pieces of ravioli for my main, pasta that was well made but disappointingly empty and left me filling up on the $3.50 breads roll we had as an entree. Despite not buying alcoholic drinks or dessert the total came to over $90 for a two-person meal that was extended far too long. There were no redeeming qualities to this overpriced, disappointing meal, save for the potential dessert which we were unwilling to wait another hour to try. Needless to say, we won’t be coming back here anytime soon.
Written 24 January 2021
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.
Josh M
Bendigo14 contributions
May 2021 • none
The food was to the required standard when you are looking at $35+ for a main meal. It was not exceptional nor was it poor it was simply meeting the price point.
Where it went downhill was the staff. When we arrived the head of service told us that she wasn’t ready and was waiting for her staff to arrive at 11:45am for a 12pm sitting, she seemed flustered and not customer orientated.
Unfortunately we had a waitress who was on her second shift. The service felt rushed, she served warm sparkling wine and we had to request what was on offer with respect to the fish and beef, following this the service was completely sub optimal for the price.
I felt that the front of house ruined the effort put into the food by the back of house, who were able to serve up food that would command that price.
Also, a note to whoever might read this, if you have to give a disclaimer to every patron about the size of the dish something is exceptionally wrong, we listened to 3 tables being given the same disclaimer we received regarding the agnolotti, at some point address the issue or remove the dish, it’s just not professional to be talking about serving size at a restaurant that’s claims to be 2 hat.
We won’t be returning any time soon, a shame given we really enjoy some of the wines.
Written 24 May 2021
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.
A_MangoNZ
South Australia47 contributions
Feb 2021 • couples
5 star fine dining experience had for the Valentines
Delight held in the newly renovated restaurant within the Serafino Mclaren Vale Winery/Restaurant complex. It is so nice to see this style of dining return. Seated in front of the floor to ceiling windows gives a picturesque view of the perfectly manicured lush green expanse of lawn to the lake and fountain. Quality linen tablecloth and napery, highly polished silver cutlery, professional knowledgeable yet friendly wait staff, who timed each course perfectly.
Head Chef Alberto and his team perfectly paired flavours, Main Course ,Duck Breast, Fois Gras,Summer berries . Duck cooked perfectly and very generous in serving size,withe the addition of roasted eggplant.What I liked was the unexpected additional surprise s, the in house baked sundried tomato sourdough served with salted herb butter. The heart shaped buttery shortbread with dessert .The whole menu was a standout dining experience, Congratulations,also add in ,there background music from a pianist
All SA Health guidelines followed regarding COVID safe checkin ,has cellar door,accommodation,function facilities,definitely would recommend.
Written 13 February 2021
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.
Peter
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • none
I took my wife to the Serafino Restaurant last night for her birthday after seeing on my social media that they were awarded the AGFG's Chef's Hat award in the Australian Award Winning Restaurants for 2019 and wow-we...they did not disappoint.
On arrival we were warmly welcomed in to the restaurant and noticed the grounds were well maintained from our view overlooking the lake. We were also kept very entertained by the large geese roaming in convoy on the grass, foraging for their own dinner.
The service provided by our waitress Nicole was exceptional to say the least. We found her to be friendly, knowledgeable, prompt and courteous.
We decided against the detestation options, purely because I was driving and would have preferred to really enjoy this option with the wine pairings. We opted for the à la carte menu, with our own choice of wines. Hand on heart, this was one of the best dining experiences we've ever had and found each course to be delicious! The menu has a very modern feel and we immediately could see why they're award winning.
Our entire experience was magical and we'd like to thank the Seraphino family for looking after us, also for the unexpected additions ;) and for making the evening a very memorable event for the both of us.
Peter and Kimberley
Written 14 January 2020
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.
SHIRLEY C
Brisbane79 contributions
Sept 2021 • none
Having been advised that this restaurant was fantastic we booked several days accommodation for our stay in McLaren Vale and were looking forward to our dining experience.
On arrival we were greeted warmly and shown to our table in a very pleasant atmosphere, orders taken, one entree ordered and was OK, nothing that special. Mains were ordered both of us ordered the same, Prawns with pasta and lentils, (interesting combination). This dish was served in a large dish resembling and upside down ladies race day hat. In the crown of this hat was the lentils and pasta topped with 3 small/medium fully intact prawns. We both were keen to sample this unusual combination. However there was only the 3 prawns on the top, the rest of the dish was just the pasta and lentils, very bland as there wasn't even prawn pieces mixed into this. We felt ripped off for the meal costs were more on the upper price point. The other question was "where do we put the prawn shells and clean our hands?"
If this dish is still on the menu we would definately not recommend it unless there was at least prawn meat in with the pasta and more flvour. Still not sure of paring with lentils though.
The time between entree and mains was so long I played building blocks with the wine cork decoration on the table.
Written 15 February 2022
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.
Tiahne D
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • couples
Food was tasty. We both got the steak and when deciding on a side we were told the steaks were “huge” so we didn’t bother. A bit disappointed when the meals came out, really could of gone a side and we left still a bit hungry. Waitress made a comment that was ate it quickly and then looked at the time and we finished the meal in under 7 minutes.
Written 7 August 2021
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.
Sue
14 contributions
Sept 2020 • none
We had a wonderful meal here at their Pop-up Restaurant. We weren't very hungry due to a large meal that afternoon so were looking for something light to eat. They allowed us to share a starters and then were very nice to ensure that the honey elements in the meal were separated so that I could share. For my mains there was honey in the carrots but they cooked me some separate so that I could enjoy the full meal. Excellent staff, surroundings and professionalism to ensure that we were made to feel special.
Written 6 September 2020
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.
Josied9
Gateshead37 contributions
Jan 2022 • friends
Came here with 2 friends for a meal and we where not disappointed! We had the duck,kingfish & zucchini bread for starters all lovely especially the black garlic butter that come with the bread I want to know where I can get some! I had the beef which was a porterhouse steak which was cooked correctly (med/rare) and then the rocotta and pistachio ice cream for dessert. All the food and sides we had all tasted and where presented amazingly. For the quality and setting I was so surprised at how reasonably priced it was all had starter/mains/desserts/sides/bottle of wine and additional glasses and came to just under $100 each!
Looking forward to coming back with my OH.
Written 28 January 2022
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.
KapoAdelaide
532 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
My husband and I came here for dinner recently. Their restaurant is currently closed for renovations so we dined in their pop-up restaurant which is actually their new cellar door. The tables were well spaced apart and the views overlooking the decking area and magnificent gum trees and lake are lovely. For main course I ordered confit duck leg with honey roasted heirloom carrots and braised lentils. Hubby ordered porterhouse steak with rainbow chard, hand-cut shoestring fries and red wine jus. We also ordered a side of brussel sprouts with pancetta lardons and chesnut puree. The presentation was excellent, my duck was very tender and hubby was very happy with his steak. Both dishes were delicious. We loved the combination of flavours in the side dish of brussel sprouts too. For dessert we both decided to have bombe alaska. I have had bombe alaska before and this was made differently to the original recipe. It was a little bit disappointing, the flavour was there but the presentation was lacking and it looked a bit lost served on a large plate. Overall, we really enjoyed our dining experience, the food and service was very good and staff were helpful. We will definitely come back.
Written 31 August 2020
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.
FoodandDrinkRUs
36 contributions
Dec 2020 • couples
This restaurant never fails to deliver a fine dining experience. Staff are knowledgeable and attentive, food is excellent and of course Serafino wines to match...and you can do a tasting at the cellar door before you go to the restaurant which is great. The ambience is lovely, tables spaced for privacy and that rare find, a carpeted floor so you are deafened by other diners conversations or cutlery clanging. Spacious and with beautiful views over the lake.
Written 25 December 2020
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.
Mauricio Cruz
1 contribution
Sept 2021 • none
It is nice when you can taste the dedication and work behind the scenes to present perfect dishes at the table. The atmosphere is full of small details that makes you feel comfortable with the dining experience. Flavours, colours and textures along with incredible wines, Serafino, of course. As in every restaurant, no kitchen can shine without the service, and in this case with Rhi was an absolute 10/10, delighftul experience.
Written 15 September 2021
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.
SJ64
Busselton127 contributions
Sept 2022 • friends
I was very excited to visit this venue but unfortunately it was very lack lustre.
Upon arrival we were seated at our table in a very uninspiring large room.
We thought our table to be in a not so nice position until we noticed another couple out for a romantic meal seated in a corner in front of a fire hydrant and cabinet , so it could have been worse for us.
Staff only came near us when clearing dishes or offering next meal, no tip up of our drinks or checking we were ok at all.
The meals were extremely uninteresting.
I had the fish which had soggy skin in a sauce which was totally bland and my partner had the chicken which was was dry and flavourless .
Our entrees also were less memorable.
We had a better meal at the Mclarenvale hotel .
Upon paying I was asked about my meal and mentioned I didn’t enjoy it and had left most
They did offer a discount on one meal so I don’t want to be too harsh as I believe they did acknowledge my disappointment .
Anyway not a winner in my books , venue, service food and wine 0
Written 10 September 2022
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.
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