The Best Degustations in Adelaide for Fine Dining Fun

A degustation (French for tasting) is an experience everyone should try at least once. Multiple courses of exquisite dishes, served in just the right proportions, allow you to sample a variety of flavours and possibly discover a new favourite dish. A la carte menus no longer reign supreme. Trust the Head Chef's meticulously curated flavours, complemented by the expert sommelier's pairings to provide a memorable culinary journey.

Here’s our curated selection of premium set menus offering the best degustations in Adelaide and South Australia for an unparalleled dining adventure.

Aurora 

Book in for a memorable night that both nourishes and engages at Aurora. This unique fine dining restaurant in Adelaide is a fusion of world-class yet accessible dining, with a focus on sustainability, local produce and social responsibility.

The degustation-style tasting menu takes you on an ever-changing and evolving journey, with a fusion of diverse cuisines crafted by the talented team whose expertise is shaped by their rich heritage and life experiences.

With a menu that changes with the seasons, be treated to dishes like Kingfish with Davidson plum, pork with abalone and pearl barley, and a white chocolate sticky date, all housed within sophisticated and moodily lit surroundings. 

63 Light Square, Adelaide

Restaurant Botanic 

Situated in a stunning heritage rotunda and nestled within the beautiful Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Restaurant Botanic is a haven amongst the greenery. With some ingredients sourced right from the botanic gardens themselves, their sensory degustation menu stretches across four hours and offers over 20 different flavour combinations, not including the addition of a delectable paired wine flight.

Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Plane Tree Drive, Adelaide

Stem

Stem is a vibrant and contemporary restaurant known for its innovative cuisine and stylish ambience. The premium tasting menu with paired wines promises an exquisite foodie experience. Begin with bites like hash browns with taramasalata and Smoky Bay oysters. Progress to small plates such as beef tartare and lobster sando, before indulging in larger dishes like baby barramundi with salted plum or a succulent 350g Angus scotch fillet. Finish with delectable desserts like lemon syrup cake or a unique affogato. Stem’s expertly paired wines elevate each course.

It's one of our favourite degustation-style menus in Adelaide right now, a top-notch place for fine-dining hospitality - without the fuss. 

188 Hindley Street, Adelaide

Apoteca

Take a trip down Hindley Street and you will find Apoteca – a seemingly unassuming venue that will make your jaw drop upon entry. The multi-roomed space includes an enormous bar built from 143-year-old pharmacy cabinets originally from London, a stunning courtyard and an iconic cellar restaurant. Sit down and experience a chef’s selection four or five-course shared menu, curated from their most popular seasonal dishes with or without prescribed wines to match.

118 Hindley Street, Adelaide

Windy Point

Halfway between Adelaide’s CBD and the Adelaide Hills, Windy Point offers the ultimate dinner with a view. The restaurant is perched on the edge of a drop, with panoramic windows looking across the twinkling lights of Adelaide to accompany their delicious five-course set tasting menu. The menu changes with the seasons as the team whips up the freshest seasonal produce, so there’s always something new to taste.

Windy Point Lookout, 339 Belair Road, Belair

LVN at Bird in Hand 

LVN at Bird in Hand offers a spectacular degustation menu that perfectly captures the essence of Adelaide Hills. With a focus on farm-to-table dining, the menu features seven to ten courses that highlight seasonal native ingredients sourced from the winery's kitchen garden and surrounding regions.

Under the expert guidance of Executive Chef Jacob Davey, guests can expect dishes like aged duck, saltbush lamb, and malt ice cream with miso wattleseed butterscotch, all paired with Bird in Hand's exclusive rare museum wines, all enhanced by the restaurant's naturally lit interior, adorned with original artworks, making it a must-visit for a luxurious meal.

150 Pfeiffer Road, Woodside

Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant

Nestled in the dramatic Piccadilly Valley, Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant is renowned for its classic, luxury settings and surroundings. Their seasonally changing degustation menu comes as four or seven courses, with the concept courses paired with a multi-award-winning wine selection.

Looking for a romantic weekend away? Continue your delectable experience and book a room to stay at Mount Lofty House or treat yourself to a treatment at Gatekeeper’s day spa. 

Mount Lofty House, 1 Mawson Drive, Crafers

Magill Estate Restaurant

The decadent Magill Estate Restaurant doesn’t just appease your sense of taste. The smells, sights, sounds and textures of the food and 34-seat restaurant design offer the cherry on top. Their seven-course signature dish-tasting menu stretches across approximately three hours, with the option for wine pairings.

78 Penfold Road, Magill

Ondeen Farm

Found minutes from Hahndorf, Ondeen Farm offers one of South Australia’s most extraordinary dining experiences, led by Kane Pollard and Julian Peek. Located within a beautifully restored 1851 homestead, it celebrates local artisans and producers through innovative degustation menus.

Ondeen crafts unique tasting experiences and masterclasses, highlighting the journey from farm to table. Their commitment to sustainability and traditional methods shines through in every dish, featuring hyper-seasonal local produce and botanicals used in their award-winning spirits.

15 Onkaparinga Valley Road, Verdun

The Lane Vineyard

Among the many luxury experiences on offer at The Lane Vineyard, their seven-course Chef’s Table Experience stands out as one not to be missed. The immersive, sensory menu celebrates seasonal and ethically produced ingredients, all grown either on the estate or by local farmers, growers and suppliers, and each course is expertly paired with a signature wine.

5 Ravenswood Lane, Hahndorf

Topiary

Topiary offers one of South Australia's most unique dining experiences, blending rustic charm with culinary excellence. Nestled in a 140-year-old home, this restaurant champions a sustainable approach reminiscent of our ancestors, sourcing local ingredients, creating everything from scratch, and embracing seasonal changes.

Their Tasting Menu is a journey through the kitchen's creativity, featuring dishes made from ingredients foraged on-site. This intimate and innovative dining experience is perfect for those seeking a degustation menu that celebrates seasonal and handcrafted excellence.

1361 North East Road, Tea Tree Gully 

Appellation

Part of luxury accommodation The Louise, Appellation’s kitchen team of ‘dedicated storytellers of the Barossa Valley region’ create dishes inspired by culture, guided by the seasons (and Executive Chef Joel Grundoff) and looking to the future. Local produce reigns supreme here, with 85% of the menu coming from within the Barossa Valley and South Australia – they even carbonate their own rainwater. 

Sitchu tip: Arrive a little earlier to start your evening with sunset drinks on the open deck terrace, before heading back inside for your delicious feast.

375 Seppeltsfield Road, Marananga, Barossa Valley

Hentley Farm

Hentley Farm Restaurant provides an unforgettable dining experience in the form of its exceptional Discovery Tasting Menu. Set in the heart of its Seppeltsfield vineyard, the restaurant is your ticket to sweeping views over Greenock Creek and the prized Shiraz block.

The talented chefs work closely with local producers and the land, creating dishes that leave a lasting impression on the most serious of foodies. A display of seasonal goodness, dishes change as required to ensure the best use of local produce. And the wine pairing? Fabulous! 

Allow up to 3.5 hours for Discovery Menu

Corner of Gerald Roberts Road and Jenke Roads, Seppeltsfield

The Currant Shed

Sat among the picturesque McLaren Flat, The Currant Shed offers an informed, yet informal dining experience across their Fleurieu Feast or degustation menu. You'll dine in the shed built in the early 1900s, and though the structure may have modernised throughout the years, it still holds on to its inherent charm and history.

104 Ingoldby Road, McLaren Flat 

Enjoyed our guide to the best degustations in Adelaide? It's time to plan more meals in Adelaide and South Australia, from the best fine dining restaurants to dining deals you have to check out.