Watervale Hotel - Ethical Epicurean Experiences

We just had dinner at the highly rated watervale hotel. We heard great reviews and came all the way and was excited. Dinner started off great, entree was amazing and delicious. Then, we had to wait for our mains. We waited and waited, for almost a whole hour. I noticed at this time new tables are seated and many tables have food at this point. We were seated right in the middle of the restaurant with an empty table while the other tables were bustling. No one came and check on us, no one apologized for kitchen taking too long. Which we would have understood completely, working in hospitality. We finally had to ask the staff if the main were taking any longer, they then apologised and said a few more minutes. The food did come 10 mins later but at the point we have lost our appetite. I usually do not write reviews but we just left feeling annoyed with the whole situation. When we paid the bill, the staff apologize and took two glasses of wine off. It was a nice gesture but did not lessen out feelings of disappointment.

Nicola and Warrick have done an outstanding job of transforming this country pub into a genuinely special culinary destination. They are incredibly hospitable hosts and the experience we had at the Penboscot Chef’s table for our anniversary was unforgettable. Thank you Nicola for the phenomenal food and Warrick for the beautiful wines. (We also stayed in the farm cottage which we loved!)

This was such an incredible spread!!! So so delicious. We stambled upon it by chance while riding the risling trail and it was the luckiest find ever! Food was unbelievably good- havent eaten that well in a long time - staff super friendly, and owner came check on us several times. Great atmosphere as well! 10/10 recommend! Bring your friends, and an empty stomach because excellent value for money. Get the feed me menu, you won’t regret!

My family and I have recently dined here for the sixth time in two years, and we will come back for more! Delicious and creative dishes, beautiful local wines, great ambience and lovely, international staff. Congratulations to Warrick and Nicola for bringing this level of boutique gastronomic dining to the Clare Valley.

A truly memorable experience at The Watervale Hotel. Being our 25th Wedding Anniversary we opted for a package which included a nights stay in their Penobscot Farm Cottage & a 10 course intimate degustation meal, with wine pairing. What a treat !!! Can’t recommend this experience highly enough. We just loved being seated at the kitchen table watching the chef create the delectable dishes. Put together beautifully using many home grown foods grown at Penobscot Farm. Yum, yum. Well done Warrick & Nicola, keep up the amazing offerings. Lastly, the cottage was cosy, with a comfy bed & tasty breakfast provisions, and when the ‘entrance’ garden to the cottage is spruced up it will make this entire package at true 11/10. These guys work their butt off, they deserve success! Support small business, you won’t be disappointed.

I dined here with my daughter last Tuesday night ( mummy daughter getaway ) to the beautiful Clare Valley) All I can say is .. What a stunning Hotel 🤗 the decor itself is stunning. We were greeted so warmly by a lovely young lady. We started with the kingfish Cerviche with lemon sorbet WOW the flavours were amazing.. We followed with a Prawn Risotto with A side of The most delicious greens with chilli and hand cut chips. Sensational flavour bomb to be sure. The service was exceptional by all the staff and the owner was so lovely, taking the time to come to the table to chat and make sure all was well 🤗 Do yourself a favour and just GO Thankyou for a lovely night. We will be back 😘🥂 cheers Alana

The feed-me menu was excellent. It’s the second time we’ve been here and we’ve always had a great time. We did have to wait a while for our main course but to be honest, when eating such a large meal, it was no problem. Also, the staff were very polite and apologetic about the wait. In any case, there is a beautiful and friendly dog who comes and entertains you while you wait so, really no drama.

Excellent Wine Class and Lunch! We had a fantastic master wine class and lunch here. Learned so much about the history of the Clare Valley wine industry. The food was pretty good, and the owner is incredibly knowledgeable about wine. A truly great experience!