Margan Restaurant & Winery — Restaurant in Broke

An Unforgettable Long Lunch at Margan (thanks to the fam for the voucher!)

This afternoon we indulged in a long lunch at Margan, and it was absolutely flawless. Nestled in the heart of the Hunter Valley, the experience was a true showcase of seasonal produce, estate-grown wine, estate raised lamb, garden veggies and exceptional hospitality.

We started with a selection of Ceres Hill marinated olives and house-baked sourdough with cultured butter—simple, flavourful, and beautifully made. The new season garden amuse - turnip with tahini was a delightful little surprise, paired perfectly with a bright 2022 Breaking Ground Rosato that set the tone for the afternoon.

The Charred Garden Eggplant with buttermilk foam, black garlic, and fermented green chilli was next—smokey, creamy, and full of umami. It was complemented perfectly by the 2022 Huesgen & Margan Riesling, which added a citrus lift and a touch of elegance.

We then had the Hiramasa Kingfish, lightly cured in Margan Verjuice, served with finger lime, fennel, and local olive oil. This dish was fresh and refined, and paired wonderfully with the 2019 Francis John Semillon, whose minerality and aged complexity matched beautifully with the delicacy of the fish.

For the main course, we chose the Margan Estate Reared Lamb, served with garden beets, squash, potatoes, pea purée, and jus. It was a standout—flavoursome and perfectly cooked. The accompanying 2017 Timbervines Tempranillo Graciano Shiraz was deep and balanced, bringing the whole dish to life. (Bought a bottle to drink at home later ).

Of course, we couldn’t pass up the three-cheese selection—a generous and beautifully curated plate of Marcel Petite 24-month Comté, Shadows of Blue, and Hunterbelle Ash Brie, served with garden strawberries and local honey. Each cheese was distinct and delicious, and the pairing with the final wine was seamless.

To finish, the Grilled Peach with verjuice sorbet, shortbread, and smoked crème fraîche was light and summery, and the 2024 Margan Botrytis Semillon that came with it was the perfect sweet finale—lush, aromatic, and not overly heavy.

The service throughout was impeccable—professional, warm, and deeply knowledgeable. (I’m Sure our sommelier was Ollie Margan ….. but either way, he was great)The staff clearly love what they do, and it shows in every interaction.

Margan delivers something truly special: a celebration of the land, the season, and exceptional craftsmanship. Every course, every sip, and every moment was a joy. We’ll definitely be back. (And we’d live another voucher for...

I had a lovely Farm to Table lunch experience here and I do recommend going, but it was by no means perfect.

The setting is lovely, inside and out, it is nice being able to wander through their garden (on your own, even if you dont do the farm tour) and I really appreciate that if one person at the table is vegan/vego, they dont make the whole table do the same (other restaurants in the Hunter do, which blows my mind). You can also see and smell and hear the fresh crunch of ingredients straight from their garden and that is an absolute delight. And the service from one young, local male waiter was excellent and so friendly. Their focaccia is also TO DIE FOR. I'd go back for that alone.

Things I didn't love, none of which were a huge deal but added up to be a less than perfect experience:

Olives were the first item on the tasting menu, but we never received them. The waitress kept forgetting my friend was drinking sparkling water and kept topping her up with still so had to keep replacing the glass. I ordered a rhubarb fizz cocktail which came with the disclaimer that they might not be able to make it as they only do cocktails at night. They did supply it, but, weird! It's a long lunch destination... The tasting menu came with two side salads and both had polarising, main ingredients that many people dont like: bitter radicchio and coriander. As a result, I didnt like either of them which is personal preference I know, but it felt like a thoughtless menu-planning decision. Delicate food can be lovely, but the size of the creme brulee was a laugh. About 1cm high and not much bigger than a 50c coin. What made it worse was that my friend's vegan dessert came out in this big glass that looked both way more beautiful and easily 10x more generous. Dessert is the most important thing to me and also your crowning moment/final impression and it was a weak finish. You want everyone at the table to have a similar experience and we didnt. The same went for the mains as she was eating the vegan gnocchi which was a really generous dish and I had the pork. As a result, she left absolutely stuffed for the rest of the day, whereas I was ready for dinner a few...

We arrived full of anticipation and left furious, cheated, and covered in red wine, quite literally. Our group of eight came for a tasting experience. What we actually received was an overpriced, incompetent fiasco. Half of us were served embarrassingly meagre pours that wouldn’t fill a thimble, while the others got a slightly more acceptable amount, hardly what you’d call generous.

To top it off, the waiter managed to spill red wine all over several of us without so much as an apology. We walked away stained and unimpressed.

The low point? We merely asked if they offered a cheeseboard but never ordered one. Yet one appeared at our table unrequested, and later they had the gall to add it to our bill, pushing the total over $90 after we declined to buy any of their mediocre wine.

When we tried to address this politely afterward, the staff responded by belittling us instead of owning their mistake. No apology. No accountability. Just arrogance.

Save your time, money, and clothes. Go to Krinklewood instead, everything Margan pretends to be, Krinklewood actually delivers.

Edit, Reaponse

I’m simply sharing what actually happened. I wouldn’t spend my time writing this if it weren’t genuine, especially about a business I’m not connected to in any way. If I were trying to make false accusations, why would I use my real Google account?

We were not informed of the price of the cheeseboard, and despite repeatedly asking, we were not given access to a menu. It’s frustrating that when we did reachout privately to resolve this, you weren’t willing to discuss it. Yet now that the review is public, you suddenly want to engage. That speaks volumes about where your priorities lie.

My hope is that this feedback leads to improvements so future customers don’t have the...