Forktree Brewing — Restaurant in Carrickalinga

Walked in with my wife at 3.30pm. The place was relatively quiet after what must have been a busy Easter Saturday lunch.

We asked one of the male waiters if we could get a table for 2 for a meal and with a lot of arrogance he replied that they were fully booked until next weekend. Due to the number of empty tables, I asked again, so you are saying that you do not have one single table free for 1 hour. He repeated his fully booked claim and as we proceeded to leave, he begrudgingly blurts, oh OK you can have the table in the corner, we don't need it until 6pm but it will take at least 30mins to get your food.

I find this behaviour very odd. You should look after your customers during the good times and they will look after you during the bad times.

Training tip: Response could've been, we've been flat out with a full booking schedule but let me just check and see what I can do for you.

We sat there for 2 minutes and then decided to take our business elsewhere. We will never know what this place is like as we will never, ...

I'd give them six stars, if I could. New instant favourite. We'll be back.

This place is incredible! My wife and I visited during the holiday period and they were getting smashed by tourists. We called ahead to book a table in the afternoon to make sure we could get in.

We got there and were greeted at the door and shown to our table - they took their time to chat and make us feel welcome. Bar staff - same deal. Even though they were incredibly busy, they were so welcoming and great.

Normally, I kind of expect when a business is getting pounded by customers, that they don't have the time to make every individual's day, but these guys did. Seriously phenomenal staff, and plenty of them. That was the other thing my wife and I commented on while we were there - they had enough staff working to support the workflow and tasks needed to keep things moving. Unfortunately, these days, that is actually worth commenting on...

Food was fantastic as well. Beer was phenomenal, and the vibe is unmatched on the Fleurieu,...

On the way home from Carrickalinga on a Thursday evening we were caught behind a van labouring up the hill, so dropped into Forktree for an early dinner. There were plenty of spaces in the car park unlike peak holiday season. We wondered if the full restaurant service was available.

Coming inside from the frosty winter twilight, we were pleasantly surprised by the inviting warmth and cheery welcome. This wasn't the crowded room with waiting lines we remember just a short summer ago. We picked up menus and I grabbed a Summer Ale, a Pinot Gris for her, and some banter over the bar.

A crowd of about 20 easily dispersed by the wood fire and overhead heaters. Our meals came in just enough time to order drink refills and we set about the generous servings, which were quite delicious. We were cautioned about the roos on the road to Adelaide, so finished and drove home at an easy pace. All up a reasonable $90 for the 2 of us....