Ottelia — Restaurant in Coonawarra

Never experienced such bad customer service. Arrived for lunch with the restaurant pretty empty. We had our dog with us on the trip so we asked if we could sit outside for lunch, the waitress said the outside was closed due to not enough staff, though there were plenty chatting at the front. We definitely felt this was due to having our spoodle with us, which hadn't been a problem at other vineyards in the area, which had been very accommodating and even inviting him inside for tours with us! We proceeded to leave, but the waitress followed us outside, telling us we could sit on the park and order takeaway, which we did and ordered a very average pizza for the price. After eating at the park, we went back to ask for a glass of water in which the rude waitress told my partner it was not possible as tap water is very expensive apparently and she would have to charge us so we should go to the public toilet outside.. we couldn't believe this response. Even if we we had been non paying customers, I would have expected some sort of human decency. There are many more friendly and warm vineyards in the area that we would recommend...

We dined at Ottelia as a group of 13 people. We were required to do the $50 shared menu which we couldn’t fault. When we sat down, we were asked if we wanted still or sparkling water. Both came from 2 simultaneous taps next to each other (ie it wasn’t bottled water). We requested a mix of the two - the waitress then came around individually pouring the water asking each diner ‘still or sparkling’. 12 of us initially opted for sparkling. Throughout our 2 hour dining experience we had to continually request both waters be refilled. Usually you would expect a small table fee for sparkling but when we got the bill, it charged us an OUTRAGEOUS $72 FOR THE 12 PEOPLE WHO DRANK SPARKLING!!! That is also to say, not all of these 12 people drank only sparkling water as like I mentioned, we had to request continual top ups. Not once at the commencement of seating were we notified of the price, nor was this listed on the drinks menu AT ALL. A very delicious lunch which turned into an overpriced experience with a group of unhappy customers. Just be warned, sparkling water in the Coonawarra costs as much as sparkling wine...

The wine is decent but there is a tough competition in Coonawarra when it comes to wine. Compared to other wineries in the region Ottelia is fairly average. In terms of food there is very little competition and to find a decent place for lunch is almost impossible. Don’t come without booking, they’re almost always full. You can get a takeaway pizza and eat it in the nearby park. Pizzas are made in woodfire oven, cost $22 and despite being fairly average, probably your best lunch option in Coonawarra, unless you’re happy with a cold platter (in that case go to Di Giorgio). We had pizza here twice. The biggest issue is the base (my benchmark is a very authentic, inexpensive place in Rome, Italy). The dough is too heavy and the sauce a bit off ballance. They use different cheeses. First time we had way too much cheese, which made it quite oily and cheesy. Second time a lot of salami, not enough eggplant, hardly any artichokes (these were the 3 toppings). But I appreciate people come to Coonawarra for Cabernet Sauvignon and not for pizzas. Overall, a solid 3...