The Lord Lyndoch — Restaurant in Lyndoch

This was our first time dining at this restaurant, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I originally discovered the venue while searching online for places to eat in the Barossa region--apart from the ones offered along Murray Street at Tanunda. The Lord Lyndoch website immediately caught my attention—the rustic yet inviting décor, the diverse menu, and the appealing photos of both food and interiors persuaded me to book a table for two with my wife.

Although it required a one-and-a-half-hour drive from where I lived, I can say, the trip was well worth it. The journey itself was a pleasure, with scenic vineyard landscapes and a tranquil countryside backdrop throughout the drive. The restaurant is easy to locate, with ample parking available, and conveniently positioned in the heart of Lyndoch. Nearby are a grocery store, antique and craft shops, the local post office, library, historic museum, a public park with public restrooms, as well as several cafés and pubs—all within easy walking distance.

On arrival, we were warmly greeted by a gracious host. The interior was just as inviting as anticipated, offering a range of seating options including bistro-style tables, semi-private nooks, private rooms, and a larger dining hall. We were seated near a window with a pleasant view of the town, and I particularly appreciated the comfort of the couch seating.

For our meal, we enjoyed a shared plate of Mushroom Arancini, paired beautifully with a smooth, creamy aioli. We also ordered the Barossa Valley Brie, which was crisp on the outside yet delightfully 'gooey' inside—a highlight made even better by the pairing of a redcurrant spiced jam. For myself, I chose to add an entrée of beef carpaccio, which was an interesting take on the classic and equally satisfying.

I had noted that many diners highly recommended the steaks here, but for this visit I opted for the Tennessee Chicken: a smoky barbecued half chicken with well-seasoned, golden-brown skin and tender, juicy meat. My wife chose the Winter Grain Bowl with chicken, a hearty and balanced dish that she thoroughly enjoyed. To accompany our meals, we ordered lemon lime bitters. While we do not drink alcohol, it was clear from the wine and beverage menu that the restaurant offers an extensive selection of wines likely to impress any enthusiast.

We finished our lunch with the Coconut Crème Brûlée, a dessert that was both indulgent and refreshing, completing the meal perfectly.

Overall, our dining experience was superb—excellent food, a welcoming atmosphere, and warm, attentive service. Practical touches, such as having restrooms available within the restaurant, also added to the convenience. It was certainly worth the journey, and we look forward to returning...

The atmosphere of the establishment is well set-out, and enjoyable. The staff are friendly, but pushy to collect orders; likely due to the busyness of time. The manager was particularly friendly, even going so far as providing a small ice-cream and sparkler, free of charge, and prompting of the birthday song, when he got word it was my mothers 50th.

As for the food, I'm afraid I can't say anything more than average --- perhaps less than average even.

I had an entrée of "Garlic Butter Baguette". This was the better meal of the two, but however, the dish didn't explore any further than the traditional garlic bread taste. Therefore it was quite an average meal, with no real flare, or originality.

As for mains, I ordered the the 'Salt and Pepper Squid'. This was the least impressive item of my entire day. The batter of the squid was thick, and greasy with oil, and it was not cooked properly, to a light crisp as it should have been. The squid itself seemed to be cook effectively, but the batter had brought the meal quality down significantly; I couldn't eat all of the squid due to this. The meal also came with "shoestring chips". Though even these were nothing more than average, the high surface-to-volume ratio means that the chips would quickly loose their heat. In my taste, cold chips aren't an enjoyable experience.

All in all, my experience was not particularly satisfying, and I would not likely return to the establishment. I've rated the experience 2/10 stars. I think this is quite a generous rating considering the expectations the setting of the dining room laid out for it, and the sub-average to unenjoyable meals. The only things that kept the score afloat was the staff friendliness, and the atmosphere & setting of the...

What a disappointment. We chose this place from the reviews- just goes to show why you shouldn’t ! We ordered lamb rack and fillet steak with duck fat potatoes. Apparently the waitress should have advised that the lamb takes 40 minutes - when the food was chased up after 40 minutes, it was 2-3 minutes away. No problem. Lamb arrived and was overcooked. Potatoes arrived too - soggy - certainly not duck fat potatoes like expected, crunchy ! We were told the steak was 2-3 minutes away but another 10 minutes passed and finally the steak arrived- undercooked and sliced (really? Fillet steak sliced? ) . We were also told by the waitress and owner that ‘medium’ cooked steak is cooked to 56 degrees which the chef had assured them that was the cooked temperature - when it should have been 62 degrees! That was the final straw - they wanted $55 for each dish and $12 for soggy potatoes. The excuse for the meals not coming out together was ‘the chef mis-timed the steak - in my opinion, that is no chef! The owner offered us free drinks as an apology - when we were drinking tap water! Clearly no customer service or understanding of the impact that poor service has on people. They did eventually credit the steak meal - but then it wasn’t eaten. No I would not recommend this place. We accept that the waitress made a mistake on not advising the time it was going to take but I struggle to accept that charging over $50 per meal was warranted given the lack of communication and clear inability of the chef. I also expect feedback to say there are 2 sides to every complaint, as per previous reviews - but just to add, we didn’t have a booking but there were very few people dining ! Maybe that should have been...