Cafe Enzo — Restaurant in Pokolbin

Hey fellow foodies, you've got to check out this epic eatery - it's off the charts. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we've been living a mere 15 minutes away from this gem and haven't stumbled upon it until now. We rolled into the car park right in front of Pukara Estate's sales store, and of course, the wife had to get her shop on. After a solid 45 minutes of sampling an array of flavoured olive oils, dukkahs, and jams, we walked out loaded up for the next six months. Who wouldn't be a fan of sandstone buildings, immaculately manicured gardens, and cellar door sales that come with an amazing ambiance? Can you imagine how incredible it would be on a sunny day, sipping on local wines and grooving to subtle background tunes? And we hadn't even made it to the restaurant yet. Finally, we arrived at the restaurant and were greeted by the lovely Sarah, who was beaming with joy and had a smile that could light up a room. It's fantastic to see young people who are genuinely stoked about their job - it makes the whole experience even better. Now, onto the grub - because let's be real, that's what it's all about. We opted for the pan-fried Barra from up north and the linguine pasta with tiger prawns. The wife's verdict on the Barra? 'Best ever cooked Barra' - crispy skin, cooked to perfection, and tasted divine. Someone needs to give the fish chef a high-five for that masterpiece. The linguine? Absolutely bloody fantastic. The prawns were cooked just right, the flavours were on point, the seasoning was spot on, and the pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente. We managed to squeeze in just enough room for dessert - the vanilla bean brûlée and seasoned berry shortbread. The brûlée was silky smooth, creamy, and downright lip-smacking good. And the berry shortbread? Let's just say it was ridiculously good. All in all, this place is hands-down one of the best restaurants I've been to in the Vineyard area in a while. Do yourself a solid and give this place a shot - you won't be disappointed, and you definitely won't leave hungry. My 'I'll be back' score? A solid...

Shot so many weddings in here in the past, but come in as a tourist for the very first time.

The whole place is beautiful, which is already known, but I still enjoyed it and feel relaxed when I’m with family and friends here.

Food is AMAZING. Coffee, firstly, espresso is well brewed, froth is smooth and full of texture. Only thing was the staff messed with latte to FW, which was fine and we still enjoyed FW anyways.

For the food, we had the pulled beef burger, salmon, duck and prawn linguine. Prawn linguine was absolutely the best amongst all the dishes, other reviews mentioned this dish as well so it’s a must try in here, if you love fully loaded cheese and cream in your pasta. Prawn and cherry tomatoes are fresh, you can taste garlic olive oil very clearly in it, with herbs and diced tomatoes. Well balanced taste.

Salmon is great, too. To me, fish skin is always the key factor, and the chef didn’t let me down. Crunchy and crispy, but not over fried. Flesh part is well cooked to a point that it’s still juicy, while the protein part is not undercooked nor smashed. Only downside was the skin is too salty, but maybe chef did that on purpose to air dry the fish before cooking? Anyways good in general.

Duck and burger are good too. Didn’t take too much on those two dishes so couldn’t say too much.

My wife ordered the mousse for dessert and she loved it as a very picky dessert person. I had a try, loved it.

The vibe here is great, too. Whoever did the room planning is a person with a taste. All the lightings in each table just fit and makes sense. We got a big group with kids so had to stay inside with a big table. But had a look around, lots of tables for 2-4 would have very nice view and lighting when having food and coffee, not to mention outside tables so yeah absolutely a no brainer choice if you are in Hunter area.

They have another wine tasting place at the back of the cafe, next to the pond, with a couch set facing directly to the view, so it’s nice for wine lovers or for friends to have a good...

We visited Hunter Valley recently for a family holiday and this was definitely a stand out restaurant for the whole family - 5 adults, 2 toddlers and 2 teenagers - so a very diverse group to please!

The serving size were huge and more importantly was really tasty, cooked well and well presented. We ordered the beef cheeks and it was "melt in the mouth". The pork belly had a lovely pairing with the sauce and a nice crunchy skin! I didnt eat the pate myself but 2 people ordered it on the table and they could not stop talking about it afterwards. In terms of the toddlers, they were well catered for with a solid kids menu. I always appreciate the restaurants that make an effort with including a green/salad on the side and Cafe Enzo did this with a cucumber and tomato salad. They also used nudie apple juice and presented it in a cute little cup with TINY TEDDIES! Such a winner with the kids. In my view, happy kids = happy parents!

We were worried about getting a table for our family size as they only take 6 people maximum for a booking so we were really really lucky that they could find us a table when we got there. It was a bit stressful dragging two toddlers there not knowing whether we would get a table but it was a such nice experience once we got there. It would be great if Cafe Enzo could take bookings 6 people one day but Im sure there's a good reason why they cant!

Thank you Cafe Enzo for making it such a nice dining...