News The Best Places to Eat & Drink in West Gippsland

Hogget Kitchen

Warragul

Hogget Kitchen overlooks rolling vineyards on the outskirts of Warragul where, under the skillful eye of Chef Trevor Perkins, the Hogget team use a nose-to-tail approach to all the meat they serve, ensuring the highest standard cuts and minimal wastage. They source everything locally, building the menu around the seasons to ensure the produce is at its best.

The result of this attention to detail shines through with the restaurant being awarded their third consecutive chef’s hat. Trev’s charcuterie boards are next level, with wood-smoked and slow cooked ingredients made from the hand-built smoker.

Cannibal Creek Vineyard

Tynong

Cannibal Creek Vineyard offers French-inspired wine and delicious food in a rustic, relaxed country setting. The restaurant is an architectural reflection of the quintessential ‘Aussie Shed’ and the contemporary space is immediately comforting with large wood fire, verandah and picturesque views over vine-clad hills.

On the modern-Australian menu you can expect to find meals like beetroot-cured salmon gravlax with Wild Dog gin and lemon myrtle dressing, house-made gnocchi in a creamy chardonnay mushroom sauce, or free-range pork belly with roasted fennel and miso.

Cannibal Creek Bakehouse & Cafe

Garfield

The cosy heritage shopfront is the perfect backdrop for the mouth-watering meals served alongside barista-made coffee at this inviting cafe. The best-quality, local and ethical ingredients are turned into a daily menu of hearty brunches, homemade tarts and tempting sweets.

Biddy Martha's Cafe

Bunyip

The old butcher shop in the heart of town has been completely transformed into a contemporary space with a rustic/ industrial dining room, creating a cosy and welcoming environment to enjoy great food and coffee. The lunch menu features a collection of wholesome, casual dishes centred on local produce, including virtuous salads, house made curries and soups.

A selection of breakfast dishes includes green eggs and bacon with avocado and pesto, and house made banana bread with ricotta and berries, complemented by local specialty coffee roasters, Zest.

Garfield Hotel

Garfield

This newly renovated country pub serves delicious heart-warming food, cold beer and the warmest West Gippsland country hospitality. The menu is a celebration of local produce including renowned Gippsland steak dishes as well as traditional pub favourites, like the huge chicken parmigiana, legendary in these parts.

The humming bar is a watering hole for the locals, while the dining room offers an intimate experience with a humble country feel. The neat patio overlooks the gorgeous Garfield main street.

Yarragon Hotel

Yarragon

You’ll find all the pub mainstays on this menu, as well as a refreshing modern take on meals like a sticky glazed pork belly salad or red wine braised beef cheek with mushroom ragout. Housed in an intimate and ambient heritage building, your dining experience includes crisp white linen tablecloths, silverware and full table service from attentive waitstaff.

Noojee Hotel

Noojee

There’s nothing like a genuine country pub to match the backdrop of the Australian bush, among the foothills of the Baw Baw Ranges. “The Nooj” has a huge balcony overlooking scenic bushland and the river. The traditional pub meals are excellent, and the beer is cold. So popular is this country hotel, you can even get the bumper sticker as proof that you’ve been.

The scenic West Gippsland Drink Trail weaves through rolling, pastured hills which give way to more dramatic slopes of the Victorian Alps and takes in 5 wineries and 2 breweries. Find breweries slinging Mexican street food that match with their craft ales, and wineries where you can enjoy wood fired pizzas, full restaurant meals or cheese boards amongst the vines.

BREAD & PRODUCE

• Everything tastes better when it’s cooked in a century-old wood fire Scotch oven, and Cannibal Creek Bakehouse & Café's artisan sourdough loaves (Garfield).
• For the sweetest cherries and tart apples, which you can pick yourself in season, get to Sherwood Park Orchard (Bunyip). There are also breads, jams, chutneys and sauces to take away.

DELI & CHEESE

• Gippsland Food & Wine (Yarragon) has floor-to-ceiling shelves full of all your delicatessen needs, including a large range of local wines.
• Tarago River Cheese Company (Neerim South) has a farm shop open on select days - but if they're not open while you're in the area, you can stock up at Gippsland Food & Wine (Yarragon). Don't miss the exquisite Shadows of Blue.

MEAT & FISH

• Catch trout and salmon onsite at the Alpine Trout Farm (Noojee) and stock up on the smoked trout, caviar and salmon that will make your return home that bit more delicious.
• The Butcher with the Chef (Nar Nar Goon) combines the husband-wife-team's skills of butchery and chefery to produce shelves laden with choice cuts of meat, smokehouse goods, flavoured kabanas, jerky, meat rubs, stuffings and marinades, as well as ready-made meals.
• Jindi Pig Butchers (Neerim South) specialise in free range pork, flavoured sausages and smoked meats.