South Australia’s diverse climates are home to an abundance of exceptional produce, a bounty long celebrated by the state’s chefs, providores and vintners.
And now, the celebrated scene is receiving international acclaim as the MICHELIN Guide turned its attention to the Oceania region. Naming first 110 restaurants across New Zealand and now, for the first time, 77 South Australian dining destinations have been honoured, with 10 one-star venues and one restaurant receiving a two-star rating.
If experiencing a gourmet getaway to South Australia sounds like an opportunity too good to pass up, The Ultimate Reservation is offering you the chance to win a money-can’t-buy curated South Australian food and travel experience, with a former MICHELIN Guide Inspector.
“In my 20 years as an inspector, I have never seen a destination embrace the arrival of the MICHELIN Guide as much as South Australia.” – Pina Belfiore, former MICHELIN Guide Inspector
South Australia’s culinary credentials earn international recognition
More than 125 years on from publishing its first guide, MICHELIN has turned its attention to South Australia’s dining landscape.
On 14 October 2026, the inaugural MICHELIN Guide South Australia was unveiled at an Adelaide ceremony. In announcing the selections, MICHELIN praised South Australia’s diverse culinary influences, including the use of native ingredients, multicultural cooking techniques and enduring relationships between restaurants and local producers.
Belfiore shared an exciting prospect “the culinary world is talking about South Australia right now, and I hear the 77 restaurants featured in Australia’s first and only MICHELIN Guide is just the start of the worldclass dining and tourism experiences on offer there.”
The South Australian restaurants on our radar
South Australia’s inaugural MICHELIN selection spans restaurants including one-star venues such as Anvers Restaurant, Aptos, arkhé, Aurora at ILA, Skillogalee Barrel House, Restaurant Botanic, Esmay, Hentley Farm, LVN Restaurant at Bird in Hand and Maxwell Restaurant. Magill Estate Restaurant, located in Penfolds Adelaide Hills winery, was awarded two stars.
The awarded restaurants include city dining rooms, vineyard restaurants and regional tables offering a compelling insight into the landscapes and communities shaping South Australia’s culinary identity.
Food personality, Poh Ling Yeow shares she has “been banging on about how good South Australian food is for years. We’re so lucky to have incredible produce, wonderfully talented chefs and producers, and a food scene that’s really come into its own.”
As Ling Yeow explains, one of South Australia’s greatest strengths is the relationship and proximity between chefs and producers. The connection from producer to plate is an important distinction, one that the South Australian MICHELIN Guide exemplifies.
Across the named dining destinations, you’ll find Mayura Station wagyu from the Limestone Coast, Port Lincoln rock lobster, Eyre Peninsula abalone and King George whiting.
“And running JamFace, nestled amongst the farmers and producers, has only deepened my appreciation for just how much passion and hard work goes into what we eat. There are so many brilliant people doing extraordinary things here, often without much fuss or fanfare, so it’s really exciting to see South Australia getting this kind of international attention through the MICHELIN Guide.” – Poh Ling Yeow, food personality
The breadth of South Australia’s culinary identity is perhaps best illustrated by the menus themselves, from arkhé’s flame-cooked Port Lincoln rock lobster finished with garlic brown butter to Maxwell Restaurant’s considered pairing of wagyu with eel and green pepper alongside an intricate oyster pearl. Both Aptos and Restaurant Botanic hero native ingredients in their menus, with Aptos showcasing combinations of green ants, abalone and lemon myrtle with marron while Restaurant Botanic’s seasonality brings together ingredients such as kangaroo grass, wattleseed, native citrus and eucalyptus.
This mastery of provenance to plate makes a compelling case for discovering South Australia one dining room at a time.
The Ultimate Reservation
If winding your way through the Adelaide Hills, Barossa and beyond sounds like the ultimate tasting journey, The Ultimate Reservation offers an opportunity to win an incredible trip and experience the state’s culinary credentials firsthand.
This once-in-a-lifetime South Australian food and travel experience offers a 7-8-day trip slated between March-May 2027. Travelling across South Australia, sampling MICHELIN Guide-recognised dining along with indulging in regional produce, wine and producer experiences.
What makes this experience truly special is the diversity. One meal might explore native Australian ingredients, another the theatre of cooking over fire, while elsewhere the vineyard, kitchen garden and surrounding landscape become part of the dining experience.
Throughout the gastronomic getaway, the lucky winner will be joined by former MICHELIN Guide Inspector Pina Belfiore.
Belfiore shares her thoughts on the competition. “I am so excited to take the most passionate foodie there is Down Under on this once-in-a-lifetime culinary trip, giving them a taste of the best food and wine destination in the country and my former life as a MICHELIN inspector. Get your auditions in now! I can’t wait to meet you in South Australia.”
Plus, twenty runners-up will each receive a $500 dining experience at a South Australia MICHELIN Guide-recognised venue.
*Terms and conditions apply, for more information and to apply please head to southaustralia.com/ultimatereservation
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