Standout McLaren Vale Cafes For Brunch

Fuel up ahead of a day exploring the McLaren Vale the right way with coffee and breakfast at these standout cafe spots.

Before the beach or McLaren Vale wineries, their needs to be coffee and a hearty breakfast. Luckily the region is home to plenty of coffee holes-in-the-wall, charming brunch spots and cafes with a view. All these McLaren Vale cafes offer up fresh local produce and the baristas take their craft seriously – serving up quality flat whites time and time again.

The shortlist

Best coffee: Dawn Patrol
Family-friendly spot: Manna McLaren Vale
Casual eats: Hey Juj
Best views: Pearl Kiosk
Best for Vegan/Vegetarian: The Slow Food Kitchen

Dawn Patrol

Coffee enthusiasts know Dawn Patrol is the place to get a good brew. The team is passionate about their coffee and aim for 100% traceability of their ethically sourced beans. The Brew Bar allows you to sample seasonal filter and espresso options while there’s a small bagel menu and pastries for a grab-and-go option, with GF options available.

Stock up on their beans – anything from The Toucan Espresso Blend – beans grown in Mexico with toffee apple and chocolate or the floral and lemony San Jose – a dry Gesha blend hailing from Nicaragua.

Cuisine: Baked goods / Specialty Coffee

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Hole in the wall

Location: 402 Main Rd, McLaren Vale SA 5171

Visitor Centre Stump Hill Cafe

Tucked down along the main strip, Stump Hill Cafe at the McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Coast Visitor Centre feels like a welcome stop – or start – on a morning exploring the McLaren Vale township.

The building has leafy lawns and vine views, with a nature-play area and wide outdoor space for kids. The menu features slow-cooked pies, house-made cakes and locally roasted coffee.

Delivered with a relaxed, genuinely friendly service it’s a great way to be welcomed to town. Pop next door to the Visitor’s Centre to plan the ultimate McLaren Vale itinerary.

Cuisine: Australian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Warm

Location: 796 Main Road, McLaren Vale

Hey Juj

For a solid flat white and a sandwich on the run, Hey Juj is a go-to. Breakfast options range from avo toast to acai bowls, but it’s the sandos that really steal the show. The brekkie sando is stacked with crispy bacon, fried egg, relish and hash browns, while the vego version – with pumpkin, capsicum, eggplant, baby mozzarella and a hit of spicy mayo – is just as good.

It’s a reliable, easy-going spot that locals love as much as visitors. Licensed all day, book in for a bottomless brunch or add a Bloody Mary to breakfast. Come Thursday through Saturday, the place shifts gears into a wine bar from 3pm, pouring a generous selection of whites, reds and local gins.

Cuisine: Australian 

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Location: 150 Main Road, McLaren Vale

Manna McLaren Vale

Sometimes one coffee is not enough which is why Manna’s Barista’s Breakfast tasting paddle with filter brew, white coffee and espresso is a godsend first thing in the morning.

The cafe’s menu changes with the seasons: in winter enjoy the sticky date porridge, smoky tomato soup or German apple hotcakes. It’s hard to resist the loaded croissant pocket stuffed with pork sausage, cheese, hash brown, fried egg, jalapeños, pickles and house-made brekkie sauce.

Kids are well catered for, and there’s even a free storytime every Monday morning in the Manna Studio, which also hosts regular craft workshops – another reason to linger a little longer.

Cuisine: European-Australian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Family-friendly

Location: 211 Main Road, McLaren Vale

Willa

Start the day right at this quaint coffee shop inside a heritage building on Willunga’s main strip. With coffee by Altura and milk by Fleurieu Milk, Willa loves its local producers.

Much of the produce is sourced locally, including Willunga Meats, The Sourdough Story and Onkaparinga Creamery, with juices from The Garden Farmers, kombucha by Gather Brewing, and coffee from Altura.

The menu is packed with filling egg dishes, crumpets with nitrate-free bacon and maple syrup, or an indulgent croque monsieur. Look out for seasonal dishes like smoked beans and market fritters made with whatever is good at the time.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Rustic charm

Location: 17a High Street, Willunga

Wild Flour Willunga

It’s worth the walk up the hill along Willunga’s main street for Wild Flour’s simple, lovingly prepared dishes. The food is cooked with genuine care, and the team couldn’t be more welcoming.

Housed in the original, heritage-listed Atkinson’s Bakery building, the cafe’s nineteenth-century facade gives way to a cosy interior that instantly feels like home. Their generous, home-style menu celebrates fresh produce from across the Fleurieu Peninsula – the All Day Breakfast is hard to beat as are the Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Croissant French toast and freshly baked cookies.

On Friday nights, Wild Flour reopens from 4pm for cocktails, wine and share plates – the ideal way to ease into a weekend in the Vale.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Cosy

Location: 44 High Street, Willunga

Pearl Kiosk

Open Thursday to Sunday, Pearl Kiosk sits atop the cliffs overlooking Aldinga Beach – making it it one of the best views in the area for coffee and a beach stroll. Grab a takeaway and sit on the adjacent lawn or head down to the beach to sit on the sand.

The breakfast sandwich – free-range eggs with crispy bacon or haloumi, tomato and capsicum salsa, and house greens – is a winner, but so is the Port Lincoln ocean jacket fish sandwich with pickled grape, dukkah and preserved lemon. Come lunchtime, it’s a tough decision between the classic calamari and chips, the Port Lincoln mussels, or the shawarma-spiced pumpkin with tahini yoghurt and chermoula.

Cuisine: Middle-Eastern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Coastal vibes

Location: Boat Ramp, Aldinga Beach

Goodness Coffee Co.

the cosy corner inside Goodness Cafe, McLaren Vale — Goodness Coffee Co. freshly roasts in small batches. (Image: Dan Hill and Aaron Hill)

Another coffee specialist in the area, Goodness Coffee Co. freshly roasts in small batches on the Fleurieu Peninsula – choose from the Colombian, Ethiopian Guigi ‘Alaka’ or House Blend to take home.

While primarily a coffee spot, their cabinet always has something to tempt from bliss balls and cakes to croissants, pastries and vegan pies.

Set up in a cosy indoor nook, out in the sunny front yard, or find shade in the charming courtyard. Doggos aren’t forgotten – the cafe stocks treats from Veggie Paws.

Cuisine: Australian

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Rustic country charm

Location: 24 Old Coach Road, Aldinga

The Slow Food Kitchen

For a pick-me-up breakfast full of fruit, leafy greens and fresh juices, The Slow Food Kitchen always hits the spot. The light-filled interior is beautiful, with sun streaming through the windows, while outside tables are dotted amongst the flowers.

Nourish bowls are packed with colourful veg, while the buckwheat waffles are topped with coconut whip, poached pear, chai reduction, maple and fresh fruit. They really hero local produce with the relish made from local organic tomatoes and seasonal fruit adorning most dishes. Make sure to stock up on their seed oil–free ready meals for later.

Cuisine: Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Laidback

Location: 173 Port Rd, Aldinga

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Our guide to the best cafes in McLaren Vale

Fuel up ahead of a day exploring the McLaren Vale the right way with coffee and breakfast at these standout cafe spots.

The shortlist

Dawn Patrol

Visitor Centre Stump Hill Cafe

Hey Juj

Manna McLaren Vale

Willa

Wild Flour Willunga

Pearl Kiosk

Goodness Coffee Co.

The Slow Food Kitchen

This coastal wine region serves up world-class shiraz, fresh produce and scenic trails

Our guide to the best McLaren Vale restaurants to book now

Our guide to the best McLaren Vale accommodation

The best wineries and cellar doors in the McLaren Vale

The ultimate Margaret River road trip itinerary for food & wine lovers

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Pair’d Margaret River Region is proudly owned by the Western Australian Government, through Tourism WA.