12 Top Kangaroo Island Restaurants - Australian Traveller

Base your itinerary on where best to celebrate local seafood, artisan produce and wine with our guide to Kangaroo Island’s best restaurants, pubs and cafes.

It’s a strategic move to plot out a plan when it comes to where to eat and drink around Kangaroo Island before you arrive at the South Australian outpost so that you can make the most of its incredible bounty. Here are the best restaurants and watering holes.

The best cafes on Kangaroo Island

1. Millie Mae’s Pantry

The original owner of Millie Mae’s Pantry Jan Ordway grew up on Kangaroo Island. And this charming café-slash-grocer was named in honour of Jan’s grandma (whose middle name was Mae) and great-grandmother (Millicent), who also called Kangaroo Island home. Now owned by James and Kate Meredith, the café has been cobbled together using upcycled doors, corrugated iron and timber rescued from old sheds and farms and is a one-stop-shop for coffee and artisan island produce.

Millie Mae's Pantry, Kangaroo Island, SA, Australia — Millie Mae’s Pantry is a one-stop-shop for coffee and artisan island produce. (Image: Meaghan Coles)

2. Emu Bay Lavender Farm

Lavender has long been known as a calmative herb. What better way to inspire a relaxed road trip than by visiting Emu Bay Lavender Farm , located over the hill from Emu Bay. The farm is surrounded by lavender fields and there is an on-site cafe serving lavender scones with lavender jelly and pots of lavender tea.

Lavender farm, Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA, Australia — Inspire a relaxed road trip by visiting Emu Bay Lavender Farm. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

3. Deck Cafe

Don your fanciest flanno so you look the part when you head to the rustic Deck Café for breakfast. Enjoy a nip of coffee in the sunny courtyard where old oak barrels have been rolled out to accommodate towering stacks of pancakes. Start sweet and then move on to savoury seconds such as eggs Florentine with smoked salmon and spinach. BYO binoculars to spot rare birds coming in to land on the American River.

Food platter, Deck Cafe on the Wharf, Kangaroo Island, SA, Australia — Head to the rustic Deck Café for breakfast. (Image: Deck Cafe on the Wharf )

The best places for a seafood lunch on Kangaroo Island

4. The Rockpool Cafe

Enjoy a pre-prandial dip in the waters off Stokes Bay before heading back to The Rockpool Café for coffee and a mid-morning bakery treat. The Rockpool Café is only open in the warmer months, from September to May, and the presence of local ocean swimmers in various stages of undress will confirm you’re in the right place. Parents will appreciate the covered kids’ area replete with mud kitchen while they sit (as Maggie Beer did on a recent visit) enjoying fresh calamari and chips.

Interiors, The Rockpool Cafe, Kangaroo Island, SA, Australia — Head back to The Rockpool Café for coffee and a mid-morning bakery treat. (Image: The Rockpool Cafe )

5. Vivonne Bay General Store

The No. 1 reason to stop at Vivonne Bay General Store in Vivonne Bay is for the famed Kangaroo Island whiting burger, which is impeccably sourced and captures the essence and simplicity of island life. Kangaroo Island’s fisher folk are a brand unto themselves, and you’ll find them here picking up bait and fishing gear. Stock up on bread, milk and fuel before you set off into Flinders Chase National Park .

The best places for dinner on Kangaroo Island

6. Reflections

Reflections occupies an important place on the local food landscape, serving some of the local produce that has put the South Australian island on the map. Order a dish that gives you a sense of place and yields comfort such as the Kangaroo Island lamb shoulder served with preserved lemon, labna, honey-glazed carrots and pomegranate. And you can’t go wrong with a classic tiramisu whipped together with Kangaroo Island Honey.

7. Gastronomo

Let Gastronomo surprise and delight you during a magical dining experience under the creaking canopy of a colossal fig tree. The private pop-up feast under the enchanted tree is one of the most memorable on Kangaroo Island. Impress your foodie following by documenting the wilderness dining experience on Insta and make a vow to return to sample The Feast , Gastronomo’s progressive epicurean adventure near Snellings Beach.

Gastronomo, Kangaroo Island, Australia — Let Gastronomo surprise and delight you. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

8. Cactus

Cactus has moved down Dauncey Street to larger premises to better accommodate its growing customer base. After time spent manning the pans at Southern Ocean Lodge, chef Louis Lark (whose family had Kangaroo Island Spirits) is in charge here and you won’t go wrong ordering the quesadilla stuffed with pulled pork and black bean salsa. The beef ramen noodle soup is another cult Cactus favourite.

Food at Cactus, Kangaroo Island, SA, Australia — You can’t go wrong with Cactus cult classics. (Image: Meaghan Coles)

The best pub meals on Kangaroo Island

9. The Penneshaw Hotel

‘The Penny’, aka The Penneshaw Hotel , has been killing it since it renovated its al fresco area with glass walls to protect it from the blustery winds roaring in from the Backstairs Package. The pub overlooks the passage, which features on the Kangaroo Island Shipwreck Trail, and it’s a short walk from here to the ferry wharf and waterfront. Pub food is the main event here, but the magic also lies in the wine list, which bounces between wineries on Kangaroo Island, and in SA and NZ.

10. The Zone Restaurant & Bar

Arrive at The Zone Restaurant & Bar inside the Aurora Ozone Hotel as the pink light of dusk starts to paint the roiling water in pretty, pearlescent hues. Located on the waterfront in Kingscote, the restaurant has a relaxed vibe thanks to those stunning views over Nepean Bay. Watch the sky until it becomes like a faded blue sheet and then hustle to the bar so you can be first in the queue to order a serve of battered King George whiting and chips.

Ozone Hotel Kangaroo Island SA Australia — the restaurant has a relaxed vibe thanks to those stunning views over Nepean Bay. (Image: Ozone Hotel Kangaroo Island )

11. The Kangaroo Island Brewery

From old-school to new school. The Kangaroo Island Brewery is an off-grid brewery located a few clicks out of Kingscote that is successfully stealing the limelight from some of the island’s wineries. Housed in a rustic shed cobbled together with recycled materials, you can enjoy a creative pour in this picturesque spot which specialises in hoppy IPAs and a stout made with charred local she oak. Cruise to the brewhouse on Friday and Sundays for pizza paired with amber ales.

Kangaroo Island Brewery, KI, SA, Australia — The Kangaroo Island Brewery is an off-grid brewery located a few clicks out of Kingscote. (Image: Josie Withers)

From natural wonders to historical sites, we’ve rounded up Victoria’s most epic icons that deserve a place on your itinerary.

Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park

From towering mountains to crystal cascades and ancient rock art sites, the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park is a playground for both outdoor adventurers and nature lovers. Don’t miss the views from the highest peak Mount William or the iconic Pinnacle.

Murray River

A paddle steamer down the Murray in Echuca — The wonders of the Murray are best experienced on board a paddle steamer. (Image: Visit Victoria)

A natural icon of majestic proportions, the Murray River flows for a staggering 2700 kilometres, making it one of the world’s longest navigable rivers. Meandering through Victoria before flowing out to sea at Goolwa in South Australia, the river is home to diverse wildlife, picturesque towns and secluded creeks and beaches.

Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell

the Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road — The Twelve Apostles are a star attraction on the Great Ocean Road. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

These limestone sea stacks are arguably Victoria’s most famous icon . After an $8-million upgrade to its lookout, The Blowhole near Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool (meaning breath of the whale) has recently reopened. A brand-new Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Centre, complete with rooftop lookout, will open in 2026.

You Yangs, Geelong

kangaroos in You Yangs — Kangaroos enjoy dusk in the You Yangs. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Rising 300-plus metres from the flat volcanic plains between Melbourne/Naarm and Geelong, the You Yangs are massive granite boulders named for the local Wadawurrung word ‘Youang’, meaning ‘big hills’. Hiking, biking, rock climbing and horse-riding are popular within this regional park.

Redwood Forest, Yarra Valley

Near the town of Warburton, an extraordinary forest of some 1500 Californian Redwoods stands among native orchids, eucalypt trees and rich birdlife. Planted in the 1930s, these 55-metre-plus trees can live for 2000 years and will grow to be some of the world’s tallest.

Wilsons Promontory, Gippsland

the Wilsons Promontory — Wilsons Promontory is home to the incredible Skull Rock formation. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The Prom, as it’s known locally, is the southernmost tip of mainland Australia. This 50,000-hectare reserve comprises granite mountains and forest, fringed by sandy beaches and surrounded by a marine park rich in marine biodiversity. It’s also home to the incredible and imposing Skull Rock formation.

Hanging Rock Reserve, Macedon Ranges

This six-million-year-old volcanic rock  was thrown into the national spotlight thanks to the 1967 novel and consequent 1975 film based on the fictional disappearance of schoolgirls in 1901. Mystery aside, visitors can walk the steep 105-metre summit, fish for trout and go twitching.

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat

exploring Sovereign Hill — Step back in time at Sovereign Hill. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Cry ‘eureka!’ at Sovereign Hill , a living museum to the prosperous Gold Rush era of the 1850s, during which Ballarat produced the most gold in the world. Visitors to this much-loved attraction can walk historic  streets, enter a gold mine and try panning for the good stuff, too.

The Great Stupa, Bendigo

Who’d have thought the largest Buddhist temple in the Western world would be tucked away in Bendigo’s bushland? Welcoming visitors to explore, this sacred Buddhist pagoda is an epicentre for Tibetan culture, architecture, art and interfaith harmony.

Cape Schanck Lighthouse, Mornington Peninsula

the Cape Schanck Lighthouse from above — Heritage-listed Cape Schanck Lighthouse. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

Ensuring the safe passage of ships in the notoriously treacherous Bass Strait since 1859, this heritage-listed lighthouse overlooks dramatic volcanic coast and wild beaches. The surrounding reserve is home to a plethora of wildlife including little penguins, seals and echidnas.

11 top places to eat and drink on Kangaroo Island