The formulaic insert country garden house, fill it with trinkets and provide a limited menu of…read morecoffee, cake and lunch doesn't quite deliver at Avalon of Woodside. If you were passing through town and felt like a coffee and a home made cake (get the passionfruit vanilla slice if available) then the sunny paved brick courtyard out back or patio out front under umbrellas is a beautiful setting. Inside is filled with large wooden clocks, plates, candles, silver ornaments, cushions and the usual candidates that occupy a country gift shop. The lunch menu is fairly limited and for $35 for a pie and salad and a tomato bruschetta I felt it was a tad expensive. Tomato bruschetta literally was 2 pieces of bread with a pile of tomato and some shavings of basil and the curry pie, although lovely, came with a very simple lettuce and tomato salad. Coffee and tea was lovely though and I'd love to see more afternoon teas here to really twee up the Avalon Downton Abbey experience. With a little tweaking of the formula and simplifying the lunch menu to high teas, with more of their home made cakes, scones and desserts this place can really ham up the out of town experience for us city folk in an enjoyable way.

"An Adelaide Hills French Style Cafe"…read more This Cafe located at the rear, of block 54 Onkaparinga Valley Rd, Woodside, Main Street. This French Style Cafe is far more than a coffee, cake stop, we have returned here on number of occasions as a special treat. Apart from the fact that they serve excellent coffee, accompanied with mouth watering cakes, with a good kitchen and chef. As you dine inside or alfresco, your eyes will feast on, antique French style furniture (painted), many and various old and unusual objects. All for sale at very reasonable prices. Thus creating a very relaxing ambience, as you wander about viewing so many interesting items. This venue would be an ideal place for a wedding, and I understand larger group bookings are essential.

The cafe is located in a very lovely spot. The staff are…read morefriendly and the service is good in general. The dishes were all good except the toasts that were a bit soggy. Lack of seasoning for the mushrooms and avocados. But all and all above average food and a lovely place to be in for a brekkie.

My first impression of this cafe was that it's, just like Rebecca writes, set in a very picturesque…read moreand beautiful location. The place itself could use a little bit of maintenance though, a good clean of their terrace and a cut of some branches and bushes. That's the only slightly negative thing I've noticed. The coffee was beautiful, very tasty and their brownies are good too. They offer a range of hot and cold dishes, as well as some desserts and cakes. Prices are reasonable ($4 for a double shot latte, $3 for a brownie) and staff were very friendly. Nice place for a quick coffee stop on your way through the Adelaide Hills.

Whilst riding through the hills we stopped in for some sustinence…read more This bakery has a great selection of pastries, pies, and breads. They also serve coffee and cold drinks. Tried some pies which were great. The coffee on the other hand not so good. Long black and a flat white. Both were very hot (excessively so), barely existent crema, leading me to suspect they were brewed rather than espresso. The bakery had ample indoor seating and a large parking area immediately outside. Good stop for a quick bite. Recommend the pies, perhaps avoid the coffee unless you find yourself with a significant need for caffeine supplementation

I just finished reviewing Lovells Bakery in Woodside (Adelaide Hills). They are the worst! But…read moredon't despair, the best is just down the road in lovely downtown Lobethal. The Lobethal Bakery on Main Street is the first of four branches in the area and my vote is 5 stars. I am visiting from Austin, Texas, and it's a great city with lots to recommend it. However, with all the bakeries we have there (many), none that I know of is as good as the one in Lobethal. My Aussie sweetie and I have sampled most of their breads and a passel of their meat pies and desserts. Nary a one of them failed to please. Try their pasties. Sample those gorgeous pastries. Definitely don't miss a loaf of their multigrain Black Forest bread. Friendly counter staff, clean surroundings, tasty food, and good value for your Aussie dollars. 5 stars for sure. Fair Warning: these folks are busy and can sell out of some of their popular breads by mid-afternoon, so try not to show up late. But DO show up. You'll be glad you did. P.S. We have also patronized the Woodside location and found it similarly pleasing. I expect the other two locations are also worth visiting. PPS. I forgot what my sweetie had to offer about their wares ... "Their pastries are always wonderful; light and flaky and wickedly delicious." I can only agree.

Only open once a year for the Winter Reds Festival (please correct me if I am wrong!) this little…read moregem out the back of Woodside has got everything you need for a brilliant winter arvo in the Adelaide Hills. The wine is top-notch. We started with a few bottles of the chardonnay, cos why not?! Refreshing, zingy with a little wooded flair but nothing like the chardys of old (think Kath and Kim. Blurgh! - nothing like that thankfully!). The pinot noir, while not always my favourite as it is a light bodied red was also delicious - complex and fruity but still quite light. We were spoilt for food on this glorious day as the guys from Africola had come up the hill to roast some treats on the open flame. Fantastic stuff. They had a coffee cart and beers from Prancing Pony also worth a look but we were there for the vino and we had a great time. I hope others get to enjoy the magnificence that is Murdoch Hill in the years to come because this little SA secret is sure to not remain that way for very long. Keep an eye out when Winter Reds 2017 is approaching in May/June next year and pop it in your calendar!

Don't expect to see any playstations, nintentos, or X-boxes here because this is a traditional,…read moregood old fashioned, toy factory that actually makes real toys (the ones that you can touch, and roll around on the floor). Further more all the toys are made of wood, which actually makes then stronger, and more durable, than their plastic counter-parts. They may not be cheap, but they certainly last, to the point that you could end up handing them down to your great-grandchildren (if you end up having any that is). The other thing about this place is that there is an animal sanctuary here, with peacocks. All I can say is that peacocks are cool (though don't take their feathers - they don't like that, though if they are lying on the ground you can take them, but still have to pay for the privilege).

I'm just a tad old for toys, but this little shop is very cute and they manufacture wooden toys on…read moresite in their factory. They are pretty good quality, and well priced for their value. But toys like these often require imagination to use them. Toys like trains, puzzles and learning games are available here, withthebig rocking horse, wildlife park and cafe on site. Good place to visit with the kids with a few interesting things to do which you wouldn't normally in Adelaide.

Aloha, we arrived around lunchtime & got the first class treatment at Bird in Hand Winery. They do…read morehave a nice restaurant too, but we opted for the full tasting along with the charcuterie & meat platter, wow oh so yummy! They let us sit in the barrel room enjoying the view, eating & drinking to our pace, nice. Great wines, some expensive some very well priced. We bought a few to enjoy during the rest of our trip in Adelaide. Fun time, thanks Jason for the suggestion!

How could you give this winery less than 5 stars? Outstanding service and beautiful place! Very…read morehappy to spend Saturday afternoon playing with kids on the beautiful lawn. Classy place, dressy casual suggested.