Obviously poor management systems in place resulting in a terribly unorganised service. Along with this, the senior staff are rude and make you feel like you have burdened them simply by being there (and giving them business). Food was very average and overpriced. Wines were ok - but certainly not worth returning for given the service. A shame given the nice setting - ruined by the service.
Service was great, personal and informative. Wines were fantastic. Food was fairly priced and good quality. Enjoyed our time there and will hopefully return soon!
The staff member who took my order was very belligerent towards me. I had a scoopon offer and asked to redeem it and they refused as I needed to book. They were serving the same platter as on the scoopon, the kitchen was open and yet it wasn't possible unless I booked. I can understand that they have procedures, but the way this man spoke to me was incredibly rude. (You're a 40 year old working at a wine bar and not my primary school teacher champ.)
The food was very overpriced, very average and the wine was poor. I'm not happy and will not be returning here anytime soon.
It's a great place for kids to run around and take a walk with the family.
Beautiful setting, food and service were great. Will visit again
Recommended kids-friendly cellar door. Gorgeous scenery. Great play area for the kids to play (has a sand pit). Beautiful garden to wine and pizza.
Every aspect of Barristers Block was over the top exceptional service venue and environment.
Absolute credit to Jan Evitt and staff.
Took 17 people food amazing. Wish them every success after traumas as the last 2 years or so.
Very poor customer service and bad wine dont waste your time.
We visited Barristers Block Wines after it was recommended by a friend and we were not disappointed. The food was wonderful, the wine was lovely, the staff were very friendly and the venue was picturesque. We will definitely return and would be happy to recommend this winery to family and friends.
Was recommended by someone who had been to an event here. Maybe events are run better. We stopped to have lunch, crazy overpriced pizza that wasn't that amazing. Glass of wine cost something like $10 for a stingy pour. Very unenthusiastic service.
Nice setting, average customer service. No split bills but no table service either? Come on, its not a bill if I m going up to the counter to order and pay for my food like hungry jacks.
Terrible service.
Understaffed and rude senior staff.
If they continue the way they are with food taking over 2 hours for a grazing platter to come out, I feel this business may have a sad future. Such a nice spot, but the service from the Owner doesn't match.
The spot is nice. Wine is average and overpriced. One pizza took over an hour. Staff were very friendly and helpful, however didn't take our booking correctly and couldn't find our names when we rocked up
Absolutely beautiful wine! Staff went above and beyond fo accomodate our group. Love the deer and the grumpy geese. Jan is a quality operator! Must see location :)
Awesome setting! Wait staff were lovely & catered to our needs really well. It's always difficult with current restrictions but they managed everything with ease. Food was great, drinks were great. Very interesting watching the animals also!
Incredibly disappointed in the service. Attended as part of a group of girls on a hen's day, and it was obviously assumed that we would be disruptive and that we did not care about the wine. As soon as we walked in we were lectured about how we were to behave, and told they would be "willing to give us a tasting if we were willing to pay attention". A group of 30-yr old professional women, treated like school children, before we even sat down. We were not noisy nor "silly", there was no paraphernalia or anything of the like. We all booked in advance and paid to be there. If Barristers Block prefers not to have groups of women at their cellar door, then they should not take the booking, or our money, in the first place.
Extremely disappointing Mothers Day lunch service. After being greeted by an incredibly rude girl who acted like she wanted to be anywhere else but at work everytime we spoke to her, the rest of the staff all seemed to also be wishing they weren't serving and speaking to customers! Not sure if they were hired for the day but they had no idea about menu or food. Terribly disorganised, all staff in a stressed state, and serve yourself everything while they stood and looked on - including water with plastic cups!!! Ridiculously overpriced food, and of a very average quality. Many people around us all complaining about smoke inhalation with massive brazier burning under eating area with enclosed roof. Music was very loud, we could barely hear each other speaking. Clearly this place is not equipped to do much except serve wine tasters. Definitely not good for food service.... Unfortunately we couldn't wait to leave. Would not recommend this winery at all, with so many other beautiful wineries in the Adelaide hills with lovely staff, food, and service.
Great venue, amazing food & service. We had our wedding here on 3 Nov & the team went above and beyond - so flexible & wouldn't have changed a think. Huge shout out to the events manager Sam who is brilliant. Seamless event.
We heard about this from a family of fellow dissatisfied customers at Artwine around the corner funnily enough (Not gunna talk about them here, but they were not nice there).
Very welcoming atmosphere and the owners couldn't be nicer and engaging with us, along with other people around them too. The outdoor area is awesome and the animals out and about is a nice touch. My partner and I are looking forward to bringing friends and family back sooner rather than later. Very dog friendly along with family friendly. Great day out. Cheers.
Really bland wine, more of a restaurant than a winery. $5 tasting really puts you off, not impressed with any of their wines.
I booked a baby shower for my sister inlaw. The staff were all friendly and helpful. We had a set menu and kids meals, very happy with what we received. Pizzas were amazing with some different toppings that were surprisingly great. Kids demolished their meals, that may also be because they worked up such an appitite playing in the sand pits or the grassed areas. There was also some live music which made the day seem so relaxing. Also really enjoyed the wine.
Great location & very popular during weekends and public holidays. What let it down was the attitude of 1 male staff member when we received a disgusting reply while asking mid afternoon for a coffee & soy milk with "we're just a winery if you want a soy coffee there is a great cafe down the road!!
Thanks for the rude advice from the middle aged man behind the bar! Some customer service skills wouldnt go astray and totally not necessary. After my wife told me this I will now take your advice and go elsewhere with our money from now.
Big mistake & totally not called for!
Beautiful evening with live music, great food and wine. Gorgeous relaxed spot.
We were at Barrister by pure luck, it looked a bit shaggy on the outside but when we got in Mr. Michael Gregg gave us a fantastic wine testing!! He was very polite and friendly, great talk about wines in Adelaide hills and around Australia! We had a lovey time, great wines. Thank you!
Warm country atmosphere and friendly staff. Highly recommended.
We were dubious about this place after reading some other reviews, but so glad we gave it a try! Fabulous food, good service, tasty wine at a reasonable price and a stunning setting, perfect for a lazy afternoon and great for kids to run around and play while the adults were relaxing. Friendly staff who served food and drinks quickly despite it being a very busy day. We will definitely go back. What a find!
Loved the Atmosphere Great Wine & Food on the lawn area.
Great little winery lots of character great lawn areas as well as an open barn type entertaining area. Wood fired pizzas available even at lunch time, we had the vegetarian and the garlic cheese pizzas and they were so good. Very well manicured gardens and would be a great place for a large group function and even weddings. Fantastic will definitely go back.
Great wine, service and food. The staff couldn t be more helpful and explaining the differences in the wines was different to others I ve been to. Great afternoon.
There are so many other better wineries to visit in the Adelaide Hills.
Other than the venue itself, which I will say is great for families who want to let their kids run free range, play and enioy the hobbie farm animals, there is little to find appealing about this place.
Service from the owner was lack lustre and bordering on rude. We felt like we were putting her out when we asked about possible gluten free options / substitutions. Oh and the eye roll we got when asked if we could possibly move our table to an area that was better shaded was such that you could only see the white of her eyes hahaha.
The food was floored and every dish had some issues. The arancini balls were mush inside with no signature crunch outside, the lamb cofta was bland and lacking that external char you'd expect from a hot grill, and the pizzas had a soggy base.
Finally their wines are average. After doing a full tasting, we didn't find one wine that tempted us in to purchasing a bottle to share.
Sadly we all said we wouldn't return.
We had the most beautiful day at Barristers Block during Winter Reds festival. Beautiful setting, delicious wines and yummo food. Fantastic vibes and good times!
I attended a wedding there. Very poor experience. Firstly, at a Covid wedding, not enough tables and chairs. Didn't cater to the drivers and kids with alcohol free choices. Cake cutting time, no knife. Snappy staff with alot of attitude. Like they couldn't wait for us to leave..
Very disappointed in my second visit to Barrister s Block. We had a tasting booked this past weekend- we arrived on time and sober, but were rushed through our tastings by a senior staff member. She was rude, often starting her sentences with shut up, be quiet, stop talking now! . She struggled to explain the wines (or even know which variety the bubbles were!) and consistently spilt the pourings on the table, our arms, glasses and clothing! Poor service from a beautiful location.
After having a similar experience the first time I visited Barrister s Block, we won t be returning a third time.
A good winery and very easy to get to. The lunch was also very good
Absolutely lovely venue, food and service. Jan is a fantastic host and her wines are incredible, not sure why people would think other wise!
Came some time ago and spent hours and hours with girlfriends and kids bonding, giggling, drinking and eating. A great selection of wines and food for a mere $44 scoop on. How can you complain?
Came back today due to the initial experience happy to spend up and support local business over a good time with family for a family afternoon in the garden and was again greeted with friendly staff, amazing new wines and royalty treatment. Finished the arvo in the garden with full tranquility!
An amazing spot, see for yourself. Good food, good wine, good knowledge, good nature scenes and good laughs in open and enjoyable space for all ages. Don't be fooled by keyboard warriors. A must see.
Great food! Nice platters and relaxing place to have lunch!
Enjoyed the setting but the wines and service were lacking considerably compared to other cellar doors we visited today.
A treasure at our doorstep. Gorgeous boutique winery with accommodation. Great location. Beautifully presented throughout and friendly staff. Great choice of wine at its tasting cellar. Offering a selection of delicious grazing platters and pizzas. Surrounded by beautiful vineyards, walking distance to Melba choc factory and Woodside Cheese, short drive to famous Hahndorf.
A perfect place for a day trip or stay. A home away from home.
Pretty good afternoon out there last Sunday, Good weather, Band, Wine and Pizza, can't go wrong... I could see they were severely rushed off their feet, but managed to cope well..kids loved it...
Friends reported being glassed, and struck by drunk/drugged fellow patrons on a Sunday afternoon birthday party. Police had to be called and the offending other parties taken off in custody. Given the other reviews on this page this winery has no idea on crowd control or customer relations...
Had our wedding there, as well as a lunch the day prior. Kylie did great, coming through after the initial person we were dealing with left to do their own thing. They did those little things that made it feel like they went the extra mile. And the food, delicious!
The staff were exceptional, extremely friendly, helpful and made the experience great. I can not emphasize enough how great they were.
While the entire process was not seamless and without its occasional stresses, we are overall
completely ecstatic with how everything went on the day, and they helped make our day special
Stay away if event or long weekend is on clearly understaffed in the kitchen feel sorry for them. 2HR wait for food not acceptable especially if you're not told at the start there is a wait.
This place is amazing! Service is great! Food is amazing and the wine is beautiful! It feels so homely and amazing views!
Beautiful atmosphere fantastic views excellent service food and wine
We have never been here before, but I must say the location was beautiful! That, unfortunately is where the satisfaction ended. The service was pretty bad, cluttered and chaotic. The staff were over-run and confused. When we first arrived the assistant didn't know where her menu sheets had gotten to. When we sat at our table (near the sandpit) it was a beautiful view, but we couldn't hear ourselves speak to each other due to the loudness of the musical live entertainment. Not that the singer had bad vocals...just too loud. Asked a staff member to lower it a bit, to which she replied, "can you go tell her" to which we replied "no, u work here we don't"! The food couldn't be ordered separately, so we received our cheese board at the same time as our pizzas, which is ridiculous! Who wants to dig into a cheese board when you're literally starving and you have a pizza in front of you! Oh wait! The pizza was stone cold and not very tasty ugh... Do yourself a favour... go to Tenafeate Winery for the same sort of fare. You'll be amazed at the view, the food, the service! Sorry to say, but I won't be returning!
Amazing!!!! We have been to many wineries around Australia. To walk in for the first time & be treated like royalty is definitely special. Genuine & personal service - let the wine speak for itself! Thank you Barristers Block for a perfect Saturday afternoon.
Great food, wine and stunning land. Parents can relax while the kids can still run around on the grass, in the sandpit and watch the animals. Loved our experience there and will continue to come back.
Barristers Block Wines generously took on our booking of 20 people over the weekend on 24 hours notice when our other venue cancelled on us. Fantastic, fast and caring hospitality. We had the shared $49 set menu; there was a generous amount of food included for the price. If you are booking for a large group I definitely recommend this place, and a great place to stop for lunch on a wine tour!
Quite possibly the most unorganised place I've ever been to, which is a shame, because the food is actually quite nice (once it turns up an hour and a half later - best wedges I've ever had)
It takes a lot for me to leave a review, but this place was just exceptionally poor from start to finish. As part of a TrailHopper tour, we were told on arrival that our table had been given away, even though we arrived on time and had been asked to pay a $50 deposit. Then there was the 20 minute queue to order food because the same person taking food orders was doing wine tastings. Then finally the hour and a half wait for food. Just because you have a lot of space, doesn't mean you have to maximise it at the cost of customer satisfaction, or if you do, at least staff it sufficiently and empower those staff to make decisions, instead of deferring to a Manager every time.
This event was advertised on Facebook as being 'sold out' - if you knew it was going to be that busy, plan for it. Food is decent, everything else is pretty average considering the cost. Like I say, it takes a lot for me to leave a review, so I'd take on board the more negative comments than the positive ones as that is likely the experience you will have (perhaps more so on a weekend than weekday)
Very disappointed. Food very average. Way too expensive for drinks. Atmosphere average. Definitely will not return
Great day out. The place was packed and the staff were very busy but they still had time for a smile whenever you caught their eye. We had the tapas platter for lunch, and it was amazing, it says it serves 2-3, but I think it would be closer to 3-4 people, there was so much food! The wines were really tasty and we just loved the sparkling red!
Absolutely disgusting service! Manager Jan seriously needs a lesson in customer service, complaint handling and perhaps an attitude check.
We attended as part of a tour with limited time, so as instructed we booked ahead and paid a $50 deposit to secure a table. We ordered straight away (also as instructed) and waited in line for over half an hour. When we finally got to the front of the line we ordered and I asked if I could please pay for one of the items separately only to be snapped at by Jan with be mindful that there is a line of people behind you ....it was only tap and pay. Completely unessasary attitude! When we my friend tried to very politely complain she was snapped at by Jan and told to calm down when she never even once raised her voice. We were given a complimentary bottle of red which we were grateful for at the time but now wish we d never accepted.
We never got our tasting, our table was given away despite paying a deposit to secure one and food took almost 2hrs to come out resulting in us missing our last winery for the day.
The setting is gorgeous, but it is not worth the visit at all. Management needs an overhaul!! A perfect example of how NOT to run a business. If you can t handle events and large groups, for the love of god don t hold them!
We had our 'wedding reception' after eloping at Barristers a few weeks ago and had the most perfect afternoon. All guests mentioned the amazing venue, the staff really looked after us, particularly Kylie.We stayed in the villa with a few people that night and it was beautiful. We were able to bring our 2 cavalier dogs with us to celebrate the day and they were very flexible as a venue which is why we initially chose this winery above others. We highly recommend it.
We dropped into Barristers Block for a tasting and Jan was absolutely amazing
The Whites and Reds delicious and the service was 10 out of 10
Went to this winery for the first time yesterday and was blown away..it was sooo busy
Went into Cellar Door where they were under the pump, the fella introduced us by the wait staff was Ben and he was super helpful and took us through a small tasting so we could enjoy a bottle or two with our pizzas and tapas board....some great stuff on the boards and pizzas were awesome ..that Korean beef rocks!
The winery was flat out and he couldn't have been more helpful..
We had a great time and will be back
Thanks so much guys and given a heap of wineries were closed in the hills you guys did a great job !
Just wanted to say thank you for a beautiful afternoon there yesterday. We had a table in the sandpit area and honestly, it was the most perfect setting and choice for my husband s birthday with all the kids and family. The staff behind the bar were so friendly and relaxed, and the food was yummo. Your place is a real gem, and I ll be recommending it to all our friends.
Lovely atmosphere and staff, we had a great experience at the cellar door chatting with the owners. The service was top quality, and it's obviously a very popular lunch location. Looking forward to trying the menu sometime!
We had an excellent long weekend at Barristers Block winery. We stayed in the villa all weekend and had family and friends join us for lunch on Monday.
Excellent wine, delicious food and fantastic service. Could not recommend more highly!
Thanks to Jan and the team!
Unfortunately, $5 for a tasting... Already you feel pressured to buy a bottle as they waive this if you do. Having said, the wines here are quite good quality and there are plenty of great wines to choose from.
The grounds are nice with some friendly alpacas and grumpy geese out the back.
Fabulous afternoon celebrating fathers day. Wonferful live music, delicious platters and pizzas and top quality wine especially the Cab Sav. A personal favourite. A relaxed friendly atmosphere. Great for families and kids with sandpit and animal enclosure
Nice setting. The food and wine are way over priced. I wasn't keen on the wine so I got a VB for $10!!
The owners and staff at Barrister s Block were fantastic with their service for a birthday party held in their Hay shed. Jan was very helpful in arranging the event and the staff were friendly and assisted with everything from high chairs to taking group photos. Lovely location! Will be visiting again.
The atmosphere is accompanied by the warm and lovely staff including Jan. This is my favourite place to go in the Adelaide Hills! The sparkling blush (sparkling Pinot Noir) is the best wine I have ever had! If you are looking for a fun atmosphere which has lawns to sit on or a beautiful wood shed to sit in! This place has it all. There are deer, a children s sandpit, there are long tables which are fun for elegant parties. I m planning to have my bachelorette party here (maybe even the wedding).
Poor service, in a large group and left unattended in the middle of a tasting for 20 minutes! Went to buy a dozen and waited at the counter while various staff members looked at me and walked past, ended up leaving without buying anything. Relatively ok wine but very poor experience
We always stop off here when we are driving through the hills. Their platters and pizzas are amazing. You won t find better anywhere. The staff can t do enough to help you. Love this place.
I recently had my birthday party at Barrister's Block and the venue, atmosphere, food and wine were amazing, not to mention their lovely staff. A big thank you to them all for helping to make the day run so smoothly :)
Awesome experience.. animals down the back for the kids to see.. entertaining live music #louisfuller.. great wine and food.. Thanks guys we'll be back!
Horrible experience. They over booked the winery and told our group to take some bottles and move on. Very rude and aggressive, not sorry at all for their own error.. Really upset the birthday girl. With so many great winery's in the area avoid this one at all costs.
I booked a baby shower for my sister inlaw. The staff were all friendly and helpful. We had a set menu and kids meals, very happy with what we received. Pizzas were amazing with some different toppings that were surprisingly great. Kids demolished their meals, that may also be because they worked up such an appitite playing in the sand pits or the grassed areas. There was also some live music which made the day seem so relaxing. Also really enjoyed the wine.
Service was poor. Wine was of poor taste. Would never recommend.
After waiting 30 mins to order food, and being told there was a 40 min wait, we were still waiting 1 hour later to then be told our order was 'lost'. All we wanted was a cheese and meat platter! Very sad experience.
The setting is lovely - beautifully maintained and stunning scenery.
There s a great play area for the kids and some geese, chickens, deer and llamas to keep them entertained. The big sandpit also proved popular.
The food was overpriced (we had the platter, supposedly for 3/4 ppl - it fed 2). Wine was pretty good but definitely pricey for what it was.
All round it would have been an enjoyable experience except for the fact we couldn t enjoy our over priced food because of the thousands upon thousands of yellow jacket wasps. It became a farce when they swarmed so badly it became unbearably irritating and a danger to the kids eating.
Made worse by the fact I accidentally put one in my mouth whilst eating some ham.
Great safe play area for the kids but there s better out there, I d say.
This place DESPERATELY needs a professional restaurant manager. Young staff were lovely and accomodating, senior staff absolutely hopeless and rude. Clearly not trained in how to manage a restaurant. Such poor organisation and retched attitudes.
We booked a table near the childrens area, but were initially placed elsewhere. The young staff were incredibly helpful and moved the entire table for us. Food took an hour, borderline too long, but quality was acceptable although price was a little steep. When going to the bar for more drinks, a senior staff member was standing at the cash register doing something. 15 minutes later she finally suspended whatever she was doing, so that the THREE other staff members waiting behind her could put through their orders. I just wanted two beers, and it took me 20 minutes with 4 staff members behind the bar. They clearly need two cash registers, you can't book in 60 customers and run the restaurant and bar off of one register.
Hire a real manager. There's so much potential here, but you won't get return customers until the place is run properly.
P.S. Also the beers were Lobethal Bierhaus (yay!) but were charging $10 for a 300ml bottle (boo what the hell)
Rude and obnoxious service from the senior staff. We ended up waiting for 2 hours for the food. It was delivered to the wrong table, the senior staff member then blamed 2 young teenage staff members, but how they would have found our table when we weren't even given a table number I don't know.
The real kicker though was the attitude. When I asked the senior staff person what the status of our order was I got told "look, we fit you in didn't we".
I don't mind when people make mistakes and apologise, but to have it thrown back in my face was too much.
She then came to deliver the food with a surly attitude and didn't even apologise.
Nice wine, slow service. Good antipasto platters but the pizzas were average. Lots of outside dining, with heaters and blankets undercover.
Excellent place to take children. Animals like deer, geese and chooks to look at and an area to play ball games, toss a frisbee or just run around. The sandpit was well utilised. However there were several hundred people there today and only 3 toilets which presented problems. Service was slow, food was expensive but tasty and well presented when it finally arrived. Wine was very expensive eg $43 for 2 glasses of wine.
Incredibly disappointed with this winery. I have never received such poor service.
Rushed, average service (one person in particular was extremely rude, however this was rectified by another friendly member of staff). Food was ok but don't feel like there was much for the price so not much value. Outdoor area was not well setup for the winter with regards to heating. Will not be going back
Here for Easter Sunday. Busy but staff were super friendly. Lovely day out. Great for kids, especially animals, grassed area and sandpit. Fab wine, platters amazing value for money and free wifi! Will be coming again
Came here after getting a deal on Scoopon. They were very busy but went out of their way for us. Platter and Pizza were amazing along with the wines. Sitting by the fire eating pizza and enjoying a glass of their Red Wine was a great way to spend the early afternoon. Thank you.
Greeted by a man who promptly asked us for our reservation for a wine tasting and saying they might not have time for us on a Wednesday midday. Then informed us it was $5 a person and there was no one there. At that point we were put off and ready to leave, but then the guy who was doing the tasting told us the $5 could be taken off a bottle. Still an issue because most winery's have free tastings. The man doing the tasting was knowledgable and friendly, making up for the other gentleman. Will skip on wine tours in the future because of the first man and the $5 tasting price. 5 minutes down the road is Bird in Hand and they have a free tasting and were welcomed with open arms! Drink safe!
We found this cellar door great for us. It has a sand pit and plenty of play space for a footy / soccer ball. It's also located right on the Amy gillet bikeway so it's just perfect for a family bike outing.
We recently held a function for 60 family + friend, plus another 40 kids. We loved the whole Barrister's Block experience, and would highly recommend for a relaxed lunch function venue. The pizzas were delicious, beautiful spacious grounds with plenty of space for both kids and adults and great staff who helped make the day run really smoothly. We had our function on the south lawns so were away from rest of the pubic, near the cement slab, which turned into an impromptu cricket pitch for the kids which they loved! Highly recommend.
I recently had my birthday party at Barrister's Block and the venue, atmosphere, food and wine were amazing, not to mention their lovely staff. A big thank you to them all for helping to make the day run so smoothly :)
barristersblock.com.au