Maximilians Restaurant & Cellar Door

Lovely food and if you’re not a steak eater, maybe it’s even a four or five star experience. This restaurant revolutionalised Brussel sprouts for me — gorgeous — but some of our group didn’t enjoy receiving steak not as ordered, and then not being heard on the subject. Have the chicken instead — it’s great. Enjoy some time out on the deck with a nice glass, and if you’re a hotshot at golf, have a hit. Maybe you might win the prize and then you can go home and cook your steak the way you like it tomorrow night.

I fell for the social media «new menu» launch and tried out this restaurant that’s in the same vicinity of Sidewood Cellar Door.
We had two main meals and two kids meals and dined on a Saturday at noon. To be completely honest, I wouldn’t order the barramundi dish I had again — fish was over cooked, and the sauce (bisque) that it came with was not well balanced. The fish sat on top of a lacklustre fennel «stir-​fry». My dish was beautifully garnished though — that was very pleasing to the eye. My hubby’s meal… let’s not go there… he gave it 1.5 stars…
Kids chicken nuggets and meatballs — I am impressed that these tasted house made. The kids meals came with sides of well-​seasoned shoestring fries and a very good gourmet mixed salad (with a delicious citrus dressing). But nuggets were overlooked — too crunchy for young teeth and dry inside. Meatballs were ok but as my son said «yours are so much better, mum!» Bless him ;) Kids meals were only $ 9 each, which is fantastic value. I am always thankful to restaurants who have house made kids meals.
On the up side — the house made sourdough bread was delicious! Highlight of our meal there. And if you like alfresco dining as we do, the views from the deck is just gorgeous!
Service was a mixed experience. While it was generally friendly, I didn’t think they were particularly attentive. My hubby’s coke took a good half an hour to arrive at our table. Meals also took almost 45 minutes to arrive and the restaurant was only half full.
Tip: sit outside on the deck on a sunny day!
Overall a solid 3 star («A-​ok») experience.

A meandering track leads you through alluring grape vines and what might seem like the scenery from an Austrian family holiday movie to a seemingly quaint cottage style restaurant. This little gem is nestled in a little corner of the Adelaide Hills which takes less time to get to from the CBD than some of the suburbs on the flats. I’d say this has been my favourite spot in the Hills to eat since I was old enough to appreciate its original owners larger than life personality. I’ve celebrated a few of my birthdays here, as well as other memorable family events like anniversaries. And it is where we have chosen to hold our wedding next year.
It is literally like another world inside at Max’s. Coupled with the renovations recently completed out the back and the cellar door sporting the delicious sidewood range of wines (and a cider!), this restaurant/​venue has it all. During the summer, the outdoor/​function area is effortlessly free-​flowing, with a cheeky spot of golf for the keen punter to try and win a $ 2,000 prize (if you can throw a key in a lock from a decent distance that is!)
The food is sublime and the service is always expert. That’s really all that needs to be said… although I will provide an update after we’ve tied the knot next year! You can come here for a really decadent dinner treat, or a light bite and a bottle of wine, either way you’ll be on a winning ticket.

Was beautiful gorgeous location staff were friendly and service was with out fault food was nice small portions and very expensive it’s very upper class we felt out of place but was beautiful :)

Sundays sessions here are amazing! Really chilled out atmosphere, live music, beautiful backdrop of the lake and hills, beautiful wine and some eye candy (for my friends), what more could one ask for!
There was a group of 5 of us, and we couldn’t pass up the free tasting which equated to a full glass! While it did get colder towards the evening, I was warm enough in my wool cardigan but the girls were feeling the chill bite so we headed into the restaurant and sat right on the stand of the fireplace to warm up. It was a great way to welcome the new week.
Can’t wait to be back.

It’s hard to tell what was the best part of this lunch — the blue cheese butter, the pork belly with crackling, the between-​course strolls to say hi to the cows and the emu or the great service. Myself and 14 of my friends booked out the private room near the front of the restaurant, and you could hardly devise a better spot to put a rowdy group of journalists. The food was quite exceptional and the selection of wines was well suited to the restaurant’s location in the Adelaide Hills. Owner Andrew also helped us out organising transport to and from Adelaide — just 25 minutes or so, which was also a great help.

A gorgeous drive up to Maximilians set the tone for the night. Geese waddling across the carpark and an emu in the cow’s paddock greeted us and upon walking in the lit fires were very welcoming as it was chilly.
We take a seat and the very friendly staff bring the menus. We discover that chef Tom Reid is now heading up the kitchen, which is a welcome surprise for us as we’ve had two of his degustations previously at Mantra and The Wine Underground.
Appetiser. Kingfish with foraged herbs and finger lime. The lime totally set the kingfish off perfectly. Entrée for me was marron with a seafood sauce mousse. I admit I wasn’t 100% taken with the mousse but the finger lime with the seafood once again carried it. The main of tender pork lion rolled in speck and crumb had an intense flavour, which was assisted with the cauliflower purée.
The restaurant showcases mainly local foods, meat from Richard Gunner, cheese and butter from Woodside Cheese, foraged herbs and vegetables, local beers and cider and of course local wines.
The new owners took over just before Xmas, and it has already started working perfectly!

There are some interesting options on this European-​influenced menu.
We started with fresh, crusty white bread, balsamic and olive oil, along with a tasting platter of the South Australian Udder Delights goats curd and more olive oil. The goats curd had an outstanding taste and the crusty bed wasn’t bad.
My partner ordered Tasmanian salmon, which was smoked as it should be. It was served with crusty ciabatta and capers, which went well. There was a wedge of fresh lemon and slices of Spanish onion as a garnish. The menu advertised greens and he got one small piece of lettuce.
My partner ordered Trout Meuniere for his main, while I ordered a spinach crêpe with a side salad. The waitress also served a side dish of roast potatoes which neither of us ordered but were happy to accept.
The trout was well cooked and the crêpe was well seasoned, but I was grateful to the side dishes, otherwise it would not have been enough for me.
DRINKS LIST
The wine list was quite good. Most of the wines by the glass are from Maximilian’s winery and the beer list was adequate.
DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
There are meals to suit most dietary requirements and there are a few options for vegetarians. I note one of the dishes, the baked mushroom, is advertised as a vegetarian dish that contains Worcestershire sauce. There are some recipes that do not contain fish, unlike the famous Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. So if you are a veggie it might be worth clarifying whether this is the case.
SERVICE
The service was adequate and professional enough.