The Eyre Peninsula is well-known for its seafood – world-class oysters, premium bluefin tuna, incredible prawns and delicious local mussels. We didn’t even mention the fresh fish or abalone! But we’re also known for our farming, which means you can get locally raised meats and artisanal products like honey and olive oil. Try the local beer, wine and spirits, as well as coffee and juice. And all of this delicious produce is showcased by our excellent restaurants, small-town cafes and country pubs.
Dining at Yarnbala (Yarnbala/Robert Lang)
Delight your senses
Food
Port Lincoln is the place to start, where the fishing industry is king and the Eyre Peninsula earned its ‘seafood frontier’ title. Buy wholesale at the Fresh Fish Place, or leave it to the professionals and visit one of the local restaurants – there are too many to mention here, but some of the highlights include L’Anse French Café, the Line and Label Restaurant, Del Giorno’s and Sarins. But like we said, that’s just some of the many great options!
The small town-cafes dotted across the peninsula are also not to be missed and coupled with the local bakeries (vanilla slice or a fresh meat pie?) and butcher shops selling local meat it really is worth stopping and staying a while! Plenty of pubs offer daily specials, and there are a growing number of pop up food vans selling anything from fish and chips to pizza to an ever-changing lunch menu along with coffee.
And then there’s the quirky, like Colton Bakehouse near Elliston (it’s a roadside stall selling freshly baked breads and sticky buns, with a cash-only honesty box system!) or oysters from a vending machine in Coffin Bay.
If you want to round everything together, just jump on a tour to get a real ocean-to-plate experience – shuck oysters fresh from the ocean in Coffin Bay and Smoky Bay, or join a hunt and gather tour with one of the local operators.
Drink
And don’t forget the ‘drink’ in ‘eat and drink’! Local wines? Check! Local beer brewed from local grain? Check! There are even some distilleries popping up, as well as local coffee and juices.
But first, wine: you’ll find vineyards dotted around the Port Lincoln and southern Eyre Peninsula area, from the well-known Peter Teakle Wines with its impressive onsite restaurant, to Boston Bay Wines and its sublime cellar door view to the ocean. Lincoln Estate Wines can be found at Glen Forest Tourist Park, where you can enjoy a wine tasting and meet some furry locals at the same time! Don’t forget to try some of the smaller wineries too.
If wine isn’t your thing, try one of the local breweries – there are two located in Port Lincoln, Jump Ship Brewing and Beer Garden Brewing. Both offer local beers on tap as well as great dining options in fun, relaxed breweries.
The harder stuff can also be found in and around Port Lincoln, with Eyre Peninsula Spirits and Coffin Bay Spirits both available at local distributors (check their websites for details) or drop by the cocktail bar at West Coast Distilling Co.
For non-alcoholic drinks, Boston Bean Coffee Company and Eyre Roasted are both local favourites, and you’ll find their products across the region as well as at their locations in Port Lincoln. And you’ll find Juice and Co’s freshly pressed juices in cafes and shops around the Eyre Peninsula, so keep an eye out and shop local!