Red Poles

My partner and I booked the ensuite bedroom for 2 nights. It was warm and cosy and there's heatpads under the bed if you need them. Breakfast provisions were delicious - we devoured the granola! Only things that could be improved were poor Wifi signal (it's better outside the room but it was cold and stormy so we stayed inside) and upgrading the hot water system - I had hot water cut off mid-shower but luckily it came back on. Other than that all was great. Friendly staff, beautiful garden area and the owner Ros let us bring our cat. She loved watching the birds outside and slept well. Thanks for the enjoyable stay!

Lunching at Red Poles was a delightful experience! This venue was a lucky "find" for 3 friends (taking advantage of a rare sunny day in winter) planning to do lunch in the area.
A beautiful country venue with such a choice of places to sit and enjoy a meal, both indoors and out. The menu was superb and we chose 3 separate main course options, all of which were delicious and beautifully presented. Our waiter was great, attentive and experienced with a deep knowledge of all the dishes and a willingness to discuss our choices and offer advice. Totally professional with a country feel and outlook!
We chose and shared an enjoyable bottle of white bubbles over which we vowed to return before long!
Ample parking is provided adjacent.

Visited today. 2 stars. 1 for the music which was a great vibe and 1 for the wait staff that were friendly and pleasant. However the time wait for food was unacceptable. Almost 2 hrs from ordering. Poor waitress could not stop apologising for what was obviously going on that they had no control on. It became very apparent that this was happening to many many tables as I saw people leaving and abusing staff. People getting up constantly to ask where there food was then leaving. Patrons leaving without paying as not getting served. Now the food actually tasted very nice but… it was lukewarm and absolutely tiny portions. Ridiculous small actually especially when you had now been hours and hours and price was definitely up there. Then told what you had ordered that they had run out. What the heck. Look we had a lovely day because we were on holidays but unfortunately we won’t go back for food. I do hope for the staffs sake that management address the issues this lovely little place has so people will return.

One star for the setting of the restaurant and that's it. 3 and a half hours from arriving to leaving, due to how long it took for the food to arrive. We were then told it was a 2 course meal at a minimum ($58 per head) where we were only advised an hour after placing our orders that one of the options (from a VERY limited menu) was unavailable. What we were then served was mediocre, miniscule and flavourless plates of food with the only saving grace being a decent dessert. We won't be returning here again and we know other diners felt likewise.

Sadly waited almost 2 hrs for nothing! Got a glass of wine but that was it? !? ! Decided to leave as did four other tables!
I totally understand that it was a busy day but no one was coming in to our room to advise us of how long we would be waiting?
Sorry but cant recommend as we got nothing including no communication? !?
Luckily we took a chance on another venue in Mclaren Vale and got served inside 15 mins!

Chose the 5 course option. New chef, Connor, trialled some of his New winter menu. Delicious! Tasty, well presented, great value for money. Waiting staff were amazing- friendly, helpful and personable. Highly recommend.

Service staff were very friendly and welcoming but the food was a disappointment. The meals lacked flavour and there wasn’t anything served where we wished there was more of or would come back for.

Food was okay but to be honest they won't let me take the rest of my meal takeaway because the chef doesn't have the appropriate stickers for takeaway meals.

That's really not my fault and I've already paid for my meal I should be able to take the rest home.
Bit pathetic to be honest.
Won't go back, it's things like that which change your whole experience, there are much better places to go nearby.

Disappointed with the restricted menu and fixed price for 2 course meal. We didn’t want 2 courses to eat for lunch. Greens served on my meal were gritty (not washed properly)
Definitely will not be returning again.

Waited over 2 & a half hours for a meal that never came. Ended up just paying for wines because food never came. Don’t go here with a group larger than 3.

The sizes are veried, food is delicious and hospitality is excellent.

This is a nice treat every so often, very nice drinks.
Would recommend if you're having a day out to drop by.

Disgusting service. Will not be recommending or returning.was refused food because we were told we all had to order something (makes no sense) or nothing! Couldn't order food for the kids even.staff were very rude.

Me and my partner had the 2 course option (with side to share)

It felt a bit pricey for what we had. And the service was slow. Service might have been delayed because of the 6 course meals occurring in the gallery at that day.

I might try to go here again, with the hopes of better service and try out their bigger course options.

Definitely not value for money. Portion sizes very small and lacking in seasoning. Very bland. Kangaroo was lukewarm on arrival. Many places in Maclaren Vale that offer a far better value and experience.

Oh my goodness the food was phenomenal. The prawn and crab entree tasted Devine cocktails delicious beautiful staff and the service was excellent definitely will be back again

Cold meal, sent it back, 15 min later, cold meal arrived. "What The"

Wife booked a table away from the singer.

We got a table 3 metres from him.

Waiting staff were good.

We won't be going back!

Much better places to go to in The Vale.

Went for the east side experience, it was absolutely amazing, tasting all the different wines from around the region was amazing. Jeremy was great working us through the story of the area. We will definitely be back.

The food was absolutely trible. The food was cold, chicken breast was raw and red in the middle, the kangaroo wasn't done right, and the desert (Dulcey) tasted like peanut! Over priced and slow service. Will never go back. Really disappointing

Great place for kids, extremely beautiful helpful staff that looked after us, amazing food full of flavour. Highly recommend will be back

Absolute rubbish.

We booked a table 2 weeks in advance (by phone) and also called 1-day prior to confirm our booking. Having friends over from interstate, we wanted to make sure everything was still on due to covid restrictions.

Once we arrived we waited about 30 minutes before someone came to take our drinks order - which was subsequently forgotten. One of our friends approached the bar to follow-up and was told to return to the table, despite other people walking into the bar area and walking out with their drinks.

About 1 hour after arriving we received our first drinks, despite following up multiple times. Some (but not all) entrees arrived maybe 45 mins into the sitting but most of our food got to the table at about 1.5 hours. It was not overly busy although most tables were occupied.

The owner / manager blamed the 'internet being down' and for people arriving that they were not expecting - even though tables were set. In any case, you would think the confirmed bookings would take precedence over 'walk-ins'.

We allowed 1.5 hours for lunch, thinking it would be enough time, but since our food only came out about that time we missed our booking at the next venue. We would have left earlier if not being given false updates like 'your order has been prioritised' and other promises. Our meals were not complicated at all.

After complaining we received a measeley offer of $20 off. A joke really.

I am not in the restaurant business. But I would have thought you would staff your venue according to the bookings, and when 'unexpected' people arrive (according to their online booking system) you either turn them away, prioritise phone (confirmed) bookings and be honest about expected wait times, so that people can decide whether to stay or go elsewhere.

We felt like we were unwelcome, forgotten, lied to and then had to pay a premium for a sub-standard experience. It really did put a downer on our day, and luckily we received great service at other venues we visited on the day.

I appreciate the struggles of small business during this difficult time, and I really do consider before writing a negative review - but our experience was so bad that I felt compelled. Other venues have seemed to manage the current situation and still provide an excellent experience.