Heading to Berry for a holiday and need some inspiration on places to eat? Check out the following places we visited on a recent trip!

Milkwood Bakery

This bakery on Queen Street makes tantalising pastries, breads and sweet treats and was our first stop for lunch shortly after arriving in Berry. When we visited it was takeaway only, so we bought our food and ate on one of the nearby park benches.

The toasties at Milkwood Bakery are a must try. They’re not typical toasted sandwiches. The Chilli Chicken Cheese is filled with marinated chicken, onion, pickled chilli, baby spinach, swiss cheese and tasty cheese. Hot sauce and aioli add extra zing. It’s a fulfilling, satisfying sandwich. The pie is a country classic and has a nice gravy inside.

This toastie is for every cheese lover out there. Each bite is a multi-dimensional mouthful of flavours and textures. Oozy, melted Brie and mustard bechamel add a cheesy, creamy factor, which is balanced by the roasted mushrooms and fresh rocket. I love the little bits of confit garlic and smashed roasted potato that are scattered throughout – it’s an unconventional but delicious combo.

I bought this to take home and eat later on. It’s a kind of croissant-muffin-scroll hybrid, with crispy, caramelised edges and a flaky inside.

Website: https://milkwoodbakery.com.au/

Queen Street Eatery

Queen Street Eatery does a modern take on classic French bistro food. It has a multi-course set menu with dishes that change regularly depending on seasonality. We went for their 3 course dinner one night to treat ourselves!

This little bun is a nice way to start – although this is a brioche it’s not to sweet and the truffle butter is very addictive.

I really enjoyed the prawn entrée. There are two split prawns served in the shell, cooked simply with butter and a splash of Pernod. A squeeze of lemon is the perfect way to bring out the lovely fresh seafood flavour. So simple but so good.

A modern, vegetarian take on traditional beef tartare, this dish is refreshing and calls on the familiar pairing of beetroot and goats curd.

My main is a lovely crispy skin Trevalla with a light pernod veloute. There’s also sweet, braised fennel, greens and a crumbed fish croquette. I like the firmness of the fish, although it needs a little extra salt and could’ve done with a bit more of the delicious sauce.

This dish is a wonderful celebration of spring. It heroes spring lamb cutlets and seasonal green veggies, cooked to perfection with a jus, green puree and mint jelly. A couple of sweet bread beignets are a great way to mop up all of the sauce!

You can’t go wrong with a classic crème brulee. This one ticks all of the right boxes – it’s thick and creamy, with a nice hint of vanilla and that all important toffee-like crust. The top is caramelised so that it has just the right amount of bitterness to balance the richness of the custard.

None of us have had vacherin before so we’re curious to try this dessert. The meringue is hard to cut into and seems to stick to the plate (not sure if intentionally), which makes it difficult for us to eat. The blood orange sorbet is really refreshing, especially when eatenwith the tangy crème fraiche and fresh grapefruit and orange segments.

Website: https://www.queensteatery.com.au/

The Famous Berry Donut Van

This should be at the top of your list when you visit Berry. The van is famous for its donuts – they’re the traditional ring-shaped ones coated in cinnamon and sugar. I’ve heard of people travelling all the way from Sydney just to get their hands on these. They’re made fresh to order, and there can be quite a wait during peak times on the weekend. It’s well worth it though – the donuts are fluffy, soft specimens and there’s quite like biting into a hot, fresh donut straight out of the fryer. It’s very easy to eat multiple in one go so I’d recommend going for the 6 or 12 pack!

The Garden

We enjoyed breakfast here one morning, it’s a busy local cafe with a sunny courtyard out the back.

This unconventional dish caught my attention because it isn’t something you’d see on the breakfast menu every day. I’m so glad I ordered it because it’s absolutely delicious. You can smell it as soon as it arrives at the table. There’s a lot going on here, but everything works so well together. Sunny side up eggs are bathed in a chilli and paprika butter sauce and sprinkled generously with a mix of sumac zaatar and toasted sesame. They lay atop flatbread smeared with a sundried tomato pesto and dill yoghurt. It’s a flavour explosion, a real joy to eat. I love everything about it.

This is a solid classic brekkie dish, complete with bacon, fried egg, rocket, cheese and homemade BBQ sauce.

Website: https://www.thegardenberry.com.au/

Figbird Café

We stopped at this cute country café on our last morning in Berry for a bite to eat before heading home.

The sign out the front saying ‘homemade scones’ was one of the reasons we stopped to eat here! These don’t disappoint – they’re fluffy and have a nice bite to them. Delicious smothered with strawberry jam and whipped cream.

This is a healthy mix of fresh fruits, natural yoghurt, berry compote and muesli. There’s more fruit in here than anything else – great for any fruit lover!

These homemade pastries are displayed on the front counter and look so good we can’t help but try them. They come with a nice fresh salad.

Website: https://www.figbirdcafe.com.au/

Bussola

We got takeaway from Bussola one night after a long day of eating out and wine tasting.

We tried two of their pizzas. The first is topped with Sopressa, ham, artichoke, mushroom, olive, onion and fior di latte; and the second is a white base pizza with prawn, pepperoni, zucchini, fior di latte and rosemary. We also get a fresh iceberg salad with parmesan and buttermilk dressing. ($26 each and $8)

Website: http://www.bussolarestaurant.com.au/

Il Locale Gelato

This was my very last stop before heading home – I just had to try it before I left Berry! I got a scoop of their cinnamon, rhubarb and ginger gelato – an ingenious combination of flavours that I really enjoyed!