It takes patience, vision and a touch of magic to transform a forlorn 1922 school building into the heart of a rural community. It happened slowly, as all thoughtful projects do. The former Marananga Primary School, located an hour’s drive from Adelaide, sat ignored for three decades until a local developer saw potential in its beautiful old Barossa bones.
Reminders of the scholastic past remain at Staġuni; a wall-length blackboard scrawled with an artisanal wine offering (the brief is simple: great people making great booze), high ceilings, and a notepad-style menu reminiscent of a time when pen licences were a thing. Remember the days when there was time to breathe deeply, and space to just be? Chef Clare Falzon channels that here with a communal, beautifully executed, no-fuss spread inspired by her Maltese heritage, specifically childhood meals at her nan’s.
Leading the charge is hobz biz-zejt (thick slices of bread) accompanying a medley of diced tomato, capers and olive oil. Minestrone oozes love passed down over generations, while Italy meets North Africa in a tumble of thin-sliced beef, white anchovy mayonnaise, sunflower seeds, currants and fresh mint crunch. Mussels in Gorgonzola and white wine sauce demand fingers and slurping, all of which are encouraged here.
Falzon’s father died when she was 10 but loved to get messy in the kitchen. Memories of his smile lighting up the kitchen remind her of the power of meals shared with raw appreciation. Falzon is inspired by nature, and while the décor is subtle, it draws on the surrounding landscape. Two-tone walls match the gum trees outside (bark hues up top, leaves below) and each table is dotted with a sprig of foliage from her yard. Originally from the east coast of New South Wales, the young restaurateur found a sense of community in western Barossa. That love for her new home is reflected in the hyper-local produce, forged over years of connection with farmers.
The site is home to a collective of creative businesses, including a pottery studio and New Wave Wines cellar door. Settle on the porch – with a cocktail or non-alcoholic concoction – and you might catch a glimpse of the neighbouring dahlia grower delivering Mother Nature’s bounty. It’s fresh, authentic and unpretentious. Just what the world needs right now.
See all finalists for the Gourmet Traveller Best Destination Dining Award, or this year’s full list of winners in this year’s Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Awards.
Past winners of the Best Destination Dining Award
Until 2017, Gourmet Traveller referred to this award as Regional Restaurant of the Year.
- 2024: Chauncy, VIC
- 2023: Glenarty Road, WA
- 2022: Van Bone, TAS
- 2021: Oaks Kitchen and Garden, QLD
- 2020: Due to COVID-19, a Hospitality Honours List was introduced in lieu of Restaurant Awards
- 2019: Brae, VIC
- 2018: Brae, VIC
- 2017: Igni, VIC
- 2016: Igni, VIC
- 2015: Three Blue Ducks, NSW
- 2014: Brae, VIC
- 2013: The Stackings, TAS
- 2012: Loam, VIC
- 2011: Royal Mail Hotel, VIC
- 2010: Royal Mail Hotel, VIC
- 2009: Royal Mail Hotel, VIC
- 2008: Royal Mail Hotel, VIC
- 2007: Nu Nu, QLD
- 2006: Absynthe, QLD
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