Skip the roadhouse pies at these Flinders Ranges restaurants

From cute diners championing native ingredients to classic country pubs and a pop-up bakery with a difference, here’s your guide to the best Flinders Ranges restaurants.

Gorgeous sunsets that stretch from horizon to horizon, impossibly cute rock wallabies silhouetted against the golden glow and a deep silence that settles over everything once the sun goes down… There are plenty of things to love about the outback, but those star-filled nights can lose their lustre if you forget to pack enough food.

Fortunately, the days of having to make do with lukewarm roadhouse pies are long gone. It doesn’t matter if you’re camping remotely or living it up in the region’s best accommodation; a new crop of eateries bringing fine dining to every corner of this majestic landscape means you’re never far from your next meal. Whether you’re looking for a paddock to plate feed on a working sheep station, a mixed grill with a difference or an iconic quandong pie, here are the best Flinders Ranges restaurants to help you get the most out of your outback adventure.

1. Flinders Food Co

Homemade barbed wire chandeliers set the scene at this welcoming Hawker diner that specialises in finding inventive new uses for locally sourced materials.

Fuel up at Flinders Food Co.

Native ingredients find their way into most dishes on a modern Australian menu that would be at home in any capital city: cornbread with avocado and feta gets a dusting of native dukkah, while the sticky eggplant is doused with a delicious Korean BBQ sauce spiked with native pepperberry (you can also buy bottles to take home).

Get yourself a comforting bowl for brunch.

Add in taps pouring craft beers, coolers and cold press juices plus cans of refreshing quandong or golden wattle soda and you’ve got a winning formula.

Eat your way around the Hawker diner menu on offer at Flinders Food Co.

2. Woolshed Restaurant

Dining options begin to thin out as you head further north, so the Woolshed Restaurant on Rawnsley Park Station is a godsend for anyone staying in or near Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. Don’t be fooled by the rustic fit-out that goes heavy on the corrugated iron; the kitchen here turns out seriously sophisticated dishes.

Dine by the fireplace.

The property is a working sheep station, so homegrown lamb finds its way into meatballs, stewed hash and pizzas, but there’s also a seasonal menu featuring fresh vegetarian options like lemon zucchini pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes if you’re in the mood for something lighter.

Woolshed Restaurant offers spacious seating.

3. Prairie Hotel

Harvey Keitel and Kate Winslet have stayed here, John Williamson wrote a song about the venue and it’s even featured in Home & Away. Not bad for a pub in a town with a single-digit population. But it’s the Feral Mixed Grill at the Prairie Hotel that has made Parachilna’s pride and joy a fixture on outback itineraries for decades.

Prairie Hotel is a classic pub in town. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Portions are among the most generous of any Flinders Ranges restaurants so you’ll need to bring a serious appetite to finish the platter laden with an emu rissole, camel sausage, grilled roo fillet and goat tomahawk. Or you can check out the menu of native proteins that includes everything from roo schnitzel and wild boar orecchiette to a leafy salad with chardonnay dressing.

Feast on emu, camel, kangaroo and goat. (Image: Tourism Australia/South Australian Tourism Commission)

After lunch, peruse the walls adorned with Aboriginal artworks from across South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia before heading to the stylish front bar pouring session ales, IPAs and hazies from the 500-litre microbrewery in the corner.

The rustic Prairie Hotel is a welcoming retreat in the Flinders Ranges. (Image: Jonathan Cami)

4. The Miners Crib Cafe

The former copper mining settlement of Blinman is South Australia’s most elevated town, but there’s nothing highfalutin about the local bakery. Their hunger-busting pies come in an impressive variety of flavours including kangaroo curry, goat curry, roast lamb and roast pork, while their version of a Cornish pasty packs a little apple pie filling into the trademark thick crusts so you can finish your lunch with a little dessert. You’ll also find scones with quandong jam and cream as well as a range of takeaway soups, curries and stir-fries in case you don’t feel like cooking dinner.

5. North Blinman Hotel

When this classic country watering hole opened in 1869 it aimed to keep customers satisfied with ice-cold beers and hearty pub meals. More than 150 years later, the “pub in the scrub” is still going strong on both fronts. The classic counter meals taste even better after a long day on the road, and it’s easy to spend an entire evening admiring the unusual decorations; the bar walls are almost entirely hidden by business cards and other mementos left by satisfied customers.

The North Blinman Hotel is a classic country watering hole in the Flinders Ranges. (Image: Ranch Glapers)

6. Farina Bakery

Head north from Leigh Creek and after half an hour you’ll hit the railway siding at Farina, which was home to 600 souls in its heyday. These days the ghost town is mostly populated by tumbleweeds but for eight magical weeks each winter a group of enthusiastic volunteers helps to bring the town back to life. The chief attraction is an underground bakery where mulga fenceposts are fed into a vintage scotch oven turning out a range of rolls, cobs and loaves including the infamous one-kilogram fruit loaf. A more modern bakery also produces pies, lamingtons and swoon-worthy cream cakes that are worth the trip alone.

Swoon over sweet finger buns at Farina Bakery.

7. Over The Edge

If the day doesn’t truly start until you’ve had your caffeine fix, head to this surprisingly cosmopolitan Over the Edge cafe in the small mountain biking hub of Melrose. Racks of bikes and accessories share space with a bright red espresso machine pouring shots of single-origin Guatemalan coffee – order an affogato and you can also try the delicious (and palm oil-free) Golden North ice cream from nearby Laura. A cabinet filled with vegan cakes, slices and tarts is perfect for breakfast on the go, and even if you’re not hungry it’s worth grabbing one of the famous chocolate and raspberry brownies to enjoy later.

8. Quandong Cafe

Spend any time in the Flinders and you’re bound to encounter quandongs in one form or another. Also known as the native peach, this hardy tree thrives throughout the arid ranges and the tart, vitamin C-rich fruit has long been a local favourite. The cute Quandong Cafe set a street back from the grand country pubs in the former railroad hub of Quorn lives up to its name with offerings like quandong milkshakes, waffles, cheesecakes, pies and fluffy scones with whipped cream and quandong jam alongside a range of brunch standards.

For more inspiration and itinerary tips, read our travel guide to the Flinders Ranges.