Magill Estate wins South Australia's first two Michelin stars
The state's debut Michelin Guide handed out its first stars in Adelaide on 14 October, with Magill Estate Restaurant the only table to take two.
Magill Estate Restaurant has taken South Australia's only two Michelin stars, as Michelin Guide South Australia revealed its debut selection in Adelaide on 14 October.
The ceremony at the Adelaide Convention Centre closed a wait that started in May, when Michelin confirmed South Australia as a new guide destination, the first Australian state to get one of its own. Sydney and Melbourne still have none.
Scott Huggins leads the kitchen at Magill Estate, the Penfolds-owned restaurant set among vines in the Adelaide foothills. "What makes Magill Estate Restaurant unique is the experience we create for our guests," Huggins said after the announcement, calling the two stars "a dream come true."
What makes Magill Estate Restaurant unique is the experience we create for our guests.
Ten more tables win their first star
Ten restaurants took a single star each, all for the first time. In Adelaide and its inner suburbs: Restaurant Botanic, Aurora at ILA under chef Robin Wagner, arkhé in Norwood and Esmay in Hackney, led by chef Alanna Sapwell. In the Adelaide Hills: Aptos in Stirling and LVN at Bird in Hand in Woodside. In the wine regions: Maxwell in McLaren Vale, Anvers in Kangarilla, Hentley Farm in the Barossa Valley and Skillogalee Barrel House in the Clare Valley. The full Michelin Guide South Australia 2027 list has every entry and the 16 Bib Gourmands.
Wagner pointed to the mentors who shaped him over the years rather than claiming the result alone. Sapwell's Esmay, which toured as a pop-up before settling in the Hackney Hotel, has built its name on short, produce-led menus.
Michelin also handed out 16 Bib Gourmand awards for good food at moderate prices, plus 50 further mentions in its Selected tier, spread across Adelaide, the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills.
A guide seven months in the making
Premier Peter Malinauskas called the inclusion "an historic moment," saying South Australia had become the first destination of its kind in the country. Gwendal Poullennec, the guide's international director, said inspectors found a food culture built on strong produce, skilled cooks and a sense of place.
Plaques go up on the winning restaurants' doors this week. For a state that has spent years selling its wine valleys to visitors without a Michelin hook to match, the guide hands hotels and tour operators a new line, and eleven kitchens a year to prove the rating holds before the next selection.
Melbourne and Sydney, both long rumoured as candidates for Australia's next guide, were not mentioned at the ceremony.
