Tower Lodge Restaurant

Tower Lodge Restaurant offers a relaxed yet refined dining experience in Pokolbin, Newcastle, centred on the produce and wine heritage of the Hunter Valley. The restaurant describes its lunch and dinner as a shared tasting experience, with seasonal menus built around fresh ingredients from local growers and producers. Produce also comes from the Hope family’s Angus cattle farms in the Upper Hunter, giving the kitchen a direct connection to the surrounding region.

The setting is a strong part of the experience. The restaurant sits beneath high ceilings with fans overhead and opens onto adjoining terraces, creating a comfortable space for an unhurried meal. Before dining, guests can have a drink beside the fireplace in the adjoining lounge, or by the courtyard fountain when the weather is warm. A nearby kitchen garden supplies herbs, greens and native ingredients, while the family’s cattle pasture is just across the way, keeping the origins of some of the produce within easy view or walking distance.

The food is presented as simple, generous and imaginative, with the changing seasons guiding what appears on the menu. The restaurant’s approach is closely tied to the Hunter Valley’s relationship with food and wine, drawing from the sea, mountains and valleys around the region rather than treating the dining room as separate from its surroundings. The wine list reflects the area’s winemaking history alongside Australian and international varieties.

Tower Lodge suits a date, a family meal or a gathering with friends, particularly for diners who enjoy sharing a regional dining experience rather than choosing from a tightly described list of signature dishes. Breakfast is also available, while lunch and dinner are open to both guests and visitors seven days a week. The venue is part of the wider Tower Lodge property, where visitors can also find experiences including wine tasting in the library, cellar door activities, daily produce and beverage masterclasses, and a picnic lunch among the Hunter Valley surrounds. The restaurant has also been listed by AGFG for 2023, 2024 and 2025.