Taste your way through the Otways, starting in Forrest...
Forrest's newest restaurant, Dar Tèta, opened in October 2021. Dar Tèta is situated at the front of the Forrest Guesthouse property. Arabic for Grandmother's House, you can expect food prepared with love and care in a warm, welcoming environment. Take some time to unwind over the evening, enjoying mediterrean cuisine, or enjoy a laid-back lunch out on the verandah overlooking the Forrest Guesthouse gardens. Book direct at Dar Tèta (separate business to the Forrest Guesthouse). For more details, see Dar Tèta.
The Forrest General Store Café is a haven for locals and tourists alike, offering delicious gourmet produce and service with a smile – ensuring you get the best taste of Forrest every time you visit! If you want traditional, country-style hospitality, homemade comfort food and a modern approach to customer service, the Forrest General Store has you covered.
A bit further afield... under 60 mins from Forrest
Here's some of the other places listed below shown on the map to help you out.
Brae \’brā\ n. — A hillside; a gentle slope.
Award winning restaurant
Set on a hillside in Birregurra, Victoria, Brae is a restaurant, guest suites and working organic farm – a place to be immersed in nature and eat from the land. An ever-changing set menu incorporates produce from Brae Farm, the surrounding land and local, ethical, sustainable producers to showcase a unique Australian cuisine built on an immense respect for nature and seasonality.
The Royal Mail Hotel is a great dining experience in Birregurra. With a great outdoor courtyard, and plentiful tables indoors, you can relax and enjoy great food and drinks.
Bookings recommended particularly during summer.
Our pizzas go with the seasons! We believe that seasonality is the key ingredient in achieving flavoursome and balanced pizza. As such, our wood fired pizza menus are made with the finest seasonal produce available in our beautiful region, the Great Ocean Road and Otways.
Aiming to preserve the tales of the town, our gins are linked with the old folklores of the Great Ocean Road. Our location is one of the oldest buildings in town and the SS Casino anchor on-site makes our distillery a true miniature of Apollo Bay’s culture, heritage and nature. We are the only distillery on the Great Ocean Road, producing boutique and local gin.
Check out their facebook page for current opening hours and menu.
At sunset the lights of Apollo Bay come on, and at night the lighting around “Chris’s” illuminates the ferns and the manna gums (where koalas often feed). The different floor levels give almost every table a good view. There is a wood fire to greet diners in winter, and the specially glazed windows retain the warmth in cold weather. In summer, when it can be hot, even up on the hill, the restaurant is air-conditioned.
Our food is contemporary with a Southern European and Middle Eastern Influence. Fresh seafood is our specialty, along with a variety of Chris’s most popular Greek dishes. In our cuisine, the emphasis is on simplicity and on showcasing the natural flavour of the ingredients. If we can’t get it fresh it isn’t on our menu.
Our wine list showcases the best wines of our region as well as the finest wines that define the character of Australia’s greatest wine regions; especially chosen to complement our menu, with a price range to suit all budgets.
Open for Breakfast Sat-Sun, Lunch and Dinner 7 Days a week.
Our cellar door is open 12-5pm on Saturdays and Sundays from December until Easter and every day of the January School Holidays.
The entire range of “Heroes” wines are available to taste and purchase, as well as local beer and soft drinks. We do not sell food, however, you are able to BYO your own picnic, which can be enjoyed outside on the picnic tables, or on the lawn. We do not allow food inside, so please check the weather forecast before you travel. For those looking to pick up something locally, Yield Providore in Birregurra, The Store in Deans Marsh and Forrest General store, all have great food available to takeaway. Please note that BYO extends to food only, drinks must be purchased from us.
Well behaved dogs, on leads are welcome.
“Heroes” Vineyard – 495 Murroon Road, Murroon.
The Otway Harvest Trail is your hub for Otway Ranges tourist information when it comes to food produce, places to stay and things to do. Boasting an expansive membership base of Otways businesses, groups and local producers, you will find abundant Otway Ranges breweries and wineries, markets and farmgates, and places to eat such as restaurants and cafes bursting at the seams with Otway Ranges food and produce.
Click here to download the Otway Harvest Trail Brochure.
Open Seasonally
In the Cafe we serve light meals, snacks and cold drinks to refuel after travelling, or after some berry-picking in the season. We serve our famous freshly-cooked scones and our jam if you're after some afternoon tea.