Ezard at Levantine Hill: Restaurant History and Dining Today

2026-10-31 · Yarra Valley Pass

Ezard at Levantine Hill was the restaurant launched at Levantine Hill in Coldstream in 2015 in collaboration with Melbourne chef Teage Ezard. The estate now presents its restaurant under the Levantine Hill name, so use its current dining information rather than historical Ezard menus. For a visit today, distinguish between a restaurant reservation, a cellar-door tasting and a separately arranged private event.

Ezard at Levantine Hill: what the original name means

The Ezard name came from Teage Ezard, the Melbourne chef known for contemporary Australian cooking with Asian influences. His collaboration with Levantine Hill brought that restaurant identity to a Yarra Valley wine estate, combining destination dining with the estate’s wines.

The restaurant opened in 2015. Coverage from that period discussed both a relaxed all-day dining offering and a more formal restaurant experience. This helps explain why older reviews can describe quite different meals, even when they refer to the same property.

Those articles are useful as restaurant history, but not as booking instructions. A photographed dish, tasting-menu price or service arrangement from the Ezard period does not establish what is available now.

If you have searched for ezard yarra valley, the important distinction is that you are looking at the history of dining at Levantine Hill—not a separate restaurant elsewhere in the valley. Nor should the old name be taken as confirmation that Teage Ezard currently leads the kitchen.

Use the estate’s official website to identify its current restaurant menu and reservation options.

What are the current dining options at Levantine Hill?

Start by deciding whether food, wine tasting or a private gathering is the main purpose of your visit. These experiences require different arrangements, even when they take place on the same estate.

Restaurant dining

A restaurant reservation is the appropriate starting point when you want a substantial meal at the estate. Look at the current menu before deciding whether the format suits your appetite, budget and occasion.

Pay attention to how the meal is structured. An à la carte menu, a set menu and a tasting menu involve different commitments of time and spend. Do not infer the current format from an old review containing the word “degustation”.

For broader context, our guide to Yarra Valley winery lunch restaurants and special occasions explains how to choose between dining styles across the region.

Cellar-door wine tasting

A tasting is not a substitute for a lunch reservation, and lunch does not automatically include a separate tasting. If you want both, confirm each experience and allow enough time between them.

Ask whether the wines you particularly want to explore are included in the available tasting. Restaurant wine service and cellar-door tasting can serve different purposes: one complements the meal, while the other helps you compare wines.

Group dining and private events

For a larger party, enquire directly rather than assuming several ordinary table bookings can be combined. Private spaces, shared menus, deposits and cancellation conditions may differ from standard restaurant arrangements.

Where is Levantine Hill, and how do you get there?

Levantine Hill is at 882 Maroondah Highway, Coldstream, in the Yarra Valley. It sits on the main road corridor connecting the Lilydale and Coldstream area with Healesville.

Use the estate name and address in your navigation app, rather than an older Ezard listing. Check the entrance instructions supplied with your booking, particularly if you are attending an event rather than visiting the restaurant or cellar door.

Driving is the simplest way to combine the estate with other valley stops, but wine tasting needs a transport plan. Choose a designated driver, arrange a private transfer or confirm that a tour operator can accommodate your restaurant booking.

Do not build your return journey around finding a rideshare at the last minute. Regional availability can be uneven, especially when several passengers need to leave together. A confirmed collection time is a more dependable arrangement for a celebration lunch.

How to plan lunch in the Yarra Valley around the booking

A good winery itinerary starts with the least flexible booking: usually lunch. Arrange the rest of the day around that time, rather than squeezing the meal between too many cellar doors.

Choose whether to taste before or after lunch

Tasting before lunch lets you explore the wines before choosing what to drink with your meal. However, it only works comfortably when the tasting booking leaves a proper buffer before your table reservation.

Tasting afterwards can suit visitors who prefer to arrive, settle in and eat first. Confirm that the cellar door will still be taking tastings after your expected finishing time; restaurant and cellar-door schedules need not match.

Our guide to booking a winery lunch and tasting together covers the timing decisions in more detail.

Keep additional stops realistic

Coldstream is a useful base for visiting other wineries, but proximity on a map does not account for tasting duration, parking or a leisurely meal. One additional booked stop is often more comfortable than a full afternoon of appointments.

A practical sequence is:

1. Travel to the valley with enough margin for traffic.
2. Attend a booked tasting, if that is part of your plan.
3. Enjoy lunch without a tight departure deadline.
4. Make one nearby visit, or leave the afternoon unstructured.
5. Meet your prearranged transport at the agreed time.

For a significant birthday or anniversary, consider making lunch the whole outing. You do not need multiple wineries to justify a day in the valley.

Menus, prices and dietary requirements: what to check

There is no reliable reason to use an old Ezard menu price as today’s lunch budget. Restaurant formats change, and online photographs can remain searchable long after their menus have been replaced.

Before booking, establish:

• The menu applying to your date: ordinary service and special-event menus may differ.
• The food commitment: whether you can choose individual dishes or must order a set number of courses.
• Drinks costs: wine pairings, individual glasses and bottles may be charged separately.
• Additional charges: check any stated weekend or public-holiday surcharge.
• Reservation terms: look for deposits, cancellation deadlines and any applicable minimum spend.

For allergies or dietary requirements, contact the restaurant before committing to a booking. Ask whether the full menu can be adapted, rather than assuming one suitable dish means the entire experience will work.

If you are comparing venues, calculate the likely total for your party—not simply the lowest advertised food price. A shorter meal with separately purchased wine and a longer menu with an optional pairing are not directly equivalent.

Is Levantine Hill suitable for a special occasion?

Levantine Hill is worth considering when you want the winery setting and restaurant meal to be central to the celebration. The strongest reason to choose it is that the current menu, wine offering and service format suit your group—not simply that the historical Ezard name is familiar.

Explain the occasion when booking, but ask directly about any arrangements you need. A request for a particular table is not a guarantee, and cake policies or celebration extras should not be assumed.

For family groups, confirm children’s dining options and whether the meal length is suitable. For guests with mobility needs, ask about step-free access, accessible facilities and the route from the arrival point to the table.

If you are choosing it for a vineyard outlook, check which dining space your reservation covers. Estate photographs do not guarantee the view from every seat.

How to compare it with other Yarra Valley winery lunches

Compare the current Levantine Hill experience with other restaurants, rather than comparing today’s venues with a historical Ezard review.

The most useful questions are:

• Do you want a long restaurant lunch or a quicker meal?
• Is a particular menu style essential?
• Are the wines, the outlook or the occasion your main priority?
• Does the venue suit everyone’s dietary and access requirements?
• Can you arrange transport without rushing the meal?

Our winery lunch shortlist comparing menus and value provides a framework for weighing those trade-offs.

Oakridge and De Bortoli Wines are also established names to consider when researching winery dining. Both are among Yarra Valley Pass’s listed partners, but their current restaurant arrangements should be checked directly.

If you want a more casual outing, look specifically for venues advertising that style. A cellar door selling wine does not necessarily offer a substantial lunch, and a winery restaurant is not automatically an informal walk-in café.

Know before you go

Check service dates, not just opening information

The estate, restaurant and cellar door may have different availability. Confirm the specific experience you want on the specific date you plan to visit.

Do not assume a venue serving lunch also serves dinner. If an evening meal is essential, consult our guide to Yarra Valley wineries offering dinner and verify the chosen service directly.

Allow for weather and changing conditions

The Yarra Valley can feel different from central Melbourne, particularly later in the day. Bring an extra layer and avoid making an outdoor table essential to your enjoyment unless the arrangement has been confirmed.

Read the confirmation carefully

Check the booking name, party size, arrival time and cancellation terms. Make sure any agreed dietary or access requirements are recorded. For a group organiser, sharing these details with guests prevents confusion about what has—and has not—been included.

Keep the driver in the plan

If someone is driving, make sure the itinerary works for them too. They should not be expected to participate in every tasting, and the group should agree on safe transport before the first wine is poured.

Support local while exploring the valley

If you are extending your trip, browse Yarra Valley Pass’s local partner businesses. Listed partners include Dominique Portet, Coldstream Hills Cellar Door, Oakridge, De Bortoli Wines, Punt Road Wines and Watts River Brewing; check each business’s current offering before adding it to your itinerary.

Yarra Valley Pass rewards participation across the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. Members earn Yarra Credits and redeem them for member rewards. Check the eligible activities and reward terms rather than assuming any restaurant booking earns credits.

The takeaway

Treat “Ezard at Levantine Hill” as the restaurant’s historical identity, not a current menu or booking promise. Choose today’s Levantine Hill experience on its own merits, confirm your dining and tasting arrangements, and leave enough time to enjoy the estate without rushing.