Just 2.5 hours drive from Sydney CBD, The Convent is nestled within one of Australia's premiere wine regions - Polkobin. Our unique location offers expansive acreage views of the glamorous boutique hotel - The Convent and Pepper Tree Winery. A short stroll down from it's sister property The Convent Hunter Valley's tree-lined driveway is Circa 1876.
It is located in an historic cottage on the picturesque grounds of Roscrea Estate and showcases a collection of great Hunter Valley award-winning wines. Experience the eclectic charm of the Circa's design and feast on a delicate Modern Australian menu supplied by it's own onsite organic kitchen garden.
It is located in an historic cottage on the picturesque grounds of Roscrea Estate and showcases a collection of great Hunter Valley award-winning wines. Experience the eclectic charm of the Circa's design and feast on a delicate Modern Australian menu supplied by it's own onsite organic kitchen garden.
Services
Dine under the whimsical luxury of classical chandeliers in the grounds of one of Australia's most picturesque wineries. Circa 1876 is inherently special and the Escarpment Group ensures that all diners experience an exceptional culinary journey with emphasis on seasonal produce and second to none service.
Circa 1876 offers the perfect venue for a Hunter Valley wedding reception and wedding packages plus a dedicated Wedding Coordinator to help you bring your wedding vision to life. We can create both traditional and modern weddings and have a range of upgrades and optional extras should you wish to add some additional special touches to your day.
Reviews (14)
Tracey Brandscheid
Jan 10, 2022
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Lilly Teresa Krol
Dec 26, 2021
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We booked in for an early Christmas dinner, and I had requested a few special arrangements before arrival…. we were greeted with wonderful staff, every request was accommodated to our needs. The service and… staff were outstanding. The food was extraordinary, each course was brought out at just the right time in between, the setting in the restaurant was amazing. The staff were so friendly and attentive. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our time there.
Naomi Pitt
Dec 23, 2021
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Had high expectations going here considering the ratings and was completely underwhelmed. The main reason being that two of our mains had to be recoooked as they were raw, usually when this happens they will remake the whole dish but instead just put the same old pieces of meat back on the plate and brought it back out. For $110 pp this is really not up to standard. Likewise the entrees were all a miss, they put a load of fluff on the plates which taste awful, our whole table didn’t eat them. The portions are small but too be expected. I can say that the desserts were lovely and would rate 10
Christin Fb
Dec 07, 2021
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De Audrey Adams
Nov 25, 2021
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We drive the two hours from Sydney to eat here. The food is perfect. TBH we would gladly pay three times Cira charges to eat here. The staff at the Convent Hotel and Cira are the greatest, extremely… professional, fast thinking and welcoming. Shout out to Brent our wonderful waiter. After a long lockdown it was great too see him again. His knowledge and passion of the food he serves always makes us smile and love food like he does.
We recommend the bergomont tart and crispy skin snapper.
Finally can you put the smoked bone marrow back on the menu? x
Can't wait to come back.
We recommend the bergomont tart and crispy skin snapper.
Finally can you put the smoked bone marrow back on the menu? x
Can't wait to come back.
Maya Thew
Nov 13, 2021
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Had dinner with my partner here last night and it was amazing. It was our first fine dining experience and our waiter Bret made sure we knew what was going on and was so kind. Made us feel at ease after being a bit nervous! The food was so delicious, we got excited over every dish. Major shoutout to the duck main! Highly recommend this place and hope we can come back one day!
Placidness
Jul 27, 2021
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The pinnacle of fine dining. An amazing selection of exquisite dishes, all plated carefully with upmost professionalism. I thoroughly enjoyed the soft-shell crab, as seen below. Staff were tidy and friendly. Atmosphere was incredible. Desserts were also quite delicious. I highly recommend. Well worth the price tag!
Jess McLean
Jul 24, 2021
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The food is simply amazing! An the service is incredible the young man who looked after us was very attentive and had amazing knowledge of the restaurants history.
The duck main is the best duck I have ever… eaten and the circa strawberries and cream is what I imagine eating food on a cloud would be like. Will definitely be returning.
The duck main is the best duck I have ever… eaten and the circa strawberries and cream is what I imagine eating food on a cloud would be like. Will definitely be returning.
Nick Whiley
Jun 25, 2021
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Our dinner at Circa 1876 was exceptional. To start with you couldn’t ask for a better setting, both in terms of interior decor and the surrounding grounds. The service was also excellent and non-invasive. But… the food was stunningly good, the highlights being the main courses which in our case were wagyu strip loin and duck. The duck was a masterpiece of mixed textures and flavours, the crunchiness of the tempura batter around the zucchini flower contrasting beautifully with the sumptuous smooth liver moose and tender duck fillet. The wagyu strip loin was SO tender, with just the
Anna H.
Jun 25, 2021
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Heard good reviews about this place but walked out of there feeling disappointed. There was a hit and miss with the food. The chef's comps were delicious. The Entree Duck Liver Pate was lovely, but soft shell crab was overly battered and tasted like a very oily batter. Mains was a let down, asked for medium rare for the Wagyu Striploin but was more on the cooked side so it was dry, the Blue Eye Cod was very dry and flakey tasted like it was frozen and quite fishy. Had one small piece and left the rest on the plate. Waitress didn't ask if food was ok and just took our plates. The desserts picked
Julien Quan
Apr 13, 2021
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It was an amazing experience. The salted caramel butter served with the sourdough was astonishingly good as a starter and the surprise appetizer really brought my expectation to the next level. The cod with eggplant and bok choy had an Asian twist with suit our tastes pretty good. The deserts are so well presented. In the strawberry ice cream served with both dry and fresh strawberries, which is a nice surprise. The portion is very generous as well. Will definitely come back.
David Chy
Mar 14, 2021
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Carol Yuan
Feb 21, 2021
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Lovely ambience, great staff and service, food was great. Was a little disappointed in the wait time between entree and main (more than 40mins) and we did watch many tables who arrived and order after us get their food first, though not too major of an issue. Would recommend to anyone in the Hunter Region if you can find a reservation time
Cisca
Dec 07, 2020
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What a great lil gem to find in the Hunter. Food quality was exquisite and staff were amazing and super friendly. We had the 3-course meal and food service was quick and staff took the time to explain each dish and didn't hesitate to take the time to respond to questions we had or even share a little story behind each dish. Would definitely return.
