Valencia Vineyard Restaurant

Our Story
As lovers of food, wine and entertaining, the idea of running their own restaurant was always in the forefront of Marjie and Mike’s ambitions as far back as 1970 when they began their married life in London.

Subsequent research, involving quick visits to Europe strengthened the dream, but it was put on hold when they returned to Perth in 1972 to pursue successful careers in finance and human resources, as well as raising two children.

In 1991 they decided the time was right for making the change, an opportunity to indulge their passion for simple but gutsy homestyle food, presented at a reasonable price. Visiting the Swan Valley, they chanced upon the old Valencia Winery which had been out of operation since 1982.

Marjie and Mike were immediately captivated by the peaceful ambience which emanated from the rustic premises, and decided that this was where they would begin their new careers, and maybe realise their dream. Negotiations with the owners proceeded, and rebuilding commenced in mid 1991 - this involved taking down the old dilapidated tin shed and replacing

it with a purpose built kitchen and dining room. Mike spent many hours searching salvage yards for old building material. The result was a small but cosy and intimate dining room consisting of rustic slate flooring, walls of recycled bricks, exposed beams, (rescued from the original shed), barn doors, and federation-style windows.

Having personally supervised the project, (a completely new experience) Marjie and Mike finally opened their doors for business on 17 February, 1992.

Some setbacks occurred, such as a shocking winter, (1992), and an adjoining warehouse fire in 1995, which threatened to destroy the business. The tenacity of the owners ensured that the restaurant re-opened in three weeks, and the business has progressed from there.

The owners have relied to a large degree on word-of-mouth promotion, which has resulted in the development of a solid core of regular and devoted followers. At all times Marjie and Mike have endeavoured to provide quality home cooked meals at very reasonable prices, together with personalised service and a consistent high standard of food presented. The menu is subject to constant review, and the opportunity is always taken to introduce a new dish or two!

Now that you know a little of the history and philosophy of the Valencia Vineyard Restaurant and its owners why not explore the rest of the website and discover how we can make your next Swan Valley visit a memorable one, for all the right reasons!

CHEERS!

Marjie and Mike


IN LOVING MEMORY
Mike Hurst passed away 9th Nov 2014. He passed away shortly after a diagnosis of aggressive Melanoma was discovered. He is missed everyday by his staff and his customers, most of all by family. He was a bright energetic soul with a quick wit and sense of humour that all of his customers came back for. He wanted nothing else but to be present at Valencia up until the end. He always spoke of what the future would hold for us and what plans he had up his sleeve, he was so excited about it, he was a dynamic man. No-one can quite fill his shoes. We hope you will continue to visit Valencia and keep his spirit alive. Come for lunch and see what we have to offer, have a chat and reminisce about the man and character that was bigger than life itself, Mike. R.I.P

Please everyone, be aware of your sun exposure, make sure you have regular mole checks and if you find something suspicious on your body PLEASE go and see your G.P, it's not worth the risk. Slip, Slop and Slap and adhere by the Cancer Councils Sun Safe messages.