Margot - Mount Alexander

I really enjoyed the wine at this restaurant and also tried the goat cheese arancini, which was delicious. I want to come back and try more dishes from the tapas-style menu. Two thumbs up!

The staff at this restaurant were very friendly and efficient in taking and serving our orders. They had a nice selection of regional wines, and the food was of high quality, with a focus on smaller tapas-style dishes. We especially enjoyed the dumplings and would highly recommend them.

Loved this quaint little wine bar. It has a great selection of wines to choose from, and some delicious food items as well.

We walked past Margot many times, but somehow never got to try it, even though it looks enticing and is the first real bar in Castlemaine. The space is warm and inviting, with a pleasant back room and small courtyard, delightful in the autumn evenings. The service too is pleasant enough, without being especially friendly - no complaint here though. Perhaps our expectations were too high... we enjoy places like Perfect Drop in Daylesford, or the many superb and quirky bars in Melbourne. Sadly, the food and drink choices here were a fail for us - a tiny selection of alcohol is especially puzzling for a bar. A "salumi board" had exactly two kinds of salami, no other meats at all, 2 caper berries, a small dish of roasted capsicum strips, and a few strips of bread. It was the most miserly and disappointing salumi board I have ever seen. And $18... ouch!3 arancini had no discernible rice, but were otherwise inoffensive, and a small plate of fried dumplings was also edible, if nothing more. Unfortunately, apart from the attractive space, nothing about our experience would draw us back to Margot - a shame, as Castlemaine could really do with a good bar.

Marcus and Meg make you feel like you're an old friend when you wander into Margot. A great laid back atmosphere, well thought out wine list and tasty eats. We'll definitely be back.