Windara Bakery

Windara Bakery is the kind of country bakery you hope to find when you're passing through Penola, South Australia. Pies come up in conversations about the bakery. Chunky steak pies appear on customer orders, and the pastry and filling have been praised. If you'd rather pick up a pasty or a sausage roll, there's a good range of those too, and one visitor said the sausage roll was well seasoned. A couple of people have called the pies some of the best they've had in a long while.

Beyond the pies, the cabinet is well stocked with sweet things. The vanilla slice gets plenty of love, and the caramel slice has been singled out as a highlight, with a crackling chocolate top and smooth caramel over a nice base. Doughnuts are on the counter as well. Fresh bread and focaccia come out of the oven for a quick breakfast stop, and the coffee gets praise from travellers heading through town. It's a bakery that also does hot and cold food, with some fast-food options like chips and fried chicken alongside the traditional bakery fare, so there's something for most tastes.

You can take your order away or sit in, with seating both inside and out. Dining in is on the basic side, so think of it as a practical stop rather than a lingering cafe. There's free street parking nearby, and both the car park and entrance are wheelchair accessible. They take cards and tap-and-pay.

The staff have a reputation for being friendly and helpful, even when the place is busy. It does get a rush on, so expect a bit of a wait at peak times, and if you turn up near closing the pies and sausage rolls may have been cleaned out. A couple of locals have raised cleanliness in the shopfront and display cabinet, and one found the coffee a little pricey for what it was, but overall people keep coming back for the baking and the welcome. The hours run from early morning most days and change over the weekend, so check before you head in.