Revealed: Top 15 Italian restaurants in SA for 2019
From delicate pastas to traditional wood-fired pizzas to flavour-packed creations from our most talented chefs, we unveil 15 iconic Italian eating experiences from the delicious100 list of SA’s best restaurants.
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2019 is all about the rise of the Italians.
Delicate pastas, robust wood-fired pizzas, medium-bodied red wines and generous service — the main trend in dining this year across the nation is all about those popular Med meals.
Here, we list our top 15 Italian restaurants across South Australia in 2019. The rankings are based on this year’s The Advertiser delicious100 list.
1. L’ITALY
47 O’Connell St, North Adelaide
(08) 8361 8714
Italian vino speak can sound so damn sexy. Names like Brunello di Montalcino, or Nero d’Avolo have so much more romance than shiraz or grenache. But they need to be pronounced with the correct emphasis and accent, not mangled by someone who thinks Barolo is the latest signing for Adelaide United.
L’Italy is a good place to start. Rows of imported bottles line the walls and when co-owner Riccardo Puccio helps unravel some of the mysteries of variety and region, you won’t want him to stop.
The appeal of this place, however, runs deeper than its wine, with thinking that goes beyond the sunny, southern crowd-pleasers found nearby. That’s not to say L’Italy is uptight. Sinatra and Buble are going croon-for-croon on the playlist and the atmosphere is one you’d like to bottle and take home.
The kitchen is in the hands of chef Joe Carey, whose CV includes time at much-lauded Brae. Here he is making his own smallgoods, as well as the bread and pasta.
A selection of drink-friendly snacks kicks off with salumi such as capocollo draped over leaves of grilled radicchio, whose char and bitterness is Nick Cave to the meat’s Kylie Minogue.
Superb pieces of king george whiting are fried and napped with a classic burnt butter and caper sauce. A vealer T-bone, the fillet from each side neatly trimmed away and cut into thick slices, comes with pine mushrooms and a well-crafted reduction.
And trembling panna cotta, so fragile it barely lifts off the plate, is partnered by brittle sheets of dried milk skin and honeycomb in one of the best desserts anywhere in town.
*Editor’s note: The head chef at the time of this review, Joe Carey, has since left, but the style of food at L’Italy has not changed.
- Hours: L Fri D Tues-Sat
- Bill: E $7.50-$15 M $23.50-$36 D $9-$12.50
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Roland Mallia
2. OSTERIA OGGI
76 Pirie St, Adelaide
(08) 8359 2525
A few steps from the hustle and bustle of the lunchtime rush in Pirie St, along a narrow passage past its impressive room-length bar, Oggi will transport you instantly to a sunny, vine-covered piazza in the village of your dreams.
The brilliant, award-winning design is guaranteed to lift the spirits, before you taste even a morsel.
A menu that changes most days sticks to a classic Italian structure: small plates, salumi, pasta and main courses with just three sides, or “contorni”.
Anchovy soldiers recall executive chef Andrew Davies’s earlier work in a restaurant groups that has also brought us, among others, Press, Proof wine bar, Nido and Melt. They make a fine start, alongside a luscious burrata served with segments of blood orange and a sprinkle of pistachios.
Campanelle pasta with smoked eel is oily and rich, its bell shape capturing the peas and chilli that add colour and heat. A main course of pork loin cooked over coals but served pink and succulent on a bed of pumpkin puree with crisp sage leaves is perfectly offset by a sharp witlof and frisee salad. And who could go past crisp potatoes with a vinegary hit of salsa verde?
Don’t stop there. Tiramisu affogato is a splendid riff on three iconic Italian desserts (the third being zabaglione).
- Hours: L and D Mon-Sat
- Bill: E $8-$36 M $27-$38 D $9-$16
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Andrew Davies, Mimi Rivers
3. NIDO PASTA | BAR
Shop 2/160 King William Rd, Hyde Park
(08) 8373 2044
The space that was formerly The Pot, Nido lives up to its new name: Italian for “nest”.
The little restaurant is super-cosy, with a tightly packed line of tables alongside an upholstered banquette, stools around the bar and kitchen, walls painted the colour of grape must, a friendly buzz and, most important, the waft of Italian fare from the kitchen.
Start with rootello bonnato, the name a play on the classic vitello tonnato. Here finely diced raw kangaroo is lightly anointed with bonito mayonnaise. Pair it with a fat dollop of whipped ricotta drizzled with Ligurian honey and also order a puffy, oily gnocco fritto to scoop it up.
Handmade pasta is a house specialty. Radiatori (radiators) have little ridges perfect for sopping up a ragu of braised lamb, peppers and chilli. Black maccheroni comes with cubes of Coorong mullet steamed in the acqua pazza (crazy water) spicy broth poured over it.
From the “fiamma” (flame) try the pork chop — grilled then separated from the bone before being basted and finished in the wood oven — served on a creamy bed of chestnut polenta. Sharing? Go for a 750g Kangarilla T-bone or a Flinders lamb shoulder “scottaditto” — finger-burning rather than finger-licking.
Of the dolci, the baba with limoncello infused filling is as light as a cloud, and a creamy, citrusy sorbet in a green puddle of bay leaf oil a perfect palate cleanser.
- Hours: L|D Tues-Sun
- Bill: E $$6-$25 M $19-$88 D $8-$15
- Wine: Wine list
- Chefs: Max Sharrad, Laura Cassai
4. CHIANTI
150 Hutt St, city
(08) 8232 7955
Walk into the dining room and you’d be forgiven for thinking not much has changed in this 40-plus-year-old Adelaide icon.
White linen, professional waiters in black waistcoats and long white aprons, fine Italian fare and a warm welcome for everyone from families to tourists to romantic couples and the city’s movers and shakers have guaranteed Chianti a loyal clientele and a well-earned place as one of the city’s best restaurants.
So what if they’re playing Engelbert Humperdinck or if your waiter can’t quite get his tongue around the name of an Italian red (“my Italian’s a bit rusty,” he says, “but I do speak Klingon.”)
In the kitchen, however, a fresh new approach has shifted the focus, with clever reinterpretations of Italian standards like baccala, served in a crisp cigar of pastry, and more vegetable choices that are a dish in themselves (like charcoal leeks with dragoncello salsa, or cavolo nero with cannellini beans). There are also more sharing options — an “apple orchard raised chook”, cooked over charcoal or a slow-cooked goat leg. Another table has the rear portion of the fish of the day, swordfish, complete with tail.
Traditional dishes like tagliatelle with blue swimmer crab, tomato sugo, chilli and basil, or the ubiquitous cotoletta — crumbed veal with fontina and sage, described by our irrepressible waiter as “an up-market schnitty” — are utterly delicious.
Looking after all-comers, then, continues to be the Chianti way.
- Hours: B|L|D Daily
- Bill: E $9.50-$16 M $28-$36 $14-$17
- Wine: Wine list, plus BYO | Corkage $25
- Chef: Toby Gush
5. LA LA LA OSTERIA
19 Gilles St, Adelaide
(08) 8212 3535
There’s a famous scene in Monty Python’s film Life of Brian where John Cleese’s character asks, “What have the Romans ever done for us?” The answers include viaducts, sanitation and roads, but nobody mentions the best thing Romans — or more accurately Italians — have given us: the food.
A world without Italian food would be a poorer world indeed. Italian food is joy on a plate, and nobody understands this better than La La La’s chef Marco Furlan.
In his osteria tucked away beneath an apartment building on Gilles St, Furlan turns out unpretentious dishes that speak to the very heart of Italian cuisine. Dishes like funghi del bosco, two field mushrooms steamed in garlic and wine before being chargrilled and drizzled with olive oil, and polpette, two pork and veal meatballs with a grating of sharp reggiano to cut through the richness of the meat.
Done properly, seafood marinara is one of life’s great pleasures and La La La does it properly. Fresh seafood, fried up with wine, chilli, garlic, chopped tomato and parsley, every flavour note singing like it should and nothing overpowering the fish and shellfish. The saltimbocca, served with a wedge of roasted pumpkin, is hearty and comforting on a chilly night.
A poached pear and, naturally, a slice of tiramisu, finish off the evening on a sweet note.
The warmth and hospitality of the waiting staff — including Marco's partner Olga — makes up for a corporate-style setting that lacks real charm.
- Hours: B|L Mon-Fri D Tues-Sat
- Bill: E $14.50-$18.50 M $23.50-$29.50 D$11
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | Corkage $16
- Chef: Marco Furlan
6. LOT 100
68 Chambers Rd, Hay Valley
(08) 7077 2888
Sustainability and environmental impacts are at the heart of every decision taken at Lot 100 and its beverage-producing partners. But many of the hundreds of visitors to this groundbreaking site outside Nairne will be too concerned with munching pizza, sucking down a coldie and finding a shady spot to take all that much notice.
Lot 100 brings together, in no particular order, Mismatch Brewing (beer), Adelaide Hills Distillery (gin and other spirits), VNTLPR (wine), Ashton Valley Fresh (juices) and Hills Cider Co, with all available for tasting and sales at the bar.
No wonder the expanse of seating inside, the two decks and the courtyard are chock-a-block on weekends. Feeding the masses is an unlikely duo: Tom Bubner (Pizza e Mozzarella) and Shannon Fleming (Orana). They each show their colours at different points in a menu that, like the drink selection, should offer something for all.
Four varieties of pizza, no doubt, are doing a roaring trade and there is just enough choice among the smalls, pasta and fire-pit meats to build into a satisfying afternoon graze.
Delicate folds of raw kingfish are drizzled with a vivid green leek oil and topped with fennel fronds and cherry cheeks (both roasted and pickled). Port Lincoln sardine fillets, grilled until their skins have blistered, are laid on a sauce of squished tomato.
Other plates are less elaborate and built for comfort. A bowl of potato gnocchi in a simple tomato sauce are blanketed in bubbling fontina cheese. Slices of porchetta-style rolled pork belly are taken across the Mediterranean with a big dollop of romesco sauce, as well as a bed of cavolo nero.
Take a wander around the property before squeezing in a dessert, perhaps roasted stone fruit segments, Woodside buffalo curd and roasted hazelnuts.
- Hours: L Thurs-Sun
- Bill: E $8-$20 M $20-$40 D$12
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Tom Bubner, Shannon Fleming
7. MADRE
57 Gilbert St, Adelaide
0413 776 616
Is using water from the Mediterranean Sea in your pizza dough really any different than filling a few containers up from the shallows at the Bay?
Ettore Bertonati clearly believes so. For his restaurant Madre, Ettore is importing sea water across the globe from Naples, to make a base he says is a close replica to those made in Italy before the first World War. The result? Well you won’t find a better pizza anywhere in town.
Located in the south of the city, Madre looks drop-dead glamorous, more Milan (Dolce & Gabbana, perhaps) than Naples. At the front, the dining zone is finished in powder-puff shades of musk and beige with bold blue trim. This links to the striking deep-ocean tones of the kitchen at the back.
From the selection of snacks, a croquette filled with potato and scamorza (smoked cheese) is a light and crunchy ball of bliss, while an octopus salad will take you out of Naples and on to the Amalfi coast.
Pizzas are the size of a large dinner plate and intended to serve one. While some will share, you will be amazed how effortlessly each slice, judiciously topped to within an inch of its rim, disappears.
Seven variations are listed, the first three having little more than sugo and cheese. The “Pina” carries pieces of fried zucchini, baby roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and peppered pecorino. The only possible improvement would be to give the chilli oil, offered separately, more grunt.
To finish, a rum babah gets just as much TLC as the rest, the brioche soaked in a dark rum syrup, split open and loaded with pastry cream.
- Hours: L Fri D Tues-Sat
- Bill: E $7-$15 M $19-$27 D $14-$15
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Ettore Bertonati
8. ORSO
36 Kensington Rd, Rose Park
(08) 8364 1008
The handle to the glass front door is a polished timber block that demands to be stroked. Step inside and the greeting will make you feel the most important person in the room. Look around and take in the brickwork, the marble, the sunset-glow of the feature wall and the kitchen that has the floor-span of your average two-bedroom flat.
Orso, the game-changing restaurant from Andre Ursini, has so many of the small details right. An uncompromising vision and what must be a scary level of investment has turned a grand but neglected old bluestone manor on Kensington Rd into the user-friendly dining and wining hub the eastern suburbs didn’t know it needed.
To one side is Willmott’s Gastronomia, a bar, snackery and providore with shelves full of pickles and preserves. On the other is the restaurant-proper that opens to a courtyard when the weather is kind.
The menu is a broadly Mediterranean compilation that includes a trio of pastas but is as much Spanish as Italian.
Vegetable dishes shine. A bowl of savoury custard is crowned with peas, leaves and tendrils, drizzled in a green mint dressing, and finished with a grating of fresh horseradish. It’s like a day spa for your insides.
Grilled zucchini ribbons on a cushion of house-made ricotta play a similar game.
Octopus tentacle is poached, then grilled on the kitchen’s huge fire pit, and laid over a rustic stew of chickpeas in a tomato sauce pepped up with melted nduja (spicy salami).
The “market fish” is flounder, slathered in the house take on XO sauce, which replaces the traditional dried seafood with parmesan, pancetta and mushrooms.
Ricotta parfait, topped with a fast-melting fennel sorbet and lemon cream, is the kind of dessert you want when already feeling full.
9. ANDRE’S CUCINA
94 Frome St, city
(08) 8224 0004
Going to Andre’s Cucina is like catching up with an old friend. The food is anything but dull, yet doesn’t demand constant attention.
There’s a general hubbub but conversation is easy, the tables aren’t too squeezy, and the staff are up-to-the-minute with food and drinks, but ready to back off when necessary.
The $72 shared “menu fisso” offers the best value — just ask for anything you don’t feel like to be kept out.
An opening gambit of beef carpaccio is out of this world, perhaps the best in town, with melt-in-your-mouth beef topped by a dressing of truffled pecorino, bits of walnut and an excellent balsamic vinegar, the whole dish made beautiful by little stepping stones of leaves.
Next comes a delicate burrata, light but well-textured gnocchi with lamb ragout and of course polenta, Andre’s defining dish, here a classic deeply flavoured with mushroom.
The Italian in Andre’s also shows through with the wine list, seamlessly matched between locals and imports.
An ocean trout fish of the day course is elevated into another picture of subtle flavours, built up from a translucent mashed fennel bed, with a bright red “acqua pazza” to make the salmon glow with colour. The vongole and squid give just enough diversion and colour contrast.
The standard sweet is cannoli, pastry perfect, with a filling of creamy chocolate custard and small bits of poached pear.
- Hours: L Tue-Sat, D Mon-Sat
- Bill: E $16-$28 M $32-$43 D$10-16
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | corkage $20
- Chef: Navinder Pal Singh Saini
10. PIZZATECA
319 Chalk Hill Rd, McLaren Vale
(08) 8323 9762
No matter which way you slice it, Pizzateca is a standout.
Staff are clued-up, ready to chat and know the menu backwards. Part-owner Tony Mitolo does front of house with aplomb. The dining spaces buzz with diners and chefs leave the open kitchen to join the fun.
This is destination dining as it should be — set in a wooden cottage surrounded by vines and gums and with a menu built around a humble dish — the wood-oven pizza — which has been elevated in the skilful hands of Tony’s father Vito Mitolo and team.
The pizzas are Neapolitan; so floppy a knife and fork is recommended. The flavour construction of the Diablo (salami, chilli, cheese, honey, Australian roma tomatoes) and Bianco (mushrooms, fior de latte, garlic, truffle oil) reveals a wealth of experience. Even the Schiacciata starter — a rosemary and garlic pizza — is a cut above.
Simple dishes also surprise. The Capresa con Burrata — buffalo mozzarella with tomato and basil prompts approving noises. The charcoal-grilled skewers of Adelaide Hills lamb are just what it says.
A good meal should flow like a good book — finishing with a flourish. And what better ending than tiramisu cooked by nonna Anna Mitolo and a complimentary homemade limoncello poured by Vito?
All of the reds and most of the whites are local, too, which is as it should be.
Pizzateca bills itself as Oztalian) the “Talian” is Naples, the Oz is proudly and firmly of McLaren Vale.
- Hours: L Fri-Mon D Fri-Sat
- Bill: E $10-$30 M $20-$28 D $8-$10
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | Corkage $15
- Chef: Vito and Anna Mitolo
11. SUNNY’S PIZZA
17 Solomon St, city
0416 958 712.
It’s a chilly Saturday night. But down the almost-deserted laneway of Solomon St, Sunny’s is pumping. There’s a disco ball, a DJ spinning tunes and the lights are turned down so low that the bustling kitchen stands out like a theatre stage.
Paper menus display a short-but-sweet wine list that focuses on local drops including a number of natural wines and blends. Flip over to see the food divided simply into ‘Pizza’ and ‘Not Pizza’. The menu is designed for sharing, with tapas-style plates to go with the six versions (plus an ever-changing special) of Napoli-style pizza that come straight from the wood oven.
On the tapas side of things, Rob’s fried chicken comes recommended, its Szechuan-coated crust bursting with peppery spices — even more so when you dip the juicy wings into a house-made zinger sauce.
A zucchini salad sees ribbons of the veg coated in a creamy mint and ricotta pesto, topped with crunchy sunflower seeds, pepitas and toasted almonds.
Pizzas are built on a base that is equal parts chewy and crisp, with a nice char from the wood oven floor and a big fluffy crust. The mozzarella is a standout of the No. 1 pizza, the simplicity of the margherita style highlighting the use of quality ingredients. The No. 2 pizza starts with a traditional pepperoni, adding squid-ink-dyed cacciatore for colour and confit onion for a nice balance of sweetness.
The only complaint? The food comes out all at once, making it difficult to juggle plates, glasses and serving platters on the narrow salmon-tiled bar.
But that crush is all part of the buzzy vibe at Sunny’s, where diners are in for a good time not a long time, before continuing the party in one of the neighbouring bars if they choose.
- Hours: L Fri D Wed-Sun
- Bill: M $14-$26
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Jack Crichton
12. PIZZA MECCANICA
2 Hawker St, Bowden
(08) 8232 0044
It’s the red Chevy pickup in this former auto-repair garage that draws admiring gazes, but the real “engine” at Pizza Meccanica is the wood-fired oven, imported from Naples and driven with passion by owner Stelio Birbas.
He follows time-honoured methods to make his pizza, starting with doppio zero flour and finishing with lightly blistered crusts and generous toppings.
The Salsiccia e Friarielli teams lightly seared house-made pork sausage with friarielli (or rapini, the bitter Italian broccoli). The Funghi is strong on garlic-infused ’shroom taste.
True to Naples, the menu is a hit-list of a small number of can’t-fail classics — you won’t find ham and pineapple here. Pizza stands keep the table free for plates and elbows.
Indulge in a few sides: the cotechino sausage is a standout — pan-fried and served with roasted peppers and salsa verde. Dessert is kept simple: gelato, Nutella and marscapone pizza, and a double-espresso affogato.
A terrazzo floor and industrial fit-out bounces the R&B tunes and chatter of the young crowd — this is more mates night than date night.
Get the clued-up staff to talk you through the Italian-inspired red list where Freddy Nerks abuts Big Easy Radio and Some Young Punks, along with a couple of full-blooded imports.
- Hours: D Thurs-Sun
- Bill: E $9-17 Pizza $17-25 D $6.50-19
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | Corkage $20
- Chef: Stelio Birbas
13. RUBY RED FLAMINGO
142 Tynte St, North Adelaide
(08) 8267 5769
Ruby Red Flamingo is the 1970s revisited, right down to the brown cups, beige plates and light pop on the stereo. It’s noisy with chatter, it’s fun, and the outdoor tables are the place to be on a warm night.
The Italian menu here is best shared and the playful waiters are ready to talk you through the options. Do not miss the pie-shaped polenta filled with ’shrooms and spinach dripping with provolone, fontina and parmigiana — it’s melt-in-the-mouth amazing and this starter dish is worth the visit alone.
Stop talking and close your eyes to savour the gnudi — spinach and ricotta balls in Napolitana sauce — it’s also sublime.
Not every dish hits the mark, the swordfish carpaccio drowns the fish in mustard and citrus; the chicken and turkey ragu is light both on meat and flavour.
Wine is key to most Ruby Red nights and the list is edited down to a tight collection of Australians and a wider list of Italians that cover all bases. Craft beers draw in some unexpected delights including a Bruny Island whey stout.
Dessert reveals another star dish — the Tortino Cioccolato … fresh berries and cream on a slowly liquefying (gluten free) chocolate pudding that is as messy as it is tasty.
This is a place of more hits than misses and a vibe that leaves you with memories of an exuberant night out.
- Hours: L Wed-Fri D Wed-Sat
- Bill: E $13.50-27.50 M $16-30 D $11.50
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | Corkage $15
- Chef: Enzo Verdino
14. ENZO’S RISTORANTE
46 Port Rd, Hindmarsh
(08) 8346 2786
Is your tagliatelle just firm? The pannacotta — does it wobble nicely? And do those cherry tomatoes pop in your mouth, fresh like a spring morning? A great Italian restaurant is less about what’s on the menu than what hits the plate, and Enzo’s has been mastering that art for two decades.
These days it’s on the edge of the parklands in a historic converted pub, down from its original rustic digs, but the service is still excellent and the atmosphere warmed by the hum of happy diners filling their bellies, and the occasional swirl of flame visible through the glass-walled kitchen.
Enzo’s taste of Italy comes via SA’s outstanding local produce. For antipasti there’s cherry tomatoes nestled with mozzarella and prosciutto, or Port Lincoln sardines, Calabrese style. Pastas run through linguini with blue swimmer crab to beef-stuffed ravioli, and you may find a rabbit lasagne as well.
There’s an award-winning Angus fillet sizzling with mushrooms, truffle brandy, and cream; SA king prawns flamed in brandy; deep-fried local calamari.
A (wobbly) pannacotta with Baileys heads a list of traditional desserts including gelato and tiramisu, while the wine list is extensive and ranges from reasonably priced Italian drops to Penfolds Grange.
- Hours: L Tues-Fri D Tues-Sat
- Bill: E $8-$24 M $25-$45 D $12.50-$14.50
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | corkage $20
- Chefs: Enzo Fazzari, Albert D’Antonio
15. FARINA 00
128 King William Rd, Goodwood
(08) 8271 1109
An open fireplace. An Italian menu. A mesmerising view of a pizza oven covered in shimmering blue metal … With a glass of wine in hand and a friend to catch up with on a chilly night, it's happy days at Farina 00.
A starter of mushroom arancini arrives and, as we tell our children, it’s not what’s on the outside that matters. Cricket ball-sized and piled with aged parmigiano reggiano, the arancini’s crunchy exterior ain’t pretty but boy she packs a flavour punch of mushrooms, truffle salt and provolone cheese. Another starter of lightly coated fried calamari benefits from a good hit of lemon and some sliced chilli heat.
The pizzas coming out of the metal beast look good but, knowing the pasta is made fresh daily from Italian 00 flour, we double down. It seems the tables of couples and friends chatting — yes, this is a restaurant where you don’t have to shout — have the same idea.
The mains of slow-braised pork neck pappardelle and mushroom gigli (a twisted strand pasta) eventually defeat us, and the waitress knowingly asks if we’d like a takeaway container. Don’t mind if we do and thanks for not being too fancy to offer. Extra points, then, for genuine hospitality and professional service that is on display right through the meal.
- Hours: L Fri-Sun D Mon-Sun
- Bill: E $10-$17 M $19-$34 D$11-$19
- Wine: Wine list plus BYO | Corkage $20
- Chef: Lewis Marro
