Adelaide best affordable restaurants offering BYO – and what they charge for corkage
BYO is alive and well in Adelaide for those looking to save a bit of cash or share that special bottle. From Italian and Vietnamese to Indian, Ethiopian and Afghan fare, here are the city’s best.
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We’ve all been there – you head out to a restaurant for an affordable meal, but before you know it, the budget’s been blown on drinks.
A number of restaurants in Adelaide allow diners to save some cash by offering BYO – that is, the opportunity to Bring Your Own bottle of wine or in some cases, spirits.
Jun Abe, owner of Japanese diner Black Dog Gallery, said he was happy to allow diners to bring their own bottles of wine to celebrate an occasion.
“We stock beers and a small range of wine, but if people want to celebrate with some special wine, we are very happy to help,” he said.
Black Dog Gallery is among the restaurants offering great BYO options, The Advertiser’s delicious. 50 under $50 – a roundup of Adelaide’s best restaurants where two people can eat for $50 or less. We’ve included corkage charges, so you can bring your favourite bottle of wine (or spirits, in some occasions), knowing what it will cost.
Here, we’ve rounded up the best offers:
PARWANA AFGHAN KITCHEN
124B Henley Beach Rd, Torrensville | 8443 9001 | parwana.com.au
BYO: $10 (donated to charity)
What we love most about Parwana’s BYO is that it’s donated to charity. No booze is sold at the family-run restaurant, so if you do want to drink, it’ll cost $10 to bring a bottle. But with those proceeds going to a good cause, you’ll leave with your heart full, too.
Food-wise, it’s celebratory Afghan flavours with soul. Popular dishes include Kabuli palaw – aged long-grain rice with caramelised carrots, sultanas, almonds and pistachios ($18), ashak – vegetarian dumplings topped with lamb mince sauce and garlic yoghurt ($22), and banjaan borani – their signature eggplant, simmered in fresh tomato ($18). It’s all ideal for sharing.
Open: D Tue-Sun
PIZZALOLA
432 Goodwood Rd, Cumberland Park | 0487 133 965 | pizzalola.com.au
BYO: $7
The prize for cheapest BYO goes to suburban pizza bar, Pizzalola, which has a corkage fee of just $7. Pizza prices are good, too. If all you and your mate want is a couple of wood-fired pizzas and change from a $50, Pizzalola has you covered. There’s no compromising on technique or flavour – 36-hour proved dough is hand-stretched, scorched in a 400° Stefano Ferrara oven imported from Naples, before being topped with quality, contemporary ingredients. Try the Funguy – the name a playful twist on the Italian word for mushrooms, funghi. Pizzalola recently expanded into the next-door shop space, the casual retro vibe lots of fun and kid-friendly.
Open: D Wed-Sun
LUCIA’S PIZZA AND SPAGHETTI BAR
Adelaide Central Market, Gouger St, Adelaide | 8231 2303 | lucias.com.au
BYO: $8.50
Local food legends don’t come bigger than this. Lucia’s has been feeding (and caffeinating) the stall holders and customers of the Central Market for more than 60 years. Opened by Lucia Rosella in 1957, it introduced Adelaideans to pizza which remains a staple on a menu that also encompasses pasta, steak, schnitzel and a terrific tuna and ricotta salad. Lucia’s daughters Nicci and Maria are still behind the counter, ensuring the coffee is strong and the regulars are properly cared for. A panini from the adjacent charcuterie bar, run by the family’s younger generation, is perfect for eating on the run.
Open: L Tue-Sat, D Fri
ADDIS ABABA
462 Port Rd, West Hindmarsh | 0401 556 406 | addisababacafeandrestaurant.com.au
BYO: $10
Licking fingers at a restaurant would usually be a faux pas. Not so at Addis Ababa. There’s no cutlery here – your hands are your utensils. The family-run Addis Ababa, named after Ethiopia’s sprawling capital, is a cultural gem. Fairy lights twinkle along the straw hut-like facade, and the theme continues inside. Food is simple. Choose from a range of vegetarian or meat-based stews, or a mixed plate, with prices from $16. It’s all served with injera – a spongy, unleavened flat bread to scoop with. A highlight is the Tibs – a tender beef and lamb stew, with just a hint of chilli.
Open: D Tue-Sun
ADELAIDE PHO
199 Waymouth St, Adelaide | 8212 0997 | facebook.com/adelaidepho
BYO: $10
We might struggle to pronounce it, but that doesn’t stop Adelaideans ordering pho any day of the week. The menu here epitomises affordability. There are starters for less than $10 and mains under $20. Grab a group and make a night of it. Pho is the name of the game and there are 12 to choose from. Pho tai nam combines the best of two worlds, with thin slices of cooked and raw beef, which cooks in the steaming broth that’s been simmering for hours. Pimp your own dish by throwing on accompanying herbs, bean sprouts and a squeeze of lime.
Open: L & D Tue-Sun
KHANA KHAZANA
535 Portrush Rd, Glenunga | 8379 9994 | khanakhazanasa.com.au
BYO: $12
A broad palette of flavours and textures peppers this Indian curry house’s menu. Kamal Rawat’s take on what can be an everyman entree of pakora is indicative of his creative kitchen juices, particularly spinachy and savoury in style. The chicken tikka is notably tender, a refreshing mint sauce packed with spearmint-like flavour contrast. While there are dozens of lamb, beef, goat and chicken curries in both northern and southern Indian styles, seafoods come mostly in southern sauces, a prawn malabari with a Goan approach typical. The lamb shank masala is excellent, too, its rich flavours soaking right through to the bone.
Open: L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sun
THE FLYING FIG DELI
161 Jeffcott St, North Adelaide | 7226 1788 | theflyingfigdeli.com.au
BYO: $10
In the kitchen, trays of bagels are ready to cook, before being filled with house-cured lox. Smoky pastrami, giant dill pickles, latke and schug (salsa verde with jalapeño, coriander and caraway seeds) are other items also made in-house. While many are content to smash avocados and flip burgers, The Flying Fig recreates the classic fare of New York’s Jewish delis, with no corners cut. Later, the menu expands to include a matzo ball soup that should cure most ills and a reuben sandwich that doesn’t muck around – corned beef, house-made cabbage and caraway sauerkraut and dressing, all on toasted rye.
Open: B & L Mon-Sun
BLACK DOG GALLERY
4/455 Greenhill Rd, Tusmore | 8333 3530 | facebook.com/blackdoggallerycafe
BYO: $12
Whether you’re a lover of ramen or want an introduction to Japanese food, this is the place to go. No sushi here, but instead what owner/chef Jun Abe describes as “grandma food”. Items like yaki onigiri (rice balls), and tofu with spicy salad come in at under $10. Ramen is the star of the show, and a choice of soup bases and toppings make it a DIY adventure. The syo-yu, cooked for about nine hours, is a soothing medley of soy, sesame and pork – the spicy negi (like spring onion) and kimchi bring heat. Slurp up those noodles if you’ve acquired the skill.
Open: L & D Tue-Sat
ANTHONY’S CUCINA + PIZZERIA
683 Lower North East Road, Paradise | 8337 6028 | facebook.com/anthonyscucinapizzeria
BYO: $15, spirits only
Yes, it’s all about flavour, but service counts. A lot. As do first impressions. Sixty seconds into a night at Anthony’s and boxes are ticked. The jolly Anthony greets us, seats us and takes our drinks order as we’re pulling out our chairs. Within minutes, water and beers arrive. An institution for Italians northeast of Adelaide, it’s best to book ahead for a table. The place gets busy, and noisy, fast, yet every table gets the same social-butterfly treatment. Food-wise, expect homely Italian favourites, starting with arancini and meatballs, to pizzas and pastas. You can also opt for a steak or fish stew.
Open: L & D Tue-Sun
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