Dining out back on the menu: Your guide to new Adelaide restaurants that have opened since Covid
After a rough two years, good times are ahead for SA’s hospitality sector. We list some of the coolest new venues across the city and suburbs – get ready to drool.
Food & Wine
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It’s been a tough couple of years for the hospitality industry, with persistent pandemic restrictions decimating the sector.
But there are good times ahead, as business operators look beyond the Covid-19 gloom and doom, to launch new foodie venues for an eager public.
From restaurants and cafes to other hospitality projects, here are some of Adelaide’s top offerings which have opened in recent months, plus a sneak peek at a couple of venues you should look out for in 2022.
Arkhe
127 The Parade, Norwood
Former head chef at Singapore’s Michelin-starred Burnt Ends, Jake Kellie has brought his talents to the Parade, opening a new fire-focused eatery on the old Stone’s Throw site.
The delicious, flame-fuelled dishes come from a custom-made, two-and-a-half ton wood-burning oven at the heart of arkhé’s open kitchen, which opened in November.
“I don’t think there’s anything else like it in Adelaide,” said Kellie.
The diverse menu features a wide selection of vegetable and seafood options to go with their meat offerings, and there’s also an extensive wine list.
Frankie
McMurtrie Rd, McLaren Vale
There’s a new Italian-inspired disco diner coming to McLaren Vale in April, with Mitolo Wines set to launch a stylish outdoor bar and restaurant named Frankie.
Named after winery owner Frank Mitolo, it will focus on rustic pizzas and pastas, and feature “Italo disco” vibes popular in the 1980s.
With room for up to 200 people, Frankie is a sister venue to fine diner Little Wolf Osteria and Mitolo’s cellar door.
“It’s all about relaxed, fun vibes. There will be some room to dance but it won’t be a nightclub,” Mr Mitolo said.
“The food will be a more village-style of cooking, with pizzas and pastas and porchetta … good, hearty, simple food but well done.”
Lost Phoenix Farm
Mont Rosa Rd, Hindmarsh Valley
Former MasterChef star and restaurateur Andre Ursini opened his latest project in February, a regional eatery located on a stunning 40-acre property in Hindmarsh Valley.
Called Lost Phoenix Farm, the business was co-founded with talented SA chef Will Doak and is aimed at local tourists looking to enjoy a day trip or a weekend away.
Doak, 28, has previously worked in the kitchens of acclaimed Adelaide restaurants including Press* Food & Wine, Fugazzi Bar & Dining Room and Ursini’s own Orso. He said there was an obvious “gap in the market”, especially on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula.
Open Thursday to Sunday for lunch, Lost Phoenix will feature a casual dining experience similar to the menus at Press or Orso but with “about 30 or 40 per cent less fuss”.
Grunthal Brew
Mount Barker Rd, Verdun
The multimillion-dollar Grunthal Brew project finally opened in the Adelaide Hills this week.
Two of SA’s top young chefs, Jon Kimber and Ricky Mahajan, will lead the kitchen at the new $2.5m tourism destination on the old Grumpy’s Brewhaus site at Verdun.
In addition, restaurateur Michael Johns – formerly of Bread & Bone and Jolleys Boathouse – has been appointed restaurant manager.
The development features a brewery, bar, restaurant and cheese cellar, and also serves as a new home for family-owned Hesketh Wines and the Udder Delights Cheese Cellar.
Garcon Bleu
Currie St, Adelaide
This French “reimagined” restaurant is located in the glam new $150m Sofitel Hotel in the CBD.
Launched in November, this 90-seat fine diner from executive head chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya and chef de cuisine Gianni Delogu features Modern French food using the best SA ingredients, an extensive wine list, an oyster and raw seafood bar, plus stunning city views.
One Sneaky Cheetah
South Rd, Ridleyton
The crew behind McLaren Vale’s popular Pizzateca launched a new pizza project in Ridleyton in January, combines classic Italian flavours with fair dinkum favourites.
Located in an old panelbeating workshop, the new eatery features traditional Neapolitan-style pizza with toppings such as fresh ham and pineapple, barbecue chicken and meat lovers, and if you’re feeling thirsty, they’re also brewing their own beer, One Sneaky Lager.
“It just allows us to play around with different flavours, while still maintaining that Italian foundation,” said co-owner Tony Mitolo.
Muni
High St, Willunga
Mug Chen and Chia Wu met in Melbourne while working at Vue de Monde. After moving to Adelaide and stints at the Salopian Inn and d’Arenberg Cube, they took the plunge and leased a small property at the bottom of Willunga’s famed hill.
Designers Studio-Gram have finished the Muni room with a restraint: floors are polished concrete, the walls in twin tones of grey. The kitchen is down one side, divided from the dining space by a counter where you can also sit to watch the action. The original concept for Muni, in fact, was to be a bar showcasing this collection of natural wines and serving small, affordable plates. It still operates this way for much of the week and is terrific value - but the vast imagination and technical virtuosity at play here can only be properly experienced in the 11-course degustation.
Sunnyside
245 Esplanade, Henley Beach
Filling the hole left by Little Shoo’s departure wasn’t going to be easy, but this new beachfront cafe – which launched in February – is on track to become a Henley Beach favourite.
From customisable pancake stacks, to bottomless mimosas, bagels, breakfast platters to share, locally-roasted specialty coffee and a boozy cocktail list, there’s something for everyone at Sunnyside, which is led by Liam Vanzati, former head chef at nearby Malobo.
Eleven
11 Waymouth St, Adelaide
MasterChef star Callum Hann and Sprout co-founder Themis Chryssidis’ weren’t going to let the pandemic stop them from opening a new city restaurant.
The fine dining venue, eleven, located next to its sister bar on Waymouth St, launched in August, and showcases contemporary Australian cuisine with a focus on “French techniques”.
Dietitian Chryssidis described the restaurant as a “CBD oasis” unlike any other in Australia.“To have a fine dining restaurant with a fun, casual vibe next to an outdoor bar in the middle of the city, it’s this unique CBD oasis which I hope people will enjoy,” he said.
Blue Rose
Seaview Road, Henley Beach
From Annie and Tuoi Tran, the duo behind Peel Street hotspot Gondola Gondola, comes Blue Rose, a modern Asian restaurant and bar which offers Vietnamese and Chinese dishes with a seafood vibe.
There’s also a strong focus on cocktails, including their signature drink, the Blue Rose: white rum, butterfly pea flower tea, Licor 43, elderflower, yuzu and aquafaba.
Blue Rose is open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Thirty Five Stirling
Stirling Street, Thebarton
Still a work in progress, this new brunch spot will open next month and offer an all-day menu overseen by head chef Carmelina Clemente.
Among the wide range of options include a breakfast burger, omelette and a smoked salmon bagel, plus a coconut panna cotta and a breakfast grazing board, all using local growers and suppliers.
For those who enjoy a daytime drink, the venu is also licensed with their beverage list including cocktails to local beers, wines, spirits and mocktails.
Featuring seating options such as swing sets to high tables, Thirty Five Stirling’s quirky design elements are one of many things that customers will love, according to owner Jessica Clift.
VAULT-91
91 King William St
Owners of a stylish new wine bar in the city’s iconic Westpac House are hoping to entice more office workers back to the CBD.
Located in the lobby of the building at 91 King William St, Vault-91 promises “five-star service” with an extensive range of local and international wines, coffee and food offerings, including SA oysters and charcuterie boards.
From hospitality veterans Paul Shaw and Micha Ilic, the venue, which also features a sunken lounge, will launch on April 4.
“It’s about getting people back into the CBD and for people in the corporate market to have a place to meet and do business,” said Mr Shaw, former sales and marketing boss at the InterContinental Adelaide.
Two-Pot Screamer
Rundle Street, Adelaide
After almost two years in the wilderness, one of Adelaide’s most iconic restaurant locations, made famous by MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo, was transformed into a two-level eatery and bar.
Called Two-Pot Screamer, the venue is the brainchild of rising SA entrepreneur Hugo Pedler, and on the ground level features “fun, fine dining” with unique Australian touches such as a reimagined Chikko roll and sausage on bread.
Upstairs is an all-pink 70s cocktail bar, under the same name, complete with a new balcony overlooking Rundle Street.
Abundance by Hark
Alexandra Ave, Rose Park
There’s a new cafe in the Rose Park space formerly known as Little Sparrow Coffee Studio.
Hark Coffee Roasters duo Sam Mckay and Theo Engela have opened Abundance on Alexandra Avenue, offering locals a diverse range of seasonal dishes using locally sourced ingredients.
There’s also plenty of freshly baked pastries, sweets treats and bread, and the all-important coffee, as you’d expect, is a unique blend using a fluid bed roasting technique.
Shomen
Leigh Street, city
Located next door to award-winning Japanese restaurant, Shobosho, sister venue Shomen offers a fast, simple, takeaway – or quick dine-in – version of the Shobosho menu, with a clear focus on ramen.
From chef Adam Liston and restaurateur Simon Kardachi, the hole-in-the wall eatery launched in October and also serves up burgers, katsu and a special duck rice dish.
“Ramen is the common man’s food. It’s the best of all comfort-food worlds; soup, noodles and dumplings,” said Liston.
HNLY
Seaview Rd, Henley Beach
This new venture by a trio of city-based restaurateurs – led by George Kasimatis (Georges on Waymouth) – puts SA seafood front and centre.
Peter Louca (Louca’s Seafood) and Angela Papas (Diaspora Kouzina) have teamed up with Kasimatis for the stylish venue, upstairs at Henley Square, which cleverly blends Mediterranean restaurant and a bar that comes to life at the weekend.
Among the seafood on the menu include Spencer Gulf King prawns, southern calamari, Ceduna yellow fin whiting, deep sea perch and Port Broughton blue swimmer crab which comes in a tasty pasta dish.
Amadio’s Vino e Cucina
Kangaroo Island
SA celebrity chef Adam Swanson has joined forces with Amadio Wines to bring a “traditional Italian dining experience” to Kangaroo Island.
In partnership with the award-winning label, Adam has brought to life Amadio’s Vino e Cucina, modelled on an authentic Italian trattoria, serving up delicious fresh pastries for breakfast, and homemade pasta, pizza and seafood dishes for dinner.
Located on the main street of Kingscote, the eatery showcases Amadio’s finest KI wines and spirits from the Adelaide Hills and Italy.
Beerenberg Farm
Mount Barker Rd, Hahndorf
The state’s oldest strawberry farm unveiled it’s long-awaited $2.6m upgrade in November, with its expanded farm shop now complemented by a cafe, Beerenberg museum, demo kitchen and associated function space that doubles as a private tasting room.
And of course, there’s also an in-house ice creamery.
The Alchemist’s Kitchen
Jetty Road, Brighton
The popular cafe strip added a wood oven-focused restaurant in December, the latest project from Deeb Milky and Andrea Aranibar, who’s also behind Alimentary Eatery just down the road.
The wide-ranging menu features everything from pizzas to meat, seafood and salad, plus they’ve also just launched a new brunch menu.
Coast
Holdfast Promenade, Glenelg
Patrons at this modern Mediterranean restaurant can enjoy 80 metres of “uninterrupted ocean views”, along with a delicious seafood menu, showcasing everything from oysters and sashimi as starters to main course dishes such as king prawn fettuccine.
Opened in December, Coast is led by executive chef Chris Wotton, and is part of the first phase of a $2m renovation of the Pier Hotel complex.
Pirate Life
Baker St, Port Adelaide
It's not just about the beer at Port Adelaide’s Pirate Life Brewery.
The Australian brewing success story launched a new state-of-the-art $1m kitchen – complete with a 5x1.5m fire pit – at its South Australian headquarters in January as it attempts to attract food lovers to its ever-expanding taphouse.
Head chef Rocky Oliveira’s menu is far from typical brewpub fare, with dishes including scotch fillet, grilled yuzu squid and crispy garlic leeks, alongside favourites such as chicken katsu sandos and Mayura beef burgers.
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