From Thai to Indian, these are SA’s best Asian restaurants in 2022
From the zesty flavours of South East Asia to the belly-warming curries of India, these are the best Asian restaurants in and around Adelaide in our delicious.100.
Food & Wine
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food & Wine. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Remember when eating Asian meant picking up some honey chicken and fried rice from your local Chinese takeaway?
There’s still a place for that (of course), but nowadays Adelaide diners are spoiled for choice when it comes to Asian cuisine. From Chinese to Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian, there is an entire world of flavour.
This year, The Advertiser’s team of reviewers has been busy finding the very best Asian eateries in and around town while compiling the delicious.100 list of SA’s top restaurants. From the fresh and zesty flavours of South East Asia, to the belly-warming curries of India, here’s what made our Top 10.
Vote for your favourite restaurant and win dinner up to the value of $2000 at Restaurant Botanic – here’s how
1. THE LITTLE RICKSHAW
24 Old Coach Rd, Aldinga, 0403 784 568, thelittlerickshaw.com.au
What started as a weekend market operation is now a considered procession of exceptional South East Asian bites and share-style dishes.
The Feed Me option is a good way to go. It might start with a tartare of whiting caught in local waters yesterday, barely bound by kelp oil, ponzu and fresh wasabi sitting atop a tiny piece of rice paper.
A perfectly pleated pork and shiitake mushroom dumpling, in a puddle of black vinegar dashi sauce, is the stuff of dumpling dreams.
Heartier highlights include hand-pulled noodles dressed in a lipsmacking garlic chilli oil (keep your drink handy), and fall-of-the-bone wagyu rib with a sticky chilli infused honey. Book ahead.
2. SHOBOSHO
17 Leigh St, Adelaide, 8366 2224, shobosho.com.au
Japanese firehouse Shobosho, a few steps off bustling Leigh St, is a momentary escape.
The moody diner, flanked by an open kitchen and bar to one side and timber booth seating to the other, evokes a Japanese izakaya with food that steps things up a notch.
Snake beans are an unlikely highlight, tossed in fermented chilli and a generous scattering of scorched nuts that’ll keep you coming back for more.
To the other end, wood-fired baby barramundi, with a “skin” of nori that’s melted into the fish upon cooking, and rice that sits in a puddle of wonderfully aromatic, gingery, sukiyaki sauce, is a refined dish that feels good for the soul.
3. SOI 38
74 Pirie St, Adelaide, 8223 5472, soi38.com.au
In its sleek new digs on Pirie St, Soi 38 sets the scene for any occasion. Date night? Birthday? Friday night nosh with your work mates? You’ll feel right at home.
That is until your sojourn to Thailand begins. The menu makes a point of each dish’s origin – the crowd-favourite pad thai, for example, is from southern Bangkok, while a punchy miang kham hails from the east.
That miang kham gets the tastebuds dancing, the bite-size bundle of blue swimmer crab dressed with ginger, zesty lime and coconut ready to be wrapped in its betel leaf pouch.
Other highlights include tender pieces of barbecued chicken with an addictive tamarind and lemongrass sauce, and a sweet and satisfying choo chee kangaroo “curry” that’s begging to be mopped up with roti.
4. SHOSHO
164 King William Rd, Hyde Park, 8349 0891, shosho.com.au
The constant reinvention of this Hyde Park corner space surely must be over given the popularity of the brilliant Japanese-inspired food flowing from ShoSho’s highly entertaining kitchen.
The chef’s set menu is $78 or $95 for the “primo” selection, both highly recommended.
First drinks will be accompanied by a snack of wonton crisps layered with whipped edamame and flamed nori.
Next, a single scallop each is an oh-my moment, with the plump, sweet morsel in the finest crumb laid on a dab of miso mayo and topped with more-ish curly wisps of crunchy potato.
To follow will likely be crab noodles, excellent dumplings, tempura beans with a tasty smattering of salted egg yolk, wonderful wagyu-stuffed mushrooms, wagyu rump cap with wasabi butter, and more.
5. FERMENTASIAN
90 Murray St, Tanunda, 8563 0765, fermentasian.com.au
The flavours might be adopted from another part of the world but the food miles barely register at the delightful FermentAsian.
Owner/chef Tuoi Do’s rambling gardens at her home are just a skip away from the restaurant in central Tanunda and, lovingly tended by her super green-thumb parents, are the main source of almost every earthy morsel used in the kitchen.
Authenticity reigns, from the bubbly, crisp Hanoi-style spring rolls to cracking pork with a fine rim of crunch.
Her squid is steeped in an unusual, unforgettable peppery sauce deliciously dominated by slow-cooked tomatoes.
Wine-man extraordinaire Grant Dickson’s award-winning “book” of wine endures at FermentAsian and now features drops from his new enterprise, Otherness, one Barossa town away.
6. GOLDEN BOY
309 North Tce, city, 8227 0799, golden-boy.com.au
Golden Boy retains its mantle as one of Adelaide’s “it” restaurants, always full and always buzzing, the fireworks of its Thai-based flavours matched by the infectious energy of the place.
Seating inside is spread between dining room, bar and kitchen counter, while the clever use of lush foliage on the footpath makes this corner one of the CBD’s best outdoor dining spaces.
Arriving hungry and allowing the staff free rein to tailor make your Tuk Tuk “feed me” selection is the most enjoyable way to dine here.
Lettuce cups with southern-style chicken mince and soft herbs set the scene for fresh, crisp flavours, while Massaman curry with Wagyu beef and potato is a hearty favourite.
The menu also has an abundance of local seafood.
7. CINNAMON CLUB
211a The Parade Norwood (also Henley Beach), 8431 3311, cinnamonclub.net.au
The street art-style depiction of the Hindu god Ganesha painted on the wall at Cinnamon Club perhaps gives some insight into the establishment – a mix of tradition and playfulness, with staff who welcome you in to the family affair.
Cinnamon Club distinguishes itself early with an exceptional vegetarian selection.
Start with crispy, fried semolina balls packed with vegetables served with a green peppery broth to be spooned inside, the whole lot downed like a crunchy, peppery shot.
A vegetarian masala dosa is almost comically large, hanging off each end of the plate, yet the fermented, paper-thin crispy pancake is delicate, the wholesome potato filling given some pizzazz with tomato and coconut chutneys.
The Four Faces of Vindaloo works its way up from a moderate, svelte chicken to robust lamb and beef numbers, while managing to balance fiery heat with flavour.
8. BAI LONG STORE
80 Hutt St, city, 8232 5484, bailong.store
Gather your hungry friends and order the duck.
Bai Long store has earned a strong reputation for its interesting sweep of very cool, very modern Pan-Asian dishes, but its interpretation of Peking duck steals the show.
Lean roasted slices of the bird, with a deep smokiness permeating the flesh, come with bao buns, pickles and other accompaniments – and that’s just the first course.
If you don’t want to invest $74 for this extravaganza (which could easily feed five), head to an enticing list of small plates including slices of pork belly with a film of crackling and grilled white kimchi, and deep-fried battered eggplant fingers dressed with feisty Sichuan caramel.
9. JASMIN
31 Hindmarsh Sq, city, 8223 7837, jasmin.com.au
Run by the Singh family for four decades, with matriarch Anant Singh at the head, Jasmin is a hallmark of consistency and excellent northern Indian cooking.
A subtle blue cheese naan to start is brought to life with a piquant data and tamarind chutney while crispy vegetable pakoras keep it light for the first course.
Like all Indian of this style, it’s best to pace yourself. For mains it’s hard to go past the staple dahl, while the tandoori fish – a barramundi cooked in the tandoor and paired with eggplant chutney and a coconut potato curry – showcases the more delicate expressions of the cuisine.
Butter chicken is the most popular mild dish out of the kitchen, and this one is textbook, while there are options such as the tindaloo for those who like it hot
10. NGHI NGAN QUAN
65 Woodville Rd, Woodville, 8244 6003, nnqwoodville.com
Adhering to the fundamental pillars of freshness and balance that define Vietnamese cuisine has made Nghi Ngan Quan justifiably famous – and spawned an empire run by the family’s next generation.
Being housed in a sandstone-fronted former bank, with high ceilings, grand foyer space and many adjacent rooms, provides the necessary space to fit big numbers (a request to dine within 90 minutes also ensures that tables keep turning over).
Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for the arrival of more-ish Ha Noi spring rolls, filled with chicken, black fungus and water chestnuts, and cold rolls that you can choose to assemble at your table.
The bowls of pho and other noodle soups are enormous, while mains run from red barbecued chicken with broken rice or beef in betel leaf with vermicelli salad, through to the extravagance of lobster tails with fried egg noodles.
For full restaurant reviews, price guides and whether a restaurant offers great vegetarian options, outdoor dining and is family-friendly, visit our delicious.100 list.
Historic Port Adelaide pub closed until further notice
Port Adelaide’s oldest licensed pub has shut its doors – and it’s unclear if and when it will reopen.
Iconic wine brand pulls pin on Barossa cellar door
A much-loved Barossa Valley cellar door will close and another in McLaren Vale will follow as rising business costs and reduced consumer spending cripple the state’s wine sector.