Italian restaurant Aces Chinatown quietly closes down on Gouger St after less than a year in operation

Less than a year after it re-opened with much fanfare, an Italian restaurant in the heart of Chinatown has quietly closed its doors.

Aces Chinatown’s dining room. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The owners of Italian restaurant Aces Chinatown have quietly shut its doors due to an “unforeseen event”.

The two-storey city venue, on the corner of Gouger and Moonta streets, closed earlier this year, less than 12 months after it was revived following three decades in the Central Market.

The high-profile eatery – formerly known as Italian diner Aces Pizza – was launched by Andrew Fantasia in March 2024, with FRP Capital the major shareholder.

Top Adelaide chef Tom Tilbury (Gather, Press) was at the helm as culinary director.

Sole director Mr Fantasia told The Advertiser: “Unfortunately the business closed due to an unforeseen event which I can not comment on at this time.”

Aces served up stylish Italian dishes with a “nod to Chinatown”, including their Yum Ciao lunch menu, a European version of traditional yum cha.

Aces Chinatown on Gouger Street has closed. Picture: Antimo Iannella

Inside the closed Aces Chinatown. Picture: Antimo Iannella

Aces Chinatown on Gouger Street has quietly closed its doors. Picture: Antimo Iannella

After just six weeks, the restaurant had to close down for several days after a flooding event caused severe water damage to its interior.

Tilbury announced his departure from the venue in June last year, and has since opened a new restaurant, The Botanic Lodge, in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

At the time of launch, Aces operations manager Kerryn Davies said they couldn’t have wished for a better spot to revive the iconic Italian diner.

The new Aces at Chinatown with Nathan Nababan, Kerryn Davies and Culinary Director Tom Tilbury. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“It’s offering something new on Gouger St. There is a lot of very traditional Chinatown Asian fare here,” she said.

“We are providing just another choice and another opportunity to come to this street and dine.”