The River Cafe and Red Ochre Barrel + Grill, on the River Torrens has closed after failing to secure long-term lease with Adelaide City Council

An Adelaide institution that is one of SA’s most picturesque dining destinations has closed, effective immediately, after “a long and fabulous ride”. Here’s why.

Executive chef and owner Ray Mauger and then head chef Nick Filsell at the Red Ochre Barrel + Grill in 2013.

One of Adelaide’s most picturesque dining destinations has closed, effective immediately.

The historic River Cafe and Red Ochre Barrel + Grill, on the River Torrens, War Memorial Drive, shut its doors for good on Monday after its owner failed to secure a long-term lease with Adelaide City Council.

Executive chef and owner Ray Mauger made the announcement on social media late on Tuesday, saying he had “no other option”.

“It has been a long and fabulous ride, but our ability to negotiate a long-term lease with the Adelaide City Council has failed, and we have no other option but to close our doors,” he wrote.

“Thank you, thank you for your loyal patronage over so many years.

“The hospitality industry has been our passion for over forty years, and who knows where that passion may resurface?

“For the moment, we need a break to restore and rethink where we belong.”

Chef and owner Ray Mauger at his Red Ochre Grill and River Cafe venues on Memorial Drive, Adelaide.

Ernest's Restaurant on the River Torrens in 1965.

Boasting some of the best water views in Adelaide, the ground-floor River Cafe, and its upstairs restaurant sibling, the Red Ochre, have been serving customers since 2008.

The two-level venue has been open since March 1961, originally as Ernest’s Bistro and Grill Restaurant.

Over the years it’s had several different names, from Benjamin’s, then The Taipan, to most recently Cafe Lago, Gekko’s and Flannigan’s. It was previously owned by well-known Adelaide hospitality entrepreneur Bill Sparr.