Top spots to eat and drink in Adelaide’s CBD: Favourite publican shares his top city spots
TODAY one of Adelaide’s favourite — and most recognisable — publicans shares his top spots to eat and drink in the city when he steps out of his own establishment.
City
Don't miss out on the headlines from City. Followed categories will be added to My News.
HOTELIER Piers Schmidt may only be 40 but he’s veteran of the Adelaide pub scene.
Piers, who owns Union Hotel and Bar Cuba in Waymouth Hotel, has owned and run pubs in the CBD for 15 years.
He’s a big believer in checking out what’s happening in his industry to stay ahead of the game.
“A lot of my friends are either in, or based around, the industry so we all like to seek out what might be new, different or interesting … I think its paramount to see what other hospitality businesses are doing,” he says.
“The competition in hospitality is now so fierce and developing so quickly that if you sit on your hands for too long, you become irrelevant.”
Piers, and his family, have renovated and run five city hotels starting in the early 2000s before the renovation boom really began.
He is responsible for the original renos at The Cumberland Arms Hotel, The Wakefield Hotel, The Gilbert Street Hotel, The Union Hotel and The Tivoli Hotel.
Piers is currently working with his interior designer sister Serena, through her firm Whitechalk Design, on renovations at the Union.
The main bar will be completed in the next fortnight with a new dining room to be launched early next year.
“Adelaide is moving forward and is a far more switched on place than it has ever been,” he says.
“It’s an exciting time to work and be involved in the city scape of Adelaide.”
Borsa Pasta Cucina, 1/25 Grenfell St
PIERS loves Borsa as a lunching spot for its handmade pasta, fun retro vibe and great service by Ernesto and the team.
The gnocchi con pomodoro hinges on tasty pasta dumplings with a simple tomato, garlic and basil sauce while the spaghetti con vongole is tossed with Coffin Bay cockles.
Borsa is the name of the Italian Stock Exchange, which is fitting given the restaurant is in Adelaide’s old stock exchange district.
Georges on Waymouth, 20 Waymouth St
BASED at the Union, Piersoften heads just along the street for a coffee fix at George Kasimatis’s popular European restaurant.
It’s a well-known meeting spot and can be relied on for great coffees served by excellent waiters in a polished setting.
Coffee goes even better with breakfasts such as bruschetta with salt-baked beetroot, smashed avocado, feta and dukkah on rye bread or a double-smoked ham toastie with gruyere cheese, mustard and cornichons.
Casablabla, 12 Leigh St, Adelaide
WHEN you own a pub, drinks are not hard to come by but sometimes it’s nice to get out and about.
Piers says he loves the buzz of this Leigh St bar and its tapas, drinks and live music.
Casablabla cocktails include a chocolate mojito made with chocolate spirit, mint, lime and soda, while beers range from locally-made Malt Fiction 13 Pale to a Spanish Estrella Damm Inedit.
Wines are predominantly SA labels with a few Euro additions.
Ranked: Adelaide Footy League Division One’s top 45 players
Division one of the Adelaide Footy League is packed with elite local talent so we’ve ranked the top 45 players for 2025. See who made the cut.
Photos: The wild 2000s at Heaven and Sugar nightclubs
Twenty years ago, they were Adelaide’s go-to clubs. Now we’ve found little-seen pics of all the crazy nights inside Heaven and Sugar nightclubs. Anyone you know?