New liquor laws make it easier to open pubs in Port Adelaide, mayors want small-bar laws expanded as well
NEW laws expected to take effect next year will make it easier to revive old pubs or open new bars in Port Adelaide — but nearby mayors are keen for expanded small-bar licences, which have invigorated the CBD.
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NEW liquor laws expected to take effect next year will make it easier to revive old pubs or open new bars in Port Adelaide.
But nearby councils remain keen for the popular small-bar licences, which have transformed the CBD, to be extended in the meantime to suburbs such as Torrensville, Mile End and Henley Beach.
Experts are forecasting a population boom in the west and northwestern suburbs as the local workforce gears up to deliver a $90 billion naval shipbuilding program — creating demand for entertainment, dining and leisure options.
Speaking as part of The Advertiser’s Future Adelaide series, Australian Hotels Association SA general manger Ian Horne said new liquor laws were expected to “be in place very early next year” and would make it easier for people to secure licences for hotels, pubs and bars of all sizes.
“There’s now half a dozen old pubs in Port Adelaide just waiting for people to come along and love them,” he said.
“I think under the new liquor Act there’ll be a whole lot of opportunities.”
MPs passed a new Liquor Licensing Act late last year but the State Government is still drafting regulations to enact many of the changes, which include streamlining the currently complex system of licence types.
The former Labor government introduced a new option, a Small Venue Licence, to enliven city laneways.
It limits capacity to 120 patrons and does not require applicants to go through the same tough approval process as those wanting to open larger hotels or pubs.
These licences are currently restricted to the CBD but the State Government has the power to expand their use to the suburbs. A Government spokesman said this was “under consideration”.
West Torrens Mayor John Trainer said small bars could bolster the development of Henley Beach Rd as a “food and casual relaxation precinct”.
“There would be an increased number of business opportunities,” he said.
Charles Sturt Council Mayor Angela Evans nominated the suburbs of Hindmarsh and Bowden as areas which could benefit from “weekend and night time vibrancy” created by small bars.
Labor spokesman Kyam Maher said the introduction of small bars to the CBD had been “a roaring success” and if other councils were keen “then the Liberal Government should explore those opportunities”, while considering any effect on city small bars.
How Adelaide’s tastes have changed
OPEN the door to a modern restaurant, bar or cafe in any developed global city and you’ll likely find blonde-wood tables, exposed-stone walls, metal stools, string lights and a bicycle or curio hanging from the wall.
It’s the haute-hipster aesthetic and it applies whether you’re in London, Santiago, Shanghai or right here in Adelaide.
We’ve nailed this look so well that our city has been dubbed Australia’s Portland — but we’ve also gone one better.
Adelaide’s diners, small bars and cafes have added fun twists to the global design aesthetic — a mountain hut (Pink Moon Saloon), a hanging garden (Osteria Oggi), a mash of mosaics (Parwana).
And our hospitality venues keep visitors coming back for more thanks to artisanal food, wine, beer and coffee, great service and a sense of place.
“We have an exceptional array of fabulous hospitality products in South Australia,” says Restaurant and Catering Industry Association deputy chief executive Sally Neville.
“International diners can enjoy a multi-course degustation hand delivered by the chef at Hentley Farm, a pizza from Lucia’s in the Central Market, one of SA’s original pizza makers, and everything in between.”
“People run Adelaide down for being quiet, but that’s from 20 years ago,” says Nick Falkner director of the Australian Smart Cities Consortium.
“Come to Adelaide for a weekend and you can eat some of Australia’s best food, beer and wine, but we need to be upfront about this.”
Mark “Reggie” Reginato, owner of two liquor distribution businesses and an expert on all things wine and spirits, was at ground zero when Adelaide’s small-bar explosion happened. He helped to set up the drinks shelves of almost every pint-sized saloon in the CBD.
There are now more than 80 small bars across the square mile, and after taking a close look at what works, Mr Reginato has opened East End basement bar Hellbound with friend and winemaker Louis Schofield.
A wine bar, Hellbound, has bucked the “all-SA” trend, plumping for the best drops from around the world.
“I’m a big advocate for the state, but I’m also a big advocate for not putting up walls.”
Reginato says international guests “get very excited” when they see products from home. But he adds that while a Frenchman visiting Adelaide might begin the night with a French beer, attention later turns to exploring SA offerings.
“Hellbound can offer wines from smaller producers and regions from SA that they might not get out to,” he says. “Here, they can try things from across the state side-by-side.”
But most important, he says, is sticking to your guns.
“Sway away from your original goal and that’s where business downfall comes. People come to see your passion.”
Adelaide-born duo Emily Raven and Rachel Mead moved back from Melbourne to follow their passion and open cafe My Kingdom for a Horse on Whitmore Square, which draws on Emily’s long history in hospitality, spanning stints as a restaurateur, educator and chef, to which she’s added her current roles of cafe owner and coffee roaster.
She points to three emerging dining and drinking trends that our hospitality sector will need to address to keep discerning international diners and bar-goers in Adelaide: provenance (knowing where food, beer, wine and coffee comes from and how it was made); transparency (telling that story); and prescriptiveness — an industry buzzword that refer to diners wanting to go “off menu” and have more individualised eating choices.
A diner might want a vegan meal matched with wine one day, a seafood pizza and gluten-free beer the next and a mix of menu items the day after that.
Provenance and transparency are about ensuring menus tell a story about our great SA food, beer and wine offerings. Staff need to know the journey produce took from paddock or port to plate — and to share that story.
“Provenance has never been more important,” says Erica Rushbrook of Hahn and Hamlin in Hahndorf.
“And not just among young people, even Baby Boomers are interested. For example, people will only buy pastured eggs now — free range isn’t as free range as were sold.”
“People care about where we source our food. They’re very educated about it,” says Ms Raven.
Likewise, Mr Reginato says knowing the provenance of wines or spirits and sharing that story with customers is key, as is having enough diversity to meet the needs of those seeking out new varieties and methods.
“Unique produce with a great backstory has the potential to generate return custom, and loyalty to Brand SA,” Ms Neville notes.
“As a state we’re delivering, but we need to ensure it’s easy for diners to find the best match to their expectations so we can over-deliver and covert them to fans of South Australia.”
Five of the best small bars
— Mark “Reggie” Reginato
UDABERRI They kickstarted this whole small bar scenario and nobody can argue with that. They respect everyone who comes through the door and their offering is unique and consistent. 11-13 Leigh St, city
MAYBE MAE They are leading the way for sustainability by trying to use as much produce as possible. They won’t just take the lemon rind off and use it as a garnish, they’ll use all of the juice and the pips. They’ll even make something out of the skin of a pineapple. They create something out of everything they use so that they’re throwing away a garbage bag no bigger than a milk crate. 15 Peel St, city
HAINS & CO As a themed bar, my favourite would have to lie with Hains & Co. They’ve stuck to a nautical theme — rum and gin — which is obviously the sailors’ choice. And with its Break Even bottle (which lets people buy a glass of expensive spirit at a no-profit cost) its offering something new. 23 Gilbert Pl, city
RED OCTOBER Right next door to Hains and Co you’ve got Red October and its Susie Wong bar with a whiskey dominance. The two are right next door to each other. 22 Gilbert Pl, city
NOLA — Nola decided to go down the lines of a New Orleans cuisine, beer-focused and stuck with it. 28 Vardon Ave, city
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