SkyCity Adelaide’s fine-dining restaurant Sol Rooftop turned into more casual eatery with new chef

One of Adelaide’s fine-dining restaurant has a new head chef and a more casual, all-day menu – but you can still enjoy luxury and a $220 glass of Grange.

SkyCity Adelaide’s upscale rooftop restaurant has been revamped to cater for more casual diners – without sacrificing its high-end quality.

The casino’s top food offering, Sol Rooftop, will be officially relaunched on Monday, showcasing a new all-day menu featuring smaller snacks and shared plates, alongside larger dishes featuring crayfish and premium wagyu.

You can even wash it all down with a $220 glass of Penfold’s Grange, which is among a wide selection of local and international wines available at different price points.

Sol’s new head chef Rhys Nicholson said moving away from fine dining would make the venue more accessible for people looking to pop in for a quick drink and a bite.

“It’s a big commitment to do a degustation for a couple of hours. The type of dining that we were doing was a little harder for people,” he said.

“Now it’s easier to access a different range of dishes from the higher-end wagyu steaks to the casual hummus and halloumi and vegetable dishes. It’s a good way to eat.”

Head chef Rhys Nicholson from Sol Rooftop with halloumi and wagyu dishes in Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

Halloumi and wagyu dishes at Sol Rooftop in Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

Located on level nine – with spectacular views of the Adelaide Hills, River Torrens and Adelaide Oval – Sol Rooftop has been dubbed the “jewel in the crown” of SkyCity’s $330m expansion.

Nicholson, 33, was sous chef when the venue’s kitchen first opened under top Adelaide chef Kane Pollard in December 2020, focusing on contemporary SA cuisine with locally sourced artisanal produce.

Pollard resigned in February to pursue other projects, including his Tea Tree Gully eatery Topiary, and to spend time with family.

Nicholson has worked at a host of Adelaide’s leading restaurants including Press* Food & Wine, Bistro Dom, Osteria Oggi and Shobosho. This will be his first gig as head chef.

“It’s a beautiful restaurant and I can’t wait. It’s little extra pressure but I’ve been sous chef a lot and it’s almost the same thing,” he said.

Eos by SkyCity general manager Jodi Brown said the refurbished venue, which will be open seven days a week from 11am until late, promising to be the “pulse of Adelaide’s entertainment scene”.