12 Adelaide eateries to try in 2025: The hospo businesses bucking the trend amid cost-of-living crisis
Comfort food and value for money have become a recipe for success amid the doom and gloom of Adelaide’s restaurant closures. Taste test these new foodie hotspots.
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Comfort food in all its culinary forms – from delicious Japanese sandos to Mexican favourites and generous plates of European-style tapas – is serving up success for Adelaide’s latest hot spots.
New restaurants and cafes are feeding the hunger for a bustling hub that offers big portions, a homey, community feel and value for money.
The economy-defying trend is being driven by the lingering after-effects of Covid, the cost-of-living crisis and customers who are looking for “that homestyle feel”, says Australian Hotels Association SA branch chief executive Anna Moeller.
“The new places that are coming … have actually been influenced by Covid. I think the feeling that you’re at home and a good, home-cooked feed is directly a product of Covid and people almost re-engaging with that retro appeal,” she said.
“Covid did a lot of terrible things but I think it made people appreciate the more basic things, family and friends and the importance of being able to get together and share an experience around something as simple as food.
“The clever ones, the ones that are successful, are playing on that and taking advantage of that – not only that comfy, homey feel but also a hearty feed that’s value for money.”
When long-term Adelaide restaurateur Mia Zhang opened her latest venture, Yuna Cafe in Mile End, she tapped into a hunger for her two of her biggest loves – Japanese cuisine and comfort food.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LIST OF 2024’S HOSPO SUCCESS STORIES
Ms Zhang, who was behind Mile End’s popular Little Canton, said her new Henley Beach Rd venue, which opened in March this year and already has 10,000 followers on Instagram, celebrated “home-style Japanese food”.
“It’s the sort of thing you’d eat in a normal household in Japan,” said Ms Zhang, who was born in China and came to Adelaide as a university student.
“That’s the style of food that I love.”
Ms Zhang said sushi was not on Yuna Cafe’s menu as it was not an everyday food in Japan. Instead, the restaurant – which is regularly booked out on weekends – has its own version of Japan’s famous triangular rice balls, traditionally sold in convenience stores, and specialises in luscious sandos made with speciality milk bread and authentic matcha lattes.
The restaurant owner – whose first Adelaide eatery was Red Rock Noodle Bar in Holdfast Shores – said she had been surprised by Yuna Cafe’s instant success.
“We are very busy, I didn’t expect it would be so popular straight away,” she said.
“People really understand the concept, people are looking for a bit of comfort at the moment.”
Justin Brooks – who has honed casual, fun dining at his Melt restaurants in Hyde Park and the city – is taking their successful recipe of big tapas-style dishes and rustic pizzas to the Fleurieu Peninsula, where he has created his latest offering, Crisp.
The new eatery, on Port Elliot’s The Strand, opened its doors in August and is gearing up for its first summer in the teeming holiday spot.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: LIFE AFTER HOSPO
Mr Brooks said Crisp – which he runs with chef Kyle Booker, who is based in Port Elliot full time – would continue Melt’s ethos of connecting with the community and being a welcoming space for its customers.
“The success of Melt has been that it’s open to a variety of demographics – young families, girls who want to catch up for lunch, boys having a beer at the bar,” he said.
“We’ve tried to replicate the feel of what we’ve done in both Melts at Hyde Park and town, Crisp feels cosy and has a nice deck out the front … we hope it’s a place for the locals and also has something for holiday-makers who feel like the know us with their experiences of Melt.”
Mr Brooks said his restaurants were having to “squeeze everything a lot more” during the tough economic climate, absorbing rising costs to avoid increasing prices for his customers.
“When things go up on one side you can’t keep putting them up on the other … otherwise soon enough what’s seen as affordable and value for money changes,” he said.
“We want to be the place that people can afford to go to once a week.”
Nicola Pau – part of the team behind Osteria Oggi – is tapping into his own nostalgia and trying to recreate the bustling local dairy shops of his childhood in Milan with his new Hutt St venue, Latteria, which opened six months ago.
It’s based on the old-school Italian latterias that evolved into neighbourhood food, wine and aperitivo hubs.
“We definitely want to be a part of the community … we want people to feel the warmth and sense the genuine welcome,” said Mr Pau, who is running Latteria with Milan-born foodie Luca Baioni.
“Latterias are hubs for the community. You get an aperitivo or a negroni before dinner or you stay and have some snacks. We’re open from 12pm and close at midnight or 1am six days a week. The kitchen is open all day, we keep the kitchen open til late.
“This is what we’ve been dreaming of, seeing people coming in and enjoying themselves, being part of the community, that’s a great feeling.”
12 ADELAIDE EATERIES TO TRY IN 2025
Roma
Waymouth St, Adelaide
Adelaide’s changing food scene was the catalyst behind a major overhaul of a city dining precinct by Callum Hann and Themis Chryssidis.
The duo launched Roma – a casual restaurant, lunch-focused deli and outdoor cafe with an elevated piazza – in September following a month of renovations.
The three-pronged, Italian-themed offering replaced eleven, the modern Australian venue they opened in 2021.
Hann and Chryssidis completely revamped the alfresco cafe and bar area, plus added a deli in the adjoining Arbor Lane laneway, offering takeaway lunches and all-day snacks.
Chryssidis said that the changes were necessary to take advantage of the completion of the nearby $200m Marriott Hotel and adjust to changing dining habits.
“The food scene has changed enormously in the last few years and people want value for their money and we want to give them that,” he said when announcing the project.
Sofia
Hutt St, Adelaide
The hospitality group behind Part Time Lover went from strength to strength in 2024, launching a new bistro in June which has helped to revive Hutt St as a must-visit dining destination.
Co-owner Josh Baker described Sofia as an “extension” of their popular CBD diner, delivering a fun, relaxed eatery with a diverse, European-focused menu.
“It’s a place for anyone to come at any time, for any reason. Whether that’s for a coffee or a cocktail, or a big long lunch or an intimate dinner,” said Baker, whose team also owns Greenhill Rd hotspots Whistle and Flute, and Down The Road.
“We just wanted a European vibe and a menu for everyone. We love that style of food.”
In November, they added another venue to their portfolio, Pompom, in Forestville, just off Anzac Highway, serving up coffee and pita pockets packed with Mediterranean flavours.
Cafe Komodo
Prospect Rd, Prospect
This quirky stalwart – with its 1950s Formica furniture and retro crockery and cutlery – had been a much-loved part of Prospect Rd’s community for nearly 20 years when it faced closure in June.
Then owner Andrew Taylor told The Advertiser he was left with no choice but to close the popular eatery due to the ongoing hospitality crisis.
But the cafe – which serves all-day breakfasts, burgers, nachos and schnitzels – was saved at the final bell by hospitality veterans and long-time customers Mel Millard and Amber Grosser, who jumped in to invest in its future.
“Komodo is a unique part of hospitality history. Seeing it close would be utterly heartbreaking,” Millard said at the time.
“As a venue, it has all of our passions rolled into one – music, art, food and a laid back comfortable vibe.
“We’ll stay true to Komodo’s roots in making sure everyone feels welcome – even the puppies. We see it as a hub to come together and enjoy the good things in life. The baton has been passed to us and we feel a responsibility to give back to an industry doing it tough.”
Station Road
Festival Tower, Adelaide
Festival Plaza’s activation as a city hub took another step in November with the opening of this fine dining restaurant.
Located in Festival Tower, the French-inspired eatery with acclaimed chef Baine Stubbs at the helm, combines casual dining with world-class cuisine on the ground-floor of the stunning building.
General manager and co-owner Mathieu Smeysters – who’s also behind East End Cellars – said he’s confident the venue will become be a “longstanding destination in the Adelaide hospitality scene”.
“I love the versatility of our offerings catering to diners looking for a multi-course meal as well as those looking to enjoy a few wines and snacks without the need to make a booking,” he said.
One Sneaky Cheetah
Campbelltown
The team behind McLaren Vale’s beloved Pizzateca further expanded their chain of suburban pizza bars in 2024, bringing their Italian-style slices with an Aussie touch to the city.
Co-owners Tony Mitolo, Tim Anderson and Mark McInerney threw open the doors on their latest site in Campbelltown Shopping Centre in large October, their fourth venue following stores in Ridleyton, Melrose Park and Stepney.
They also announced plans for two more OSC shops – in Modbury North and somewhere by the coast – over the coming months.
“We work with local builders and design companies to make these venues happen. We are so happy with how Campbelltown turned out,” Mitolo said.
“The biggest challenge is to make a small space have an atmosphere and good vibe and we think we have done it.”
Bottega Bandito
James Place, Adelaide
More than three years after launching the hugely popular Bottega Bandito on Prospect Road, The Big Easy Group finally opened their much anticipated sister cafe in the CBD in June.
Located in James Place, off Rundle Mall, the Italian-style delicatessen has been consistently busy in the months since, with city customers drawn in by the delicious coffee, pastries, and a short breakfast and lunch menu, plus their famous range of paninis.
Oliver Brown, managing director of The Big Easy Group, said Bandito’s built-in micro bakery was another unique offering.
“It’s a show piece and people come in and look at the breads and pastries being made,” he said.
“It’s been really cool to see the lunchtime crowd along James Place, considering it was half shut with construction, it’s now got a vibrant laneway feel again.”
Hecho en Mexico
Peel St, Adelaide
The wildly popular Melbourne brand crossed the border into SA in July – and it’s been such a hit, there’s already plans for a second store in Prospect.
The Mexican favourite, which started on Brunswick St in Fitzroy in 2013 and has spread to 19 locations across Victoria, opened its first two interstate outlets this year – in Cairns and on trendy Peel St in Adelaide.
“We were short of good Mexican food in Adelaide,” said franchisee Simran Jit, who has worked in Adelaide’s hospitality industry since arriving from India in 2008.
“Most of the time, we are fully booked, especially on the weekends – there’s no table free. It’s a place for families, office workers, casual people who come into the city to dine … it’s comfort and value for money.”
Jit said he hoped to open his Prospect Rd Heche en Mexico, next to Bottega Gelato, before Christmas.
Its menu offers 10 different margaritas, three types of sangria as well as chimichangas, quesadillas, chilaquiles, taquitos, nachos and paella.
Latteria
Hutt St, Adelaide
Growing up in Milan, Nicola Pau loved visiting his local latteria, an old-school Italian dairy shop that evolved from simply selling milk into a neighbourhood hub that served up food, drinks and good times.
Now Pau – part of the team behind Osteria Oggi – has opened his very own version on Hutt St’s leafy boulevard.
“This is what I’ve been dreaming of,” says Pau, who opened Latteria six months ago with his Milan-born mate, Luca Baioni.
“Seeing people coming and enjoying themselves, it’s a great feeling. We honestly really like to give a great experience, when we see people walking in we are genuinely so happy to see them. We don’t take them for granted.”
At Latteria, Pau and Baioni, who also grew up visiting Milan’s dairy shops, along with top chefs Max O’Callaghan and Rhys Nicholson are serving handcrafted cocktails, quality wines and a selection of Italian plates.
Curating the drinks list is Baioni, who has worked at top bars around the world including Jerry Thomas Speakeasy (Rome) and Black Pearl (Melbourne), and most recently was a brand ambassador for Campari Group. O’Callaghan (Osteria Oggi, Press* Food and Wine), and Nicholson (Press* Food and Wine, Orso, Sol Rooftop & Bar), are the brains behind the menu, which focuses on the aperitivo style of dining where small snacks and drinks are combined.
Yuna Cafe
Henley Beach Rd, Mile End
Adelaide restaurateur Mia Zhang has tapped into a ravenous hunger for Japanese comfort food with her new offering on the city fringe.
Yuna – named in honour of Zhang’s two-year-old daughter, Valentina, and her brother and the cafe’s barista, Sam – opened in March this year and has become Insta-famous for its luscious sandos made with traditional, locally made milk bread, matcha imported from Kyoto, ochazuke tea rice and Japanese breakfast sets.
There’s no sushi on the menu but the restaurant – which is regularly booked out on weekends and has nearly 10,000 followers on Instagram – does have its own version of Japan’s famous rice balls, traditionally sold in convenience stores.
China-born Zhang, whose extensive Adelaide hospitality CV includes popular Mile End restaurant Little Canton, says her culinary passion is authentic Japanese and French cuisines. “I didn’t expect it would be so popular straight away,” says the 36-year-old, who has enlisted former Sushi Train chef Ikuo Sujimashi and Mukai Terukazu, who worked at Himeji on Gouger St, to cook for Yuna. “People really understand and like the concept.”
Jumbo Smash
Exchange Place, Adelaide
City foodies have been flocking to this CBD eatery which specialises in American-style smash burgers – so much so that it sold out of its juicy patties on the first three days of trade.
From the team behind funky O’Connell St diner Pastel, the new venue has become a smash hit – pardon the pun – with customers raving about chef and co-owner Jimmy Garside’s Oklahoma Smash burger: thin patties smashed with onions.
“It was designed in America because beef was so expensive, onions were a bulking agent and they keep the meat really juicy,” Garside said.
“People claim to serve smashed burgers, but very few actually do it.”
Crisp
Port Elliot
The team responsible for Hyde Park and city stalwart Melt is having its own sea-change, opening a vibrant new restaurant in one of summer’s favourite towns, Port Elliot.
It has a new name but Crisp is serving Melt’s trademark offerings of deliciously rustic pizzas and tasty, tapas-style small plates.
It has a funky new fit-out in the old Thunderbird restaurant on The Strand, just down the road from the Hotel Elliot on the town’s main thoroughfare.
Melt linchpin Justin Brooks and his Crisp partners, chef Kyle Brooker – who has moved to Port Elliot to work full-time in the restaurant – and Kickstart for Kids founder Ian Steele, are preparing for their first holiday season in the trendy Fleurieu town.
“I’ve always loved Port Elliot, it’s the jewel in the crown of the Fleurieu,” said Brooks, who is aiming to make Crisp a destination for locals while also catering for the big influx of festive holiday-makers.
“We think it’s the sort of food people want to be eating on holidays. We’re hoping it’s going to be a busy summer.”
Hey ZoZo’s, Hey MooMoo’s
Henley Beach and Aberfoyle Park
Young Adelaide cafe owner Elliott Brown has been bucking the hospitality trend, adding two new cafes to his portfolio in 2024.
Brown, 23, and his business partner, Mitchell Ward, opened Hey MooMoo’s in Aberfoyle Park in August, serving up takeaway coffee, fresh pastries, fruit salads and cold pressed juices, in The Park Shopping Centre.
The venue is Brown’s third, joining Hey Juj in McLaren Vale and Hey ZoZo’s, which he launched in Henley Beach in March.
“I am willing to give things a shot. The hospitality industry is going through one of its toughest times, however, in strong community areas everyone seems to support each other,” Brown said.
“The feeling of opening a third venue is very exciting especially alongside Mitchell’s support and guidance.”
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