Drinks with a view: Adelaide's top rooftop bars

WITH weeks of warm weather just around the corner, we’ve scouted the best rooftop spots to watch the sun go down with a drink in hand in Adelaide.

Adelaide

We’ve scouted the best rooftop spots to watch the sun go down with a drink in hand in Adelaide.

HENNESSY LOUNGE – MAYFAIR HOTEL

Adelaide’s Mayfair Hotel has shaken up the city’s five-star scene with its stylish interior spaces, personalised service and views of vibrant Adelaide.

Journey up to the Hennessy Lounge where the city has a stylish new haven in the sky. While a late night balloon of XO might be the ideal nightcap at the bar, it’s not named after the French cognac house, but the building’s original architects.

Your journey begins by winding down the lobby staircase to the hotel’s Mayflower restaurant before catching a lift up to level 13. Step out of the lift and you’re in an exclusive sanctuary tinged with mystery. James Bond would be comfortable sinking into one of the lounges under the chandeliers in the luxurious loft space.

Outside you’re on a narrow rampart located behind sandstone battlements, admiring the art deco gargoyles. To the side, a larger patio affords an inner-city view back over Peel and Leigh Streets, while inside attentive staff serve up local wine, boutique beers and mix cocktails at the marble topped bar.

Glance out and beyond and there are views over the cityscape and the Rundle Street Mall. It’s not a spectacularly beautiful vista but an absorbing glance over the rooftops of a city.. You can also wave to the good folk enjoying a night at 2KW just down the road where the views may be more eye-popping minus the sense of mystery.

mayfairhotel.com.au/hennessy

2KW

It’s the rooftop restaurant and bar - with extraordinary views - that Adelaide’s been crying out for.

2KW, perched on Level 8 of a historic former bank building on the city centre’s northern edge, offers a panorama that stretches from the ocean to the Adelaide Hills.

Refocus on what’s closer to hand and you’ll spot landmarks such as Government House grounds, Adelaide Oval, the River Torrens and the spires of St Peter’s Cathedral \ illuminated at night.

While the spacious outdoor deck boasts comfy cushioned benches, others prefer to sit

inside the restaurant where they can tussle over small, medium and large share plates such as Streaky Bay oysters and Kangaroo shank tagine.

The bar pours four South Australian wines made exclusively for the venue; there’s also an intriguing selection of craft beers, including locals such as Prancing Pony Double Red Ale and Brew Boys Hoppapotamus IPA.

Even the bar food menu is a cut above the norm, with pizza toppings that include smoked rainbow trout and raw broccoli pesto.

2kwbar.com.au

THE GALLERY

Head down to Waymouth Street and The Gallery is a rooftop bar with a difference. While downstairs boasts an eclectic gallery, upstairs houses a space melding rooftop bar and city architecture.  

The lush green interiors soften your surrounds while you glance out onto some of the city’s newest office buildings. Perfect for a tapas tray (or two), shared dishes are perfect to enjoy with colleagues or that special someone.

galleryadelaide.com.au

ROCKET ROOFTOP BAR ON CRIPPEN PLACE

Close to the nightclub district, this one’s for a crowd that’s well and truly ready to let its hair down. Music venue Rocket Bar sits downstairs, with its rooftop space pairing vintage garden furniture with a big palm tree in the centre to give a real 70s backyard feel.

Get there in the summer when they’re screening movies on the back wall such as Cocktail or Richard Linklater’s masterful Dazed and Confused.

facebook.com/RocketRooftop

See also:

50 best things to do in South Australia

These are Adelaide’s best breakfasts

20 best short breaks in South Australia

South Australian wineries - our top picks

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Originally published as Drinks with a view: Adelaide's top rooftop bars