Meet the faces behind Adelaide’s favourite family-run restaurants
They are the backbone of the SA hospitality scene, cooking up our favourite dishes for generations. Meet the families behind our top dining institutions.
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Forget about tucking into a Happy Meal as your first dining-out experience.
Kids born into South Australia’s most well know foodie families grow up eating – and, no doubt, helping out – in their parents’s restaurants.
Family-run eateries are also often the names on everyone’s lips when someone says “Where should we catch up for as meal?”.
It is because these Adelaide institutions known how to make diners feel at home with their zest for hospitality – and delicious in-house dishes – that are passed down through the generations.
Meet the people behind the nine of the state’s top family owned restaurants.
THE SINGH-SANDHU FAMILY
Jasmin
This family-run Indian restaurant started out as a small unlicensed eatery in a Hindmarsh Square basement in 1980. It had 20 tables and a Coca-Cola fridge.
It was founded by husband and wife Jasbeer and Anant Singh-Sandhu. Jasbeer passed away in 2012, but matriarch Mrs Singh is still involved in the business.
The founding couple’s children Amrik and Sheila are proudly carrying on the Jasmin tradition with her help.
Now 93, Mrs Singh is very much involved in quality control and new menu ideas, regularly liaising with the chefs.
“She loves it that so many people love her food – she says it makes all the hard work over the many years all worthwhile,” Amrik said.
Famed British chef Marco Pierre White has described Mrs Singh as “the jewel in Adelaide’s crown”’ and the restaurant as “truly exceptional”.
“Where Mrs Singh is a genius is she doesn’t believe in change, she believes in refinement,” he said.
And it is mutual appreciation. Mrs Singh’s favourite Jasmin memory was meeting Pierre.
“Mum was so excited to cook for him and for him to tell her how much he enjoyed his lunch,” Amrik said. “She got pictures with him that share a spot on the sideboard at home, with pictures of her children and grandchildren.”
Famous guests have included international cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Elton John and the late Gough Whitlam.
THE FAVARO FAMILY
Chianti, Bar Torino, Rozelle’s
Making everyone feel as if they are as important as the prime minister is the secret behind the enduring success of the Favaro family.
Frank and Maria Favaro opened Adelaide dining institution Chianti, in Light Square in 1985, eventually moving to their current location on Hutt St in 2000.
With a passion for Italian cuisine and a family rich in culinary tradition, the couple showcased the flavours of their homeland using recipes passed down from Frank’s mother, Luisa, who worked at Chianti until early 2004.
“From the very beginning, our approach to hospitality has been about welcoming each guest as if they were entering our home. It’s about making everyone feel special, from the prime minister to our local neighbours,” Frank and Maria said.
“It’s the friendships and memories we create that make our venues more than just places to eat – they’re spaces for connection and celebration.”
The family expanded their hospitality footprint next door with Bar Torino in February 2015, and in January this year, they launched Rozelle’s, part of a $7.2 million development at Carrick Hill.
It’s the next step in the evolution of the family’s business, spearheaded by the couple’s children Jessica Favaro-Richards and Nicholas Favaro.
Rozelle’s offers a taste of northern Italy with dishes like artichoke fritti and baked rigatoni alla vodka, all with breathtaking views of Adelaide’s cityscape.
“This new venture marks our continued growth and commitment to providing unparalleled dining experiences, all while honouring our family’s tradition of exceptional hospitality,” Jess and Nick said.
THE AYUBI FAMILY
Parwana
Started by Farida and Zelmai Ayubi in 2009, after they fled war-torn Afghanistan at the height of the Cold War, Parwana at Torrensville is very much a family restaurant.
Their children and grandchildren work there and it is also a place where Nigella Lawson feels very much at home.
The famous foodie first paid a visit after receiving a copy of the Parwana cookbook.
Released in October 2020, the tome was penned by Durkhanai Ayubi, the family’s fourth daughter.
“We have always felt very lucky to have the love of our community,” she told The Advertiser when Parwana won a delicious. 100 award in 2022. “It’s the key to what makes us feel encouraged – the key to our success.”
THE FAZZARI FAMILY
Enzo’s Ristorante, Enoteca Cucina and Lounge and Enzo’s at Home Ready Meals
Earlier this year, Enzo Fazzari and wife Teresa decided to close down their beloved Italian restaurant, Enzo’s Ristorante, a staple of Adelaide’s Port Road for 25 years across two locations.
It was the culmination of 50 years in hospitality for chef Enzo, 70, who started at Da Clemente in Rundle St and previously had his own eatery in Port Adelaide in the early 90s.
But it was Enzo’s which captured the imagination of the Adelaide food-loving public, and visiting celebrities including Michael Buble, Jon Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie and Barry Humphries.
They’ve won multiple awards, including Excellence in SA Formal Italian Dining in 2017 and 2019.
But after preparing an estimated 750,000 meals over his career, Enzo decided to hang up the apron in May.
“I will miss them because they are not just customers, they are friends, they are family. I’m going to miss them – truly,” he said.
Enzo’s culinary legacy lives on in his sons Matthew and Alex, who run the family’s successful Enzo’s at Home Ready Meals business.
And late last year, his daughter Natalie fulfilled a dream by opening up her own Italian restaurant, Enoteca Lounge and Cucina, on Rundle St, with fiance Alessandro Ennor.
“We are very proud of all of them,” Mr Fazzari said.
THE ADAM FAMILY
The Middle Store
Rose Adam, who became a household name thanks to TV cooking comp MasterChef Australia, runs The Middle Store with her sister Haefa.
Known and loved for its contemporary brunch and Lebanese offerings, the eatery is a popular with people who live in the neighbourhood but also a destination for foodies.
“We had a strong vision and goal,” Haefa told The Advertiser.
“We wanted to be a spot that the locals would walk to and have a coffee.”
Fans of the coffee, include Poh Ling Yeow, also of MasterChef fame. “It’s my fave coffee in town,” she has said, adding: “My close friends, sisters Haefa and Rose Adam (I met Rose on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win), run the cafe and the coffee is always impeccable. Paired with Rose’s date cake – heaven.”
THE NGO/LUONG FAMILY
Nghi Ngan Quan, Little NNQ and 3rd by NNQ
Two generations of women – chef and matriarch Huong Ngo and her daughter Jennifer Luong – created the powerhouse is the NNQ empire.
It all started with Nghi Ngan Quan (NNQ), a fun and funky family-run modern Vietnamese restaurant, which opened at Ferryden Park back in the day.
A decade ago it moved into a heritage building – a former Savings Bank of South Australia – at Woodville and became one of the western suburbs’s hottest eateries.
Its sister restaurants in the city – Little NNQ, on Gouger St, and 3rd by NNQ – are proving just as popular.
THE ROSELLA/BUGEJA FAMILY
Lucia’s, Lucia’s Fine Foods Store and Charcuterie and Luica’s products.
Lucia and Pasquella Rosella opened what would become a South Australian institution within a South Australian institution almost 70 years ago.
Housed in Adelaide Central Market, which dates back to 1869, the legendary Lucia’s has been there since 1957.
“My mum worked here until the day she died (in 2002),” Lucia and Pasquella’s daughter Nicci told The Advertiser when Lucia’s celebrated its 60th anniversary.
“The pizza toppings in those days were tomato, olives, anchovies and cheese. Then ham and pineapple came along — the American influence.
“(Mum) realised people didn’t just want Italian food, and this has always been a diverse place to visit. She made pizza and spaghetti, but also ham sandwiches and double-cut rolls.
“For a while people wanted pizza piled high with toppings, but now, the simple margarita is back. That’s a good thing.”
Lucia served no-nonsense flavoursome food, like you would find at her own or any Italian home.
Her daughters, Nicci and Maria, have carried on her tradition. Just like their mum, you will find them greeting and treating customers like family in Lucia’s Pizza and Spaghetti Bar.
Lucia’s is now managed now by its founder’s granddaughter Emma.
Like her grandmother, she believes the customer is boss.
Emma is also keen to expand Lucia’s food and beverage offerings to complement old favourites on the menu.
Next door to the restaurant, is Lucia’s Fine Foods Store – where you can buy fresh pizza dough, pasta and soups, Lucia’s products and more – and its charcuterie.
Both are run by Lucia’s grandson Simon, who, with his brother Lee, is also in charge of managing operations at the family factory at Salisbury.
Lucia’s products, which include Classic Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce and Premium Passata Tomato Puree, are also available from supermarkets and fine food stores across Australia.
THE MITOLO FAMILY
Pizzateca
Father and son Vito and Tony Mitolo opened Pizzateca in McLaren Vale in 2016 and the rest is history.
The restaurant is famous for its Neapolitan-style pizzas which are quite simply long-proved dough that’s been hand stretched and then blasted in a 400C wood-fired oven – with delicious toppings, of course.
THE FRANZON FAMILY
Hilton Hotel and Bobbi’s Bar & Restaurant
Just so you know, the Hilton Hotel, on the corner of Sir Donald Bradman Dr and South Rd should not be confused with Hilton Adelaide in Victoria Square in the CBD.
The former, in the suburb of Hilton, is home to Bobbi’s Bar & Grill.
Hilton Hotel second-generation hotelier, James Franzon, who runs the hospitality business with his wife Elisa, wanted to pay tribute to his late father, Robert ‘Bob’ Franzon.
Old black-and-white photographs that have meaning to the family feature on Bobbi’s walls and coasters.
James’s dad ran the Hilton Hotel until 2000 and had an in-house restaurant called Bob’s Bar and Grill.
“We’ve been waiting and wanting to do this project for a long time. (It’s a) nod to history and a celebration of the present”, James told The Advertiser when Bobbi’s launched.
“We’ve imported a new pizza oven from Verona, Italy and that is a region that’s close to our family ancestry, so we’ve thought about how we can embody the rich history of the Hilton Hotel and create something refreshing and upbeat,
“Bobbi’s is about the meeting of old and the new in a fruit-of-the-earth type of place which celebrates the history of family and brings people together with dishes that are designed to share in a beautiful modern way and surround.”
Bobbi’s was previously Fedoras, which was also a celebration of Robert’s legacy. It was so named because he was famous for being a hat man.
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