Flying interstate these holidays? Broadsheet’s series of city cheat sheets are here to help. From the new players that live up to the hype, to old favourites that continue to deliver, this hit list will help you make the most of your visit.
(If your travels are taking you elsewhere around Australia this Christmas, Broadsheet has hit lists for Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, too)
EAT HERE
Breakfast
Start the day on Ebenezer Place and Vardon Avenue, a small stretch of coffee shops, wine bars and boutiques hidden off the East End’s main drag. You could easily spend your 24 hours here, but try to push on at some point. Among the gamut of choice stops, relaxed French cafe turned brasserie Hey Jupiter is a go-to among the local hospo crowd. The stunning Parisian frontage is enough to lure you in. The fine selection of French treats (croissants, croque monsieur, escargot and breakfast cocktails) will keep you there.
The jewel in the crown, though, is Exchange Specialty Coffee; a cool and contemporary cafe with creative takes on brunch fare (try the signature Wallace or its vego cousin, Walloumi). As the name suggests, coffee is the main game: order an espresso, aeropress or batch brew (beans are from Melbourne stalwart Market Lane Coffee and local roaster Monday’s Coffee Co) to set you up for the rest of the day.
Need to refuel as soon as you land? Pull into Karma & Crow, conveniently situated between the airport and the city, for a leisurely brunch in a breezy open warehouse. When it’s time for another caffeine hit try city hotspots Monday’s Coffee, Abbots and Kinney or Fairweather.
Lunch
Still strolling down Ebenezer? Hit up Parwana Kutchi Deli, the hip, young, city-based sibling of Adelaide’s singular suburban eatery Parwana Afghan Kitchen. Stop in for mantu (steamed dumplings) and bolani (pan-fried flatbread with lamb mince or potato fillings). Nab a table outside and engage in a little people watching.
Away from the bustle, Etica: Pizza al Taglio sits in a quiet part of town surrounded by a stack of businesses and residential properties – but the new arrival is making plenty of noise. Above a cabinet of thick, crisp, slow-baked pizzas a Friesian-Hereford dairy cow hangs suspended from the ceiling by its hind legs. It’s a confronting image for sure, but it’ll start a conversation about the oft-ignored origin of our food. And that’s the point. The all-day diner – from the owners of flagship restaurant Etica just a street away – serves its pies al taglio (“by the slice”). Pair it with a smooth Italian-style brew (from Adelaide roaster D’Angelo) or a glass of local organic vino.
Stray from the city to the Hills' cellar door-with-a-difference, The Summertown Aristologist. The peerless not-quite-a-wine-bar, not-quite-a-restaurant from Basket Range winemakers Anton van Klopper (Lucy Margaux) and Jasper Button (Commune of Buttons) serves some of the most innovative produce-driven dishes in SA alongside the state’s best natty wines. Add head chef Oliver Edwards (ex-Cumulus Inc, Melbourne) and intuitive host Aaron Fenwick (ex-Orana) and you’re in some very good hands. Block out the afternoon for this one.
Dinner
Nab one of the best seats in town (nay, the country) at Duncan Welgemoed’s Africola. The vibing East End restaurant turns out North African cuisine made with native Australian ingredients, baptised with fire. The menu is a rollcall of some of the best eats in town: crispy eggplant laced with chilli jam and topped with finely grated fermented sheep’s milk; a much-photographed finger sandwich of crispy chicken skin, parsley and chilli mayo (served with a side of hot drippings); and a charred cauliflower steak slathered with a moreish coating of tahini and burnt butter. Let the knowledgeable staff recommend a bottle of local, minimal intervention wine to match.
Simon Kardachi is the man behind some of the city’s top spots (see: Osteria Oggi, Press Food & Wine and Maybe Mae, to name a few). So his newest offering, Shobosho, an Asian “fire house” specialising in yakitori, launched with plenty of fanfare. And it delivers. Pair the menu of scorched, modern-Asian share plates with sake, wine or Japanese whisky; or select the Feed Me and Water Me option and let the staff guide you.
Still thinking about those dumplings at Kutchi Deli? Double down with dinner at parent restaurant Parwana Afghan Kitchen. The inner-west eatery serves vibrant, home-style Afghan food courtesy of the Ayubi family (matriarch Farida heads the kitchen). BYO booze, opt for the banquet – don’t go past the signature banjan borani (eggplant in tomato sauce drizzled with garlic yoghurt) – and let the Ayubis look after you.
Bridge the gap between dinner and drinks at no-fuss party bar Sunny’s Pizza. The rollicking, high-volume pizza place serves some of the best pies in a town overrun with cracking pizza. Add a DJ and impressive drinks list and it’s an easy place to kick on through the night.
Looking to splurge? Head to native food champion Jock Zonfrillo’s fine diner Orana for a degustation experience like no other. Or, for a taste of Zonfrillo magic on a bistro budget, head to Orana’s more approachable sibling, Blackwood.
DRINK HERE
The West End of the city is a hotbed of first-class drinking dens with Proof, Pink Moon Saloon, Clever Little Tailor and La Buvette among the best of them. Saunter down bustling laneways Peel Street, Leigh Street and Gresham Street and you’ll quickly find a bar to suit your needs. For expert cocktails go underground to Maybe Mae, hidden below Bread & Bone. Behind a concealed entrance you’ll find a 1950s-style cocktail lounge minded by master mixologists.
If whisky’s your tipple, go directly to Adelaide’s newest pub, Red October, on Gilbert Place. At first glance it mightn’t match your needs (although Russian spirits, on-tap cocktails and lo-fi local wines should change your mind) but slink downstairs to the dimly lit, subterranean speak-easy Susie Wong and you’ll find Adelaide’s biggest collection of whisky – soon to tip 500 bottles.
If you’re after a taste of southern Europe head east to Iberia, the late-night sibling of Tom Roden’s morning hotspot, Exchange. Settle into the cosy basement bar with a sherry, vermouth or Spanish wine and a round of smart, modern small plates inspired by the Iberian Peninsula. Salud.
Bookend your day with a return to Vardon Avenue for a drop or few at elegant, refined wine bars Mother Vine and East End Cellars.
GO HERE
Port Adelaide is having a moment. Thanks in large part to Renew Adelaide’s activation of the area’s once-vacant shopfronts, a flock of new operators has moved into the neighbourhood. Among the new residents are taco joint La Popular Taqueria; rejuvenated gastropub The Port Admiral; retail store and creative hub Cult and Harper; and art gallery Fontanelle. They join existing favourites Low & Slow American BBQ, Dutch Coffee Lab and Drummer Boy in the historic portside suburb. It’ll be tempting to spend all your time dining and drinking (we’re not judging), but save time for a walk along the water and heritage streets.
For greener pastures, head for the Hills. The world-class wine region has re-staked its claim as a culinary destination. The recent additions of The Summer Aristologist; natural wine and pizza bar Lost in a Forest; the renovated Uraidla Hotel and adjacent bakery; breakfast haunt Fred Eatery; and a crop of new cellar doors have awakened the once-sleepy towns and main streets. Don't leave before sampling your share (and then some) of the first-rate Adelaide Hills drops.
DO THIS
Catch the tail end of Tarnanthi, a collection of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, at the Art Gallery of South Australia. It’s the flagship exhibition of the statewide, biannual culture festival. Make time to visit the Central Market, a grand, undercover haven of organic vegetables; smelly cheeses; native meats; freshly baked bread and locally roasted coffee as well as home-style pasta, steaming laksa and packed pans of paella. In the new year, keep an eye out for Gallic food, wine and music festival So Frenchy So Chic, which expands into Adelaide for the first time.
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