7 of the best restaurants in Adelaide

By Marc Llewellyn

Adelaide’s restaurant scene is a vibrant, multicultural mix of good value eateries with explosive flavours and high-class dining rooms where the best local ingredients are matched with fabulous wines.

Where: 4 East Terrace, Adelaide

With bright decor and a bold menu, Africola shows off the best of North African cuisine. It's located on East Terrace, and offers up an authentic blend of African and Mediterranean influences. Although meat proteins only make up a small portion of the menu, guests can enjoy hearty dinner dishes like charred Peri-Peri chicken in addition to vegetables like "butter chicken" pumpkin and woodfired cauliflower. Choose from a selection of share plates before sipping on punchy cocktails or minimal intervention wine. 

Osteria Oggi

Where: 76 Pirie St, Adelaide

Hearty and honest, Osteria Oggi is a pasta bar with an Italian piazza feel in the heart of the city. It’s light and modern with a pergola-style roof over a cobblestone floor. You can eat at long bench tables or inside booths; a long concrete bar serves as another eating area. Dishes include homemade tagliatelle with blue swimmer crab and braised rabbit with kale. 

Gondola Gondola

Where: 1 Peel St, Adelaide

The Peel Street and Leigh Street laneways run parallel to each other, and both are home to plenty of cool bars and eateries. One of them is Gondola Gondola, a small, relaxed restaurant with a Saigon-style food stall feel. Vietnamese food is king here with influences from the wider Asian region. Smaller dishes include salt and pepper eggplant, while bigger servings include twice cooked duck and pork belly in fresh young coconut juice. Expect a wide variety of Asian beers, exotic cocktails, Japanese sake and South Australian wines. 

Ruby Red Flamingo

Where: 42 Tynte St, North Adelaide

Take a short taxi ride from the city centre, across the River Torrens and through extensive parklands to little Italy in the form of Ruby Red Flamingo. There are several rooms on the ground floor and a balcony upstairs. Tables and chairs come in various sizes and shapes, blackboards work as menus and the cutlery is mismatched for a bohemian feel. Favourites include the arancini rice balls and the mezze maniche. 

Press Food & Wine

Where: 40 Waymouth St, Adelaide

Press Food and Wine is a fabulous option if you enjoy inventive meals created from local produce. The restaurant spans two levels, with bright yellow tables placed on the pavement downstairs and a loft space with high ceilings upstairs. A wood grill cooks delicious steaks as well as other delectable meals such as dutch veal croquettes and taleggio pithivier. South Australian bottles dominate the extensive wine list. 

Parwana Afghan Kitchen

Where: 124B Henley Beach Rd, Torrensville

Located around two kilometres (1.2 miles) west of the city centre, Parwana Afghan Kitchen reflects the ethnic diversity that makes up modern Adelaide. This homespun eatery has vintage photos of the owners and their family on the walls and Afghan treasures serve as decorative objects. The food is packed with flavour and is fragrant with spices. Standouts on the small menu include the eggplant curry and the fried dumplings stuffed with chives and topped with mince meat and garlic yoghurt. The homemade ginger and walnut ice-cream is a cracker. 

Magill Estate

Where: 78 Penfold Rd, Adelaide

One of Australia’s finest food and wine experiences awaits you in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills, just 15 minutes by road from Adelaide city centre. Magill Estate is owned by Penfolds, arguably Australia’s best-known winery thanks to its outstanding Penfolds Grange Shiraz. The restaurant is a simple yet beautiful glass box with an open kitchen and vineyard views. The seven-course tasting menu is a highlight. You can combine your meal with wine tasting and a tour of the cellars.

Restaurant Botanic

Where: Plane Tree Dr, Adelaide

Set within the leafy folds of Adelaide Botanic Garden is the aptly named Restaurant Botanic, internationally lauded as one of Australia's top eateries. The stylishly appointed space exudes an inviting warmth from the moment you step inside, skilfully complementing the restaurant's lush surrounds. Forget reading the menu in advance – the only option here is the seasonal set menu, starring 26 plates of the finest produce, bursting with unique flavours.

Fugazzi Bar & Dining Room

Where: 27 Leigh St, Adelaide

In the heart of Adelaide's city centre, you'll find Fugazzi, an upscale, New York-inspired bar and restaurant offering playful dishes with ultra-fresh ingredients. Expect friendly staff shaking up cocktails in a glitzy bar and a menu inspired by Italian-American fusion. Lean back into an intimate booth with your favourite glass of red wine and tuck into rich pasta, wood-grilled meat and share plates boasting a divine array of seafood.