Adelaide

One of Australia’s biggest and busiest cities, Adelaide is still a well-kept secret to many.

It is the home of many fantastic places to visit, but the city’s splendours have often kept a low profile. Aside from the Adelaide Zoo, fantastic food and wine festivals, art exhibitions and the impressive South Australian Museum, there are numerous quirky sights to see, cool neighbourhoods to explore and secret corners to discover.

The city is also justifiably famous for is its fiercely competitive food scene and Adelaide boasts some of the highest class eating establishments in the country.

Adelaide really is a foodie’s dream and there are so many options providing a top class experience. However, with all that exquisite choice out there, the toughest part of your outing is probably just choosing where to go.

Thankfully, we’ve done the research into the top culinary spots in Australia and we’ve assembled this ultimate guide to the best restaurants in Adelaide to help you decide where to eat.

Best Pizza Restaurants 

Of course, a great place to start for this ultimate restaurant guide is pizza. This is one of the most beloved dishes in every country in the world, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of wonderful places to order one in Adelaide.

Despite the dozens of top quality pizzerias in the city, we’ve chosen Pizza E Mozzarella Bar as our favorite because it represents the best all round dining experience you could ever hope for.

From the moment you step inside this restaurant, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a rustic Italian eatery. The decor doesn’t overstate itself and creates a comfortable environment to enjoy a meal with family and friends.

However, whilst the interior might seem quite muted at first, from the exterior, this place looks like a genuinely authentic Italian restaurant with pasta machines on display and rustic bread and meat hanging from the walls.

All this, before we’ve even talked about the menu! Here, you’ll find all the classic Italian pizza dishes you’d expect to see anywhere in the world. However, Pizza E Mozzarella Bar prides itself on using the highest quality ingredients, either sourced locally where possible or shipping all the way from Italy itself.

Even a standard margherita pizza feels like an exquisite slice of heaven at this restaurant, thanks to the high quality mozzarella and fresh basil that’s used.

As well as the simple dishes, this restaurant likes to mix things up a little with their top tier ingredients and they even offer pizzas with artichoke, ham, anchovies and olives. Not to mention, the Tutto Mare pizza, which is a fish lover’s dream, comes with prawns, mussels, anchovies and crab meat. It’ll be pretty tough to find a menu quite like this one anywhere else in Australia!

The only real criticism you could have for this restaurant is the prices. Dishes on the menu here aren’t the cheapest you’ll find in Adelaide but we don’t think anything is overpriced. For the slightly higher price tag, you’ll also be treated to some of the highest quality food available in the city. This is the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion with loved ones.

Best Indian restaurant

Another culture that has had its cuisine adopted by the Australian people is that of India. Bombay Bicycle Club is one of Adelaide’s most beloved and top quality Indian restaurants.

As the name implies, this restaurant has a fairly eccentric theme going for it, with bicycles hanging from the ceiling above customers’ heads. In fact, Bombay Bicycle Club has multiple rooms and dining areas which are all decorated amazingly well. The dark brown wooden interior combines well with the green plants dotted around the restaurant to make you feel like Indian royalty.

In terms of its menu, this restaurant is anything but a traditional, boring Indian restaurant. There are special deals on offer throughout the week for seniors, kids and special events. Not to mention, a separate pizza menu to accompany the standard Indian classics.

On the standard menu, you’ll find plenty of classic Indian dishes that you already know and love. However, there are also plenty of unique twists on Indian cuisine, inspired by other cultures. To really push the boat out, you should definitely try their beef schnitzel or barramundi fillet.

Essentially, this isn’t a place you go to just to fill your stomach. Of course, that is a part of the service, but their main focus is on the customer experience. Staff are super friendly and willing to make recommendations to help you find the perfect dish for you.

You can book certain rooms in the venue for events with a large group of people and there’s even a gaming room with slot machines that you can try out while waiting for your food.

Again, the prices of dishes on the menu here are certainly on the higher end of the scale, but you definitely get some high quality food to match.

Best burger restaurant

The beef burger is another dish that is loved around the world. As a result, there are plenty of places to get your fix in Adelaide alone.

We’ve chosen Bread and Bone as the best burger joint in the city because of its unique take on the classic, casual dining experience. Here, the long benches and stools at the bar encourage guests to enjoy the dining experience together and make new friends alongside their meal.

The modest, cozy interior amplifies this feeling of being close to your fellow diners and, when you’re sat at the far end of the restaurant, it almost feels like you’re in an exclusive club, hidden away from the rest of the world.

Some of the burgers on this restaurant’s menu have pretty unique ingredients, including the peri peri burger which contains avocado and feta cheese, or the Memphis pulled pork burger where you’ll find kohlrabi remoulade. However, if you’re after something more classic, they also have you covered with a standard cheeseburger or B&B (beef and bacon) burger.

Another aspect of this restaurant that always draws in a crowd is its fantastic bar. There’s a great selection of beers and IPAs available on tap or in cans from the local area and surrounding Australian cities. South Australia is also well known for its high quality wine, so Bread and Bone brings plenty of reds, whites and pinks to choose from too.

Arguably, this isn’t the most kid friendly restaurant because of the emphasis placed on their alcoholic drink selection. However, there’s no reason you couldn’t enjoy a meal here with the whole family. With such a diverse menu, there’s bound to be something to suit everyone’s tastes.

Best cafes

For a more laid back dining experience like a lunchtime catch-up with friends, you might want to look at something like a cafe.

The Banksia Tree is one of the best cafes in Adelaide, with a highly ethical business model and delicious menu to accompany it.

Their focus is on supporting local, South Australian farmers and producers. As a result, all of their ingredients are sourced locally and as much reuse and recycling as possible takes place in the kitchen.

From the outside, you’ll see a crisp, clean street corner with tables placed outside most days to enjoy a meal in the sunshine. Inside, you’ll find a beautifully well lit seating area with a humble and muted decor. The fire wood that adorns the wall and couch by the window make this place feel more like a family member’s living room than a top quality eatery.

The menu at thai place is probably a vegetarian’s idea oh heaven, with plenty of meat free options to satisfy everyone’s dietary needs. Don’t worry though meat lovers, there are still plenty of burgers and sandwiches that contain some high quality, well seasoned meats to make for the perfect lunch meal.

The Banksia Tree runs an all day breakfast and lunch menu, meaning you can turn up at any time of the day to enjoy a brunch-style meal. Treat yourself to an even more grown up version of brunch by adding a mimosa or other cocktail to your order too!

Best coffee shop

Maybe you don’t want a proper sit down meal, but rather a place you can enjoy spending time with friends and family with some good food and drinks to make your stay more enjoyable. Well, Peter Rabbit is just about the best you can get in Adelaide for chilled vibes and good food and drink.

You’d be forgiven for walking right past this place without giving it a second look because it appears almost like a piece of the jungle in the center of Adelaide. The gorgeous outdoor garden area with benches makes it the perfect place to go with kids to let them play around in nature while the grown ups enjoy a coffee! Even the whimsically designed gate makes this place feel like it’s come straight out of a fairytale story book.

In terms of its menu, Peter Rabbit has plenty of beautiful brunch and small lunch plates with interesting takes on the classics. For example, you can keep things simple with their eggs ‘your way’ and sourdough slice or push the boat out and try the spring plate, adorned with hearty fruits and vegetables that make not only for a healthy plate, but a bright and colorful one too.

Of course, drinks at Peter Rabbit are another of its highlights and the drinks menu doesn;t disappoint either. They have a wide array of coffee and tea drinks to choose from, as well as some alternative hot drinks like babyccinos and Chai lattes. Depending on the type of outing you’re going for, you could even give some of their cocktails a try. The Henry’s Cider Spider is particularly eye-catching and is served with a scoop of ice cream!

Honorable Mentions

Golden Boy

We simply couldn’t leave this Thai restaurant off of our list. The contemporary nature of this Golden Boy makes it a hit in the center of Adelaide, with customers coming back over and over again for the good vibes and delicious cuisine.

The expert waiting staff will tailor a dining experience to you and your group specifically with the Tuk Tuk meal option. This is a great way to take a journey through the flavors of Thailand and be guaranteed a great meal that suits your tastes.

Osteria Oggi

This is one of the highest rated and best reviewed restaurants in the whole of Adelaide. The Italian dining experience here is fantastic, with a rustic, yet sophisticated atmosphere across the whole venue. It’s the perfect place to grab an evening meal with a group of friends in the upstairs, warmly lit seating area. Alternatively, bring a group of colleagues from work here for a fun outing in the private cellar. Here, you can enjoy a more personal service in the privacy of the cellar and sample some exquisite wines.

Chianti

The last of our honorable mentions is this Mediterranean spot that offers its guests some of the finest handmade dishes in Australia. The freshly made pasta is to die for and even the simpler plates of cold meat and vegetables have been selected carefully to provide the best possible taste sensation. The modern, sophisticated decor provides a lovely backdrop for the intimate seating area which brings you closer to the friends and family you might be enjoying a meal with.

How to find the best restaurants

If you’re new to an area like Adelaide and what to find the best restaurants around without having to go out and look at them all, there are plenty of ways to do all the necessary research online:

  • Use Google Maps – Google Maps will show you the locations of all the most popular restaurants in your area.
  • Search by cuisine – If you’re looking for a particular cuisine for your meal (e.g. Chinese, Italian, Indian, etc…), make sure you search or set up the parameters for what you’re looking for.
  • Choose restaurants with lots of reviews – Online reviews pretty much run the restaurant industry and it’s way more important that a venue has a lot of reviews rather than a handful of good ones. This means that lots of people have visited it and enjoyed their experience.
  • Look out for award winners – Restaurants that have won industry awards will often advertise it on their website. These places are almost always the best ones to go for.

Conclusion

This has been our ultimate guide to the best restaurants in Adelaide. Like we said at the start of this article, there are hundreds of top class restaurants in the city, with so many great places that we couldn’t even fit into our list.

We’ve covered all the categories you’ve seen on this list in other articles on this page so check those out for a more detailed breakdown of each type of restaurant.

Wherever you choose to go from this list, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have an incredible dining experience. Bon appetit!

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