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The Best Pubs in Adelaide

Adelaide’s pubs have been around since the early 19th century. Back then, public houses also served as hostels, post offices, general stores and community meeting places, meaning they had to be larger than their English counterparts. That’s why pubs are usually found towering over the intersections of Adelaide’s busiest streets. Whether you’re looking for a game of trivia, a place to go before a big night or a place to have one, you’ll find the perfect pub on this list.


Updated on 24 December 2025

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Adelaide City

Adelaide Hills

Adelaide Metro

Adelaide City

The Stag Public House
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The Stag Public House
The iconic East End pub has a kitschy sports bar, an old-school poolroom and a kitchen run by an ex-Orana, Noma and Attica chef.
The Exeter
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The Exeter
This old pub hasn’t been updated since 1929, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.
West Oak Hotel
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West Oak Hotel
A carefully updated old classic.
The Grace Emily
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The Grace Emily
The first rung on Adelaide’s live music ladder.
The Austral Hotel
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The Austral Hotel
The classic Adelaide pub that’s always open for a jug.
The Hotel Metropolitan
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The Hotel Metropolitan
A traditional pub that’s all about live music.
Mismatch Brewing Co.
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Mismatch Brewing Co.
Expect foraged produce, atypical pub food incorporating Mismatch beers (think kingfish garnished with hops and a riff on beer-can chicken riff) and experimental brews made in the “Mismatch lab”.

Adelaide Hills

The Uraidla Hotel
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The Uraidla Hotel
An old pub gets a welcome refurb in the Hills town.
Stanley Bridge Tavern
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Stanley Bridge Tavern
Get to know the locals at this historic pub.
The Scenic Hotel
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The Scenic Hotel
This hilltop boozer may look vintage from the outside – but its dizzying wine list and modern Australian pub grub say otherwise. The festoon-lit beer garden is a destination in its own right, offering gorgeous views of the city at night.
Stirling Hotel
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Stirling Hotel
A century-old pub with an eye on the future.
The Crafers Hotel
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The Crafers Hotel
French-bistro cuisine, pub classics and seven rooms to stay the night in.

Adelaide Metro

The Wheatsheaf Hotel
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The Wheatsheaf Hotel
An unpretentious pub dispensing (and brewing) some of the world’s best beers.

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The Crown and Anchor at The Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Adelaide City

The saga of the Cranker (aka the Crown & Anchor Hotel) is a long and twisted tale. The short version: the beloved live music pub has dropped anchor at another Adelaide institution, The Edinburgh Castle, for two years while it waits for a major development to finish at the pub’s original site on Grenfell Street. For now, the Cranker’s spirit lives on at 233 Currie Street, where you'll find live music, cheap beers and good times.