The Best Date Places in Adelaide

Updated 7 months ago

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So you got a match. The next step is harder: finding the right place to impress your date. These aren't places for quiet, white-tableclothed romance. They're fun, energetic restaurants and bars packed with atmosphere, where there's rarely a chance for an awkward silence. Best of luck, lovers.

  • One of Adelaide’s original small bars also happens to have one of the city’s strongest drinks lists. It's also turning out elite bar snacks in the form of levelled up toasties.

  • At this tiny natural wine bar, there's no service bar, removing the barrier between staff and guests. Instead, you can pick your wine off the shelf – a bit like a bottle shop, but it's a bar.

  • Aperitifs reign supreme at this romantic riff on the Parisian bistro. Pull up a stool at the dimly lit bar for freshly baked bread and imported French cheese, or spill out onto the street with a lo-fi wine in hand.

  • CLT is cosy, classic and has a quality libation to satisfy every whim. If you’re after snacks, it’s got you covered with imported tinned fish, local cheese and sliced-to-order charcuterie.

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  • With a European menu and a record collection that’s off the charts, this vinyl-spinning bistro is another solid effort from the Clever Little Tailor gang.

  • Occupying an iconic corner in Adelaide’s East End, Exchange Coffee has long been at the front of the pack in the city’s specialty coffee scene. Come for Market Lane coffee brewed every which way, produce-driven brunch dishes and a signature sandwich worthy of its cult status.

  • A trip to this intimate basement on Rundle Street feels a lot like having a party in a wine cellar. There are cheap cleanskins by the glass and more than 200 wines by the bottle, which range from affordable to eye-wateringly expensive. Then there's a couple of cocktails and beers to choose from, with plenty of bar snacks, too.

  • A lively Southeast Asian restaurant by a former Rockpool pastry chef – need we say more? Come for creative Malaysian and Indonesian dishes, and one very eye-catching dessert. Plus, a vinyl-spinning bar upstairs.

  • Jake Kellie’s fire-powered restaurant harnesses a four-tonne wood oven and a fleet of grills to cook dishes starring SA produce. Enter for modern Australian barbeque at its finest. Plus, thoughtful drinks and plenty of fiery open-kitchen action.

  • Good Gilbert is the kind of neighbourhood bar you could easily lose track of time in. It’s a laid-back spot, with a wine list split between Australian and European labels. On the retro-ish menu, expect fun snacks and plates focused on sustainability.

  • This tiny, timber-panelled bar next to the Exeter Hotel is a destination for cocktails, lo-fi local wines and simple food such as olives, cheese and tinned seafood.

  • Park up at the sleek terrazzo benches at this approachable bar for charcoal-cooked share plates and an exciting range of wines. From the top shelf down, there’s a drop for every taste and budget.

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

  • A former drycleaner is the setting for one of Adelaide's most exciting drinking dens – a cosy, cleverly designed natural-wine bar serving world-class vino and inventive plates by a young chef with Michelin Star cred.

  • This Henley Beach icon was given a big refurb in 2020 by the team behind West Oak Hotel. Now, it's been reborn as a slick seaside destination. Expect soft-shell crab sliders, kingfish sashimi ad Pina Coladas.

  • This refined rooftop restaurant and bar is one of Adelaide's best rooftops. For good reason, from up high you can see out over the Governor's garden and the city.

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  • An intimate wine cellar with a list of close to 200 bottles, including hard-to-find drops like a single-vineyard palomino from Spain. Pair them with Ortiz anchovies, duck terrine or a slice of Basque burnt cheesecake.

  • The conversation flows just as freely as the South Australian wines at this cosy wine bar. Its snug interiors, homemade snacks and record player make it feel less like its namesake, and more like hanging at your coolest friend’s place.

  • This old pub hasn’t been updated since 1929, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

  • With spots right across the country (and in Hong Kong), Sydney-born Messina is Australia’s biggest gelato success story. Visit its first Adelaide outpost for freshly churned scoops, gelato cakes and Italian summer vibes.

  • Home-style Italian food and Euro-kitsch above one of Adelaide’s favourite pubs.

  • Come to this versatile bar for red-hot fried chicken, nautical-themed drinks, and even a range of stogies to puff on – if that's your thing.