Best Restaurants in Adelaide City
There's a huge concentration of restaurants in Adelaide city, with many of the heavy hitters found on and around Leigh and Peel Streets. But there’s also an eclectic bunch at Rundle Street’s east end that includes swish Asian diners, good-times Greek and more.
Whatever your budget, occasion or preferred cuisine, this guide can help. Know this, though: it is large. There are almost 40 venues listed below, which is the number we feel is necessary to really do justice to the city’s restaurant scene.
Words by Dan Cunningham
Updated on 30 March 2026
Restaurant
La Louisiane
Descend to the basement of a heritage city space to find this moody, late-night brasserie for French fare, live jazz and one of the best Martinis in town.
Restaurant
Kiin
Kiin’s Ben Bertei is one of the country’s most exciting chefs. Try the cuisine-crossing dishes – like burrata with green nam jim – at his buzzing modern Asian restaurant and you’ll understand why.
Restaurant
Tarantino's
Old New York-Italian is infused with pan-Asian influences at Tarantino's, a retro diner-inspired eatery in the heart of Adelaide.
Restaurant
Longplay Bistro
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.
Restaurant
Asian Gourmet
Run by a husband and wife duo since 1985, this Malaysian favourite has a special place in the hearts of market-goers and laksa fans alike. Come on Friday for the special Sarawak soup and taste the difference.
Restaurant
Osteria Oggi
Oggi raised the bar for Italian food in Adelaide when it opened in 2015, and it’s just as good as ever. Visit for hand-made pasta and one of the best cellars in town. Plus, one of the state’s most awarded restaurant fit-outs.
Restaurant
Daughter in Law Adelaide
Find Melbourne chef and restaurateur Jessi Singh's self-described "unauthentic" Indian cuisine at this colourful pan-Indian restaurant. Think naan pizzas, Indian-ish cocktails and a roving champagne and whisky cart.
Restaurant
Sunny's Pizza
You'll ask yourself the following when you enter this neon-lit gem: is Sunny’s a pizza joint that also happens to feel like a house party? Or is it a bar with DJs and primo pizza? Happily, the answer is “yes” to both.
Restaurant
Fino Vino
Fino at Seppeltsfield is a Barossa icon, so expectations were high for its first urban outpost. Good news: this charming 70-seat wine bar and restaurant delivers. The food is simple and elegant, with next to nothing wasted.
Restaurant
Herringbone
On a leafy Adelaide corner is one the city’s benchmark diners. Quentin Whittle’s creative menu looks to Asia and the Middle East for cues – but everything’s done in a way that feels effortless. Casual, mod-Oz dining at its best.
Restaurant
A Prayer for the Wild at Heart
This unpretentious brasserie will take you from breakfast right through to dinner. Expect a menu spanning flat iron steaks with cafe de Paris butter, and ricotta and truffle gnudi.
Restaurant
Restaurant Botanic
Crocodile-fat tortilla. Emu fillet smoked in paperback. Sea urchin tongues. Restaurant Botanic serves one of the most exciting tasting menus in the country, driven by produce from the surrounding 51-hectare gardens.
Restaurant
2KW
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.
Restaurant
Fugazzi Bar & Dining Room
A New York-inspired Italian restaurant riffing on tradition. Settle into an intimate booth (or a ringside seat at the marble bar) for “Roman Vegemite” toast and something delicious from the woodfired grill.
Restaurant
Part Time Lover
Channeling the sun-drenched vibe of Palm Springs, this vibrant diner is an all-day playground. From boozy breakfasts to late-night bites, the menu is built for sharing and designed to please a crowd.
Restaurant
Aunty Meg’s Kitchen
After eight years cooking at pop-ups, Meg Barathlall has a permanent home for her comforting South African Indian dishes. This casual spot is where to go for samosas, roti rolls and koeksisters (syrupy fried doughnuts).
Restaurant
Contemporary Japanese Deli
Tucked away in Dacosta Arcade, this homey Japanese eatery serves some of Adelaide’s best (and most affordable) Japanese lunches. Ramens, curries, bento boxes and more.
Restaurant
Minimono
A compact yet sophisticated diner serving big steaming bowls of 12-hour pork tonkotsu, soupless tantanmen and Japanese curry.
Restaurant
Aurora
A top chef with Michelin-star cred leads this socially sustainable diner at Adelaide’s multi-level Light precinct. Come for a menu powered by native Australian produce and various global influences.
Restaurant
Koomo
Crowne Plaza’s sleek 10th-floor restaurant delivers the stars of Japanese cuisine, rare whiskies from the country's reserve and sweeping views of the city and parklands.
Restaurant
Cheekies Hot Chicken
The hottest chicken at this Nashville-inspired joint is coated in a blend of four chillies. One of them is the infamous Carolina reaper, so you know Cheekie’s isn’t fooling around.
Restaurant
Busan Baby
This spot brings Korean street food to Morphett Street. There’s also spongy, fluffy chiffon cake and that bulgogi beef ramen dish from Parasite.
Restaurant
Press Food & Wine
Inside an old printing house, this influential eatery was among the city’s first to champion nose-to-tail cooking back when it was a novel concept. Local produce and wine is still a laser focus here, as is a dedication to sharp service.
Restaurant
Plus 82 Pocha
In South Korea, pocha is a street stall where you can eat, drink and socialise late into the night. That’s very much the brief here, with a focus on fried chicken and K-pop.
Restaurant
The Guardsman
A triple-threat restaurant at the old Adelaide Railway Station. Whether you’re a looking for a takeway coffee and a snack, or a sit-down situation with a steak and a Martini, you’ll be looked after here.
Restaurant
May Q
Korean classics bolstered by a solid collection of soju to sip with your K-barbeque and Korean fried chook.
Restaurant
Peel St
Perusing Peel Street’s giant blackboard menu is like a rite of passage. On it are dishes blending Asian and Middle Eastern influences, with a dash of Adelaide laneway spirit.
Bar
Leigh Street Wine Room
A former drycleaner is the setting for one of Adelaide's most exciting drinking dens – a cosy, cleverly designed wine bar serving world-class vino and inventive plates.
Restaurant
Ballaboosta
Where the Mediterranean meets the Middle East. Starters hew towards the Middle East, while the wood oven in the corner delivers pizzas and house-made pita bread.
Restaurant
Bread & Bone
This late-night CBD haunt dishes out great burgers, hot dogs and more to hungry revellers stopping by for a feed before bed.
Restaurant
Golden Boy
Don't let the name or the fun atmosphere fool you. When you try Golden Boy’s energetic modern takes on Thai cuisine (and cocktails to match), you’ll know this place isn’t messing around. Go for the Tuk Tuk menu – you won’t regret it.
Restaurant
Pizza e Mozzarella Bar
Forget fryers and pans. These Southern Italian dishes are cooked solely in brick ovens.
Restaurant
Soi 38
A hawker-turned-restaurant continues its vision of regional Thai cooking in a modern space in the old Pirie Street subway. All aboard for classic curries, grilled northern-style meats and plenty of fiery wok drama.
Restaurant
Belles Hot Chicken Adelaide
The Melbourne-bred chain is bringing its Nashville-hot tenders, chicken sandwiches and boozy slushies to South Australia – for good this time.
Restaurant
Monica
With a 2am licence, this 40-seater – with an inventive cocktail list and a variety of small snack plates – fits perfectly into any night out.
