Jerusalem Sheshkebab House

Older than the tattoo parlours, strip clubs and shisha joints that line Hindley Street, Jerusalem Sheshkebab House is an Adelaide institution. For the Merhi family the food at the restaurant is just what they’d eat at home, but to early 1970s Adelaide, falafels and sheshkebabs were a revelation.

The simple set up includes a ceiling lined with parachutes, and red plastic chairs that look like they’d be better suited to an American diner. When the cavernous restaurant becomes raucous with packed tables, there’s nowhere livelier.

Unless you’re dining alone, which isn’t recommended, ignore the plastic menus and just opt for the banquet. Adapted to suit your requirements, whether you’re a group of meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans or even coeliacs, you just pick a price point and wait for the food to come. Dips and flat bread are followed by salads and plates of falafel, kebabs and koftas.

Another bonus of the banquet is that the usual BYO corkage charge is waived, saving you $6.50 on wine, $3 on stubbies and $3.50 on long necks. Prices may have risen over the years, but this is still a cheap feed. Just make sure you have cash, because just like in the '70s, EFTPOS is not available.