La Boca Bar & Grill

La Boca is a complete sensory experience. And that’s even before you’ve started eating. The first thing you’ll notice is the smell of smoky, slow-cooked meat roasting over Adelaide’s first asador grill – a sort of open fire pit which infuses the meat with the fragrances of Australian redgum and Argentinian charcoal.

Look around and you’ll see diners chatting animatedly over glasses of La Boca’s signature sangria (a fruity mix of shiraz, apple juice, brandy, Cointreau and spiced sugar syrup), and dipping torn pieces of bread into the chef’s specialty, chimichurri.

The restaurant’s noisy buzz and festive Latin music create an atmosphere that’s somewhere between family gathering and street party. There’s fur-covered walls, cowhide cushions and a giant technicolour cow called Betsy. La Boca is vibrant, fun and a little bit loco, but in the best kind of way.

And then there’s the meat. Grilled chicken thighs, honey-glazed pork ribs, Black Angus rib eye and an eight-hour wood-fired suckling pig are served alongside mounds of sweet pumpkin mash and charred ears of corn. Non-meat-eaters who dare to dine at La Boca are looked after with crumbed eggplant, charcoal-baked barramundi and cheesy provolone croquettes.