Adelaide knows how to drink well. It comes naturally – after all, we're hedged in by wine regions.

Despite this talent, new cafes and restaurants outpaced bar openings in 2025. That said, many of the bars that did open are sure to become instant classics.

Here – in alphabetical order – are Adelaide’s best new bar openings of 2025.

Bar Bar, CBD

Bar Bar, the bar so nice they named it twice, is a tiny new spot from the Jennie crew. It joined the local scene this winter. It’s just big enough to seat 14 – a size that lends itself to the concise drinks list, which focuses primarily on agave spirits, but not in the neon-lights-and-tequila-shots way. Inspired by the bars of Barcelona and Paris, as well as Sydney’s Cantina OK, the drinks list includes a Spicy Margarita, an Oaxaca Old Fashioned (with the classic whisky swapped out for tequila and mezcal), and a two-sip Martini. Plus, there are complimentary snacks.

Bottle Shock, Gumeracha

What started out as a popular Youtube concept has evolved into a bricks-and-mortar spot that flips the concept of wine tasting and education on its head, in all the right ways.

At Bottle Shock, the team behind Unico Zelo and Applewood Distillery is taking the pretentiousness out of wine tasting, allowing guests to choose from a series of themed flights and have a bit of fun guessing what’s in their glass. Alternatively, you can consult the drinks menu, which includes more than 150 wines and a strong by-the-glass contingent.

Chef Jeff Trotter’s food packs plenty of character with zero fuss. Our picks include a gluten-free artichoke sanga and a Basque cheesecake.

Canopy Bar, CBD

The old Stem space springs back to life as Canopy Bar. The formal dining space has been replaced with casual places to perch, plus a DJ spot for Friday and Saturday nights. A vast selection of back vintage and rare wines sits alongside craft cocktails on an approachable drinks menu. Always-on snacks include cheese and charcuterie, kimchi toasties and caviar, but recently the bar’s become something of a destination diner, hosting a three-week residency from Ryan Clift of the late and lauded Tippling Club. Whether you’re stopping in for a wine or a quick snack and a G&T, or you’re looking to splash out, the ethos behind Canopy is “Come as you are, and do what you want”.

Hellbound, Bowden

Adelaide’s favourite subterranean bar surfaced in Bowden in August after leaving the CBD site it called home for seven years. It’s a new location but, in all the ways that matter, the bar has stayed the same. Owner Mark Reginato has brought its signature Rousseau bottle logo, pink neon signage, green chesterfields and even the same bar top to the cosy new location, alongside its beloved – and descriptive – wine list and elevated snacks (who knew Wisconsin cheese was so damn good?).

Now that it has grown up and moved out to the suburbs, Hellbound’s a little more low-key than it was in its late-night partying heyday, and a little more neighbourhood-focused – you can order in from Pizza Meccanica next door, and there are Sunday lunch takeovers by local chefs. The site also doubles as a cellar door for Reginato’s wholesale and distribution businesses, Connect Vines and Man of Spirit, allowing him to continue leading Hellbound’s tasting sessions and intimate masterclasses.

Honeydripper, CBD

Honeydripper has brought a little slice of Japanese listening bar culture to the east end. With an impressive sound system (Klipsch La Scala speakers driven by a McIntosh MC312 amplifier) and cosy conversation pits, each cocktail comes with a song pairing from the Honeydripper team. Sip a fizzy mix of passionfruit, tonka and banana while humming Spooky by Dusty Springfield. Or try the Guinness-based Shibata with coffee, forest fruits and cream, a dark and moody match for Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain. DJs also blend their own selections with tracks from the venue’s 3000-strong vinyl library. The team is led by co-owner Sean Howard, and ex-Osteria Oggi venue manager Raph Thompson is on deck to oversee the daily operations.

Lola’s, Norwood

Knowing when to pivot a concept is the mark of a well-versed hospitality team. That’s exactly what the East End Cellars team did with Lola’s, a grown-up wine bar in the former East End Cellars Norwood space. There’s a proper kitchen, headed up by Aaron Roberts, who was previously head chef at Stem. He’s serving oysters with Japanese chilli oil, beef tartare with house-made crisps, pork Milanese with caper butter and remoulade, and mussels with sobrasada and charred fennel. The offering reads snacky, but you can absolutely make a meal of it.

As for drinks, there’s an extensive wine list with by-the-glass options including Krug champagne (Lola’s is one of only two so-called Krug embassies in Australia), plus a knockout cocktail list. Highlights include the Caramel Espresso Martini, made with Australian Distilling Co’s Adelaide Vodka; the Cherry Sour; and signature drink The Lola, a zesty pink number made with Never Never Ginache (gin spiked with grenache juice), Aperol, strawberry and pink grapefruit soda.

Prospect Hotel & Cellars, Prospect

Imagine surviving 100 years without a local pub. That’s exactly what happened in Prospect, thanks to a local religious group keen on temperance that’s thought to have exercised sway over the local council for almost a century. In March, the drought was broken with the opening of Prospect Hotel & Cellars. A former Foodland site, the space now seats 200 people at its long communal tables, serving pub classics like fries, schnitzels, burgers and a steak as well as brasserie fare like smoked salmon rillettes, baked scallops, Cajun chicken and market fish.

Septimus House of Cheese & Wine, CBD

Ian Coker has dedicated his life to collecting wine, music and art. At Septimus, he’s sharing his passions with the rest of us. The 50-seat, two-storey bar sits in a historic Grenfell Street shopfront – a cosy and elegant space where you’d want to curl up with a glass of red wine on a winter’s night. Septimus is casual and unpretentious, and so is its menu. With the exception of one gin and one beer, it’s just wine – 10 by-the-glass options and 27 by-the-bottle, including a dozen from Coker’s 800-strong personal collection – and cheese chosen by Say Cheese’s Valerie Henbest, which you can order individually or as one of seven pairings.

Reporting by Daniela Frangos and Katie Spain, with additional reporting by Jessica Galletly, Nadia Luksich, Emily Taliangis and Tim Watts.

The Best of 2025 is proudly presented by Square, Kia, NAB and Four Pillars. The bars in this article were selected independently by Broadsheet's editors.