It is a truth universally acknowledged that Adelaide’s appetite for Italian restaurants will never be satiated. Among the 10 best new venues of 2026, there are three new Italian spots. It goes to show you can never have too much of a good thing.

The last six months also saw two career-defining openings from big-name chefs as well as new venues from locals making the leap by taking on their first head chef role or opening a new space.

With the announcement that the Michelin Guide is coming to South Australia, there’s a lot of chatter about how it’ll change the local scene. Will interstate investment come flooding in? Will chefs from Sydney, Melbourne or overseas muscle their way in to chase those coveted stars? The South Australian food scene is at a crossroads, but looking at these 10 new venues, there’s no doubt it’s coming from a place of strength.

Here are Adelaide’s 10 best new restaurant, bar and cafe openings of 2026 (so far).

Aptos, Stirling

Stepping into Aptos feels like witnessing a miracle. Not only is it the most significant new South Australian opening in several years, but it was one of the most highly anticipated. Converting a church into a restaurant, as it turns out, is not easy. After nearly 18 months of delays, fine-tuning and keeping the faith, Restaurant Aptos opened in May 2026.

The fit-out from the Aptos team and architecture firm Williams Burton Leopardi includes 30 Australian artworks and artisanal ceramics, mostly by Andrei Davidoff. The space is remarkable and diners move throughout four different rooms during their multi-hour, 16-course experience.

The true power of Aptos rests in the kitchen. Chef-patron Justin James – whose CV includes four years at Eleven Madison Park plus stints as executive chef at Melbourne’s Vue de Monde and Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic – has assembled an Avengers-esque team of seven top chefs from international kitchens. Head chef Pierre Verret is a French Canadian who was James’s sous-chef at Vue de Monde then at the Michelin-starred Lurra. Although the staff is made up of professionals from across the globe, the menu is deeply Australian. James’s passion for native ingredients outpaces most Aussie-born chefs. He’s cooking with proteins like emu, crocodile, and using lemon myrtle, cinnamon myrtle, finger and dessert limes, muntries and lilly pilly.

It’s a church-turned-gallery-turned-restaurant where chefs come by way of Detroit, Quebec, Copenhagen, New York, Peru, Bangkok, Kyoto, and Melbourne to turn Australian ingredients into meals and memories for a small group of people a few times a week. It’s special. And, in a world where diners are increasingly cynical about degustation and experiential dining, it’s giving us all something to believe in. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Esmay, Hackney

When people talk about career-defining performances – Brando in The Godfather, Usain Bolt in ’09, Beyonce on Lemonade – they speak about them with a sort of reverence. That’s the sort of reverence we should be applying to conversations about Esmay.

After cooking all around the country – as head chef at Josh Niland’s Saint Peter and Brisbane’s Arc Dining, then as a travelling chef with a pop-up concept, then to The Eltham in the Northern Rivers – Alanna Sapwell has reached the pinnacle of her career with Esmay.

The chef describes the menu as CWA-inspired “nanna food”. Think Jersey curd with peaches and rose; a beautifully layered tomato-and-red-pepper terrine with chunks of mud crab flesh served in a crab claw, all in a pool of bright red vinegar; breaded King George whiting with saltbush garlic sauce; and venison with a “naughty” bone marrow sauce. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Falcone, North Adelaide

Side Hustle Pizza inspired the kind of devotion that had people driving to Carrickalinga and hoping they hadn't missed out. With Falcone, Nick Barone (who ran Side Hustle alongside his sister Anna Lisa Barone) has brought that same energy to Melbourne Street. The woodfired pizzeria has quickly become one of those places people happily queue for, regularly selling out, with a footpath full of tables filled from early evening and a steady crowd watching dough being stretched through the front window. Taking centrestage is the woodfired oven imported from Naples, turning out pizzas with perfectly blistered crusts.

The ever-changing weekly specials give regulars a reason to return, but it’s the signatures that have earnt Falcone its reputation. If The Falcone is available, don’t hesitate. Garlic butter, parsley and marinated prawns make it one of the best pizzas I’ve had this year. The prosciutto pizza is equally impressive – the rich house-made sugo deserves a mention of its own, laying the foundation for salty prosciutto, fior di latte, parmesan and peppery rocket. Make sure you don’t leave without trying Falcone’s take on garlic bread, slathered in garlic butter and parmesan. – Stacey Caruso, contributor

Idle Hands, Adelaide

When the world shut down in 2020, lots of us – former Loc manager Lewis McDonald included – got really into sourdough. But few of us got so into sourdough that we made it our career. In February, Lewis opened a bricks-and-mortar cafe and bakery called Idle Hands. Alongside his sister Ella, he’s cooking up loaves, sourdough cardamom buns, custard tarts, and Brid-inspired dark chocolate rye cookies. Ella is also on the tools, baking cakes. Lewis is a purist. You won’t find any alternative milks, matcha or chocolate-dusted cappuccinos. As you’d expect from a Loc alum, there’s also a small selection of small-batch natural wines and sakés pouring on Friday nights. It’s a gem. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Sodewa Saké Bar, Adelaide

Even when it’s full of visitors, Sodewa Saké Bar is quiet. But not in an awkward way, or a way that feels forced: it’s genuinely peaceful. Soft lighting and fabric partitions make you feel like you’re the only one in the restaurant. Even though owners Ri Ogawa and Hiro Sodeyama are the only floor staff, they somehow make it all seem effortless, warm and welcoming. Make sure not to miss the slow-braised Adelaide Plains pork belly with leek, chilli, and sansho pepper, and trust the recommendations from Ogawa, a trained saké sommelier. There’s always something new and worth coming back for: food specials change daily, and the range of charmingly mismatched ceramic cups and glasses means you won’t even drink from the same vessel each visit. – Nicole Wedding, contributor

Mercato, North Adelaide

Italian institution Mercato – which reopened inside luxury residential tower Eighty Eight O’Connell late last year – is living its most extravagant life yet. The terrazzo flooring and marble benchtops are clearly a step up from its previous well-loved Campbelltown location. But there’s no need to fear, it still encompasses the same heart and ethos that made its name, with carefully curated deli items: think uncommon Baci flavours, a seafood butcher, packets of Oreo-like biscotti with pistachio cream filling, a vinegar section so massive it has to be seen to be believed. You could do far worse than sitting down for a sandwich after a shop. Though many newly opened sando stops have tried to take its crown, Mercato on Eighty Eight lives up to the hype, offering up fresh, generously proportioned paninis, pizza al taglio (by the slice) and plates of pasta. If you choose to dine in, don’t skip out on dessert. The Sicilian cannoli, with a shell as crisp as a cracker, is one of the best I’ve had on this side of the globe. A long macchiato is highly recommended with purchase. – Claudia Dichiera, contributor

Rocc Up Pizza, Adelaide

Red neon signage makes hole-in-the-wall joint Rocc Up Pizza hard to miss. The cranking R’n’B tunes and the welcoming vibes of the one-man (occasionally two-man) pizza shop are enough to lure in any passerby, but it’s the regulars that keep this place lively. Often, you’ll see them sparking up a conversation with Glasgow-born chef Jamie Bennie while he’s kneading dough or sprinkling the post-bake toppings onto pies fresh from the oven. It’s hard not to eavesdrop at Rocc Up, simply because the space is so small. The cosiness is why the ex-Coriole chef invested in an electric oven rather than a woodfired one, to create his crisp blistered pizzas. He’s learnt how to cook for takeaway service and the slices retain their heat and structure for as long as it’ll take you to get home. – Claudia Dichiera, contributor

Jewels of Thought, Adelaide

What is Jewels of Thought? A cafe? A record store? A wine bar? In truth, it’s all three. The new east end venture from DJ and musician Anthony Wendt – who releases music as Oisima – pulls off what similar venues struggle to be: a space that effortlessly marries retail and hospitality.

It’s unlike anything else in Adelaide. Wendt says he’s stocking more than 2000 new and preloved records, as well as hosting artist appearances, listening parties, gigs, and “tiny desk” concerts (inspired by the NPR series).

The coffee service runs until close and makes use of an Australian Swiss designed Nucleus Paragon pour-over stand, renowned for producing complex, aromatic filter coffee. On the food front, there are madeleines and canelés from Sanshi as well as cruffins and pastries from Fold. Wendt’s mother-in-law provides a range of homemade Vietnamese treats, while Wendt pours SA-made wines and small-batch beers until late. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Picoso Mexican Bar y Cocina, Prospect

It just takes one look at chef Oliver Luxton’s CV to understand why Picoso Mexican Bar y Cocina has found itself a spot on this list. Luxton has cooked in some serious kitchens: Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London, Pescatore in Christchurch, The Charles Grand and the short-lived but much-loved Raja in Sydney. Most recently, he worked as head chef at Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic under executive chef Jamie Musgrave.

Now he’s making tacos, tlayudas and tostadas at Picoso. The menu sits confidently between casual cantina and refined diner. It moves through small plates – citrus-cured ceviche blanco, SA prawns in aguachile verde, smoked cod roe with chicharron, charred elote with chipotle mayo – into tacos and larger dishes. Mains include smoky whole-roasted prawns, carne asada ranchera, and a mushroom Oaxaca tlayuda, which reinterprets the traditional crisp flatbread. Soft house-made corn tortillas come with every main dish, turning the table into its own taco spread, with crisp slaw, pickled veg and punchy salsas to stack as desired. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Pantry on Prospect, Prospect

Pantry on Prospect (or “Pop” as it’s affectionately known) doesn’t fit into a box. The new project from Masterchef alum Callum Hann and Themis Chryssidis, his business partner at Roma and Olive, seamlessly shifts from coffee to lingering long lunches that stretch into the evening. All the while, it welcomes shoppers looking to stock up on some of South Australia’s best from the packed pantry. The shelves are lined with more than 200 products including bread from Emma Shearer’s The Lost Loaf in Bowden, pantry items from makers like Little Tin Co, and a selection of cookbooks including local tomes by Parwana and Africola, plus Provecho by La Popular Taqueria.

The atmosphere is refined but relaxed. The team is equally ready to welcome you for a celebration or a casual drop-in. The menu spans snacks, larger plates and desserts, with early standouts including a Spencer Gulf king prawn sando with dill tartare; La Vera ricotta gnocchi with Alexandrina Jersey cream; and Barossa Artisan haloumi topped with Woodside honey and fresh juicy figs. There’s also an Ottolenghi harissa pumpkin with cashew cream dish that moves beyond a gesture to vegans and into must-order territory. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor