As the first state in Australia to be part of the Michelin Guide, now is the time to visit Adelaide and some of its world-class restaurants.
Long known by locals, South Australia has some of the finest produce which chefs are passionate about promoting and sharing with diners. Here’s our guide to the top restaurants in the city – from those experimenting with native ingredients, heroing seafood or serving up Italian and Japanese dishes with their own signature stamp.
The shortlist
If you only have time for one or two restaurants while you’re in Adelaide, these are the best.
See the underground tunnels on a heritage-listed winery tour. (Credit: Tourism Australia / South Australian Tourism Commission)
Located on the Penfolds estate in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, Magill Estate Restaurant has set the bar for Adelaide fine dining for decades – now cemented with two Michelin stars. Just 15 minutes from the city yet high enough to command sweeping views across the vineyards, city skyline and the shimmering Gulf St Vincent, it remains one of those rare restaurants that delivers on every front.
Chef Scott Huggins has refined a tasting menu that leaves diners with a true sense of wonderment. Delivered with equal parts theatre and craftsmanship – expect dramatic presentation, opulent touches of caviar and truffle, and an ever-changing menu centred around what’s best from the land and sea. The drink pairing makes fitting use of the Penfolds cellars, but it’s the Icon Pairing that truly sets the evening apart, drawing on back vintages pulled from the museum collection that are rarely seen outside these walls.
Cuisine: Modern Australian Price: $$$$ Atmosphere: Refined Location: 78 Penfold Road, Magill
arkhé
The signature charred S’mores dessert from Arkhé. (Credit: Arkhé)
Smoky, wood fired meat, seafood and vegetables are the signature of arkhé head chef and co-owner Jake Kellie.
Awarded a Michelin star, the Norward Parade restaurant builds its menus around what local producers recommend. Scallops, Mayura Station Wagyu, Yellowfin tuna, Murray cod, mushrooms and eggplants are just a few examples of what gets the flame treatment.
Even deserts don’t escape the fire like the smoked chocolate and hazelnut cookie or the burnt honey cake served with cultured cream and brown butter ice cream.
The outdoor/indoor space allows for cosy winter dinners and summer night feasts, while diners can also get up close and personal with the kitchen sitting at the bar.
For something more casual, drop into the arkhé bar for a South Australia craft brew or wine or a cocktail paired with a bar snack or burger made with Mayura beef.
Cuisine: Open-flame, wood-fired Average price: $$$ Atmosphere: Sleek Location: 127 The Parade, Norwood SA 5067
Esmay
Pick up a comforting bowl of crab and sweet corn soup. (Credit: Esmay)
Bite into a gourmet slider. (Credit: Esmay)
The 40-seat dining room at Esmay is understated and refined – the perfect backdrop to the experimental food being dished up by Head Chef Alanna Sapwell. With a Michelin star to its name, the restaurant has transformed this historical 1883’s building on the outskirts of the CBD, which was home to the Hackney Hotel for many years.
Sapwell is having a wonderful time experimenting with native and South Australian ingredients with a regularly changing menu featuring everything from razor fish to wild venison, mussels and eel caviar. She is also a big fan of vegetables, treating them with as much care as any protein and letting the fresh seasonal produce speak for itself.
What started as a pop-up venture travelling around Australia, Esmay has found a welcome home here in Adelaide and a receptive dining clientele.
Cuisine: Modern Australian Average price: $$$$ Atmosphere: Intimate Location: 95 Hackney Rd, Hackney
Aurora at ILA
Make the most of your dining experience. (Credit: Aurora at ILA)
The seasonal menu is ever-evolving with three to five courses. (Credit: Aurora at ILA)
Bringing art and food together is the visionary Aurora within the Immersive Light Adelaide building, which houses rotating gallery exhibitions throughout the year.
Aurora is a truly unique experience, with the dishes their own pieces of art – vibrant colours and finely balanced ingredients complementing each other on the plate.
Executive Chef Robin Wagner has drawn from his experience working at international and Australian restaurants like Lake House and Magill Estate to create a truly creative experience that has earnt its very own Michelin star.
Set some time aside to get the most out of the experience – choosing from three or five courses. The menu changes with the seasons, with the spring menu featuring dishes like Murray cod with sugar snap peas and a surprise hit of rhubarb, and Coq au Vin Blanc with ragu and spinach.
Diners are well looked after with a wine list curated by Head of Hospitality, James McLennan – formerly a sommelier at Rockpool in New South Wales.
Cuisine: European Average price: $$$ Atmosphere: Theatrical Location: 63 Light Square, Adelaide
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Kiin
The vibrant, modern Asian restaurant and bar delivers an inventive menu. (Credit: Kiin Restaurant)
Criminally underrated perhaps because of its location in the south-eastern corner of the CBD, Kiin is a must visit. Teaming modern Asian flavours with prime South Australian ingredients, a playful cocktail menu and attentive service – a meal here is a guaranteed good time.
Order a few smaller dishes of oysters, a prawn and lychee pop stick or Pork Lincoln squid skewers, followed by the much-ordered Burrata, green ‘nahm jim’, fried shallot and roti, before tucking into mains of curries, crispy fried whole fish and a side of seasonal veg – or we simply like to leave the decision to the chef.
Don’t miss cocktail happy hour and the specials featuring passionfruit, lychee and other refreshing flavours. Groups can book the semi-private back table for a long and satisfying lunch.
Cuisine: Modern Asian Average price: $$$ Atmosphere: Vibrant and well-oiled Location: 73 Angas St, Adelaide
Herringbone
The menu features locally sourced South Australian produce. (Credit: Herringbone)
Another Adelaide restaurant hiding out down a wide, tree-lined Adelaide street is Herringbone – taking its responsibility to provide diners with a fine dining experience with warmth and hospitality seriously. From the wooden tables to the tree growing in the back room, the vibe is earthy, welcoming and the opposite of pretentious.
The menu is seasonal to make the most of what Adelaide has to offer. Indulge in Coffin Bay oysters paired with fermented chilli, tomato and lime; stracciatella with pear marmalade or free-range chicken liver parfait. Leave room for the delectable slow roasted Fleurieu lamb with a side of fat hand cut chips and charred Adelaide Hills broccoli. Beware the feed me menu – the servings are generous here and the food hearty.
The wine menu pairs well and of course celebrates all things South Australian. We like to come during the week, have a chat with the waitstaff and treat it like our neighbourhood local.
Cuisine: Seasonal Australian fare with an Italian influence Average price: $$$ Atmosphere: Friendly earth-to-table Location: 72-74 Halifax St, Adelaide
Fugazzi Bar & Dining Room
This old-school New York-Italian restaurant blends bold, nostalgic retro-chic design. (Credit: Julian Cebo)
Ask where to go for dinner and the answer will often be Fugazzi. Located on Adelaide’s much-frequented Leigh Street, the restaurant is the result of MasterChef alumni Laura and Max Sharrad.
They bring some old-school New York-Italian swag to the city’s Italian offerings, with a marble bar, velvet booths and a menu that pays homage to the old country but a nod to Australia’s influence on this much-loved food.
South Australia’s seafood features heavily, including ‘Roman Vegemite’ Toast with Anchovy, Butter and Lemon. There’s also pasta with bucatini, Eyre Peninsula Mussels and green chilli verde, wood roasted spatchcock and tiramisu in dessert or cocktail form.
Cuisine: New York Italian Average price: $$$ Atmosphere: Refined Location: 27 Leigh Street, Adelaide
OMADA
Pull up a blue chair under huge umbrellas for a tipple. (Credit: OMADA Bar & Grill)
New kid on the block – OMADA Bar and Grill is a Greek-inspired restaurant with the party vibes from one of the islands back home. Unassuming during the day, the place comes alive at night with people spilling out the doors.
Inside, the carefully curated menu features quality ingredients given the wood oven and coal grill treatment in the open kitchen. The plates of food are made for feasting – plates of lamb, charred seafood, and whole salt baked 800g flathead to mention but a few. There are cocktails, Greek wines and house-made ouzo to wash down some late night bar snacks.
Cuisine: Modern Greek Average price: $$$ Atmosphere: Bar vibes Location: 46 Currie Street, Adelaide
Restaurant Botanic
The exquisite Western Australian marron offering at Restaurant Botanic is a must-try. (Credit: Jonathan van der Knaap)
Sitting in the middle of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, MICHELIN star Restaurant Botanic makes full use of its lush surroundings. Repeatedly named Australia’s best restaurant, a visit here is as much about the experience as what lands on the plate
There are ingredients and combinations not found elsewhere – crystal crab, emu egg and sea urchin or Donnybrook marron, bush tomato and chervil. The dishes are presented as mini artworks, usually featuring a garnish or core ingredient from the surrounding gardens.
The wine list balances iconic labels with emerging producers while the cocktails too revolve around what’s grown locally.
This is an unhurried experience – enter the gardens, disappear for a few hours and emerge having experienced something truly outstanding.
Cuisine: Modern Australian with native ingredients Price: $$$$$ Atmosphere: Artistic elegance Location: Plane Tree Dr, Adelaide
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Osteria Oggi
Grab a seat in one of the arched booths. (Credit: Duy Dash)
There are plenty of Italian restaurants in Adelaide, but Osteria Oggi is one we constantly recommend for its curated, modern take on classic Italian dishes.
Generous opening hours make it perfect for lunch, an early dinner or something late. Prop up at the long marble bar or grab a table out back in the piazza-inspired rear room with the pasta drying and the chefs working away.
There are the classics like carbonara or tagliatelle with blue swimmer crab or squid ink Fiori – along with smaller plates and heartier mains like wood grilled zucchini or a 250g sirloin.
The service is spot on – friendly, attentive and they know their stuff. They’ll even whip out a kids’ menu if you ask nicely.
Cuisine: Modern Italian Price: $$$ Atmosphere: Warm and inviting Location: 76 Pirie St, Adelaide
ORSO Kensington
Pop into the private dining room for an elevated paired-wine experience. (Credit: Josh Geelen)
Housed in a beautifully restored circa-1885 bluestone building, ORSO is one of Adelaide’s dependably excellent neighbourhood restaurants. We recommend the kitchen bar seats if there are just two of you, or larger groups can book the ORSO Cellar – a private dining room tucked beneath the adjoining Willmott’s Bar.
The menu’s starters include tiger prawn milk buns with marie rose and salmon roe, silky beef carpaccio and Spencer Gulf king prawns. From there, the casarecce with pork sausage, wagyu beef and San Marzano is the pasta to order, though the soft polenta with porcini and mushroom ragù is a worthy alternative.
Only time for a drink? The aperitivo happy hour at Willmott’s Front Bar runs Tuesday through Saturday, 4–6pm.
Cuisine: Modern Australia Price: $$$ Atmosphere: Relaxed Location: 36 Kensington Road, Rose Park
Parwana Afghan Kitchen
The Afghan menu is bursting with flavour. (Credit: Duy Dash)
Since opening this labour of love in 2009, the Ayubi family have become much-loved favourites of Adelaide’s hospitality scene.
A large part of that is the welcoming atmosphere where we feel like we’re eating in their home dining room. It’s also a menu that is built around sharing. The problem is knowing when to stop ordering with dishes packing in plenty of flavour from curries, dumplings and a banjaan borani – eggplant braised in tomato sauce and finished with tangy yoghurt. Don’t forget to order a delicious and refreshing Rose Sharbat – a traditional Afghan drink made with rose and citrus syrup infused with basil seeds.
Can’t get to Torrensville? The family also run a popular pop-up at Plant 4 in Bowden where they offer a plate piled up with curries, rice and salad for a token sum.
Shōbōsho highlights modern Japanese izakaya dishes. (Credit: Dexter Kim)
Fire-led and Japanese-inspired, Shōbōsho is the kind of restaurant that earns its reputation with every single service. A meal at the booths with a group of friends is a good night out. The robata grill does extraordinary things to everything that passes over it, while the more intimate Shō Yakitori is a glowing hibachi grill, binchōtan smoke, skewers brushed with tare and served at their peak alongside raw snacks and dumplings from the main kitchen.
The sibling venue, ShoSho, trades the city energy for something more relaxed. Settled into Hyde Park on King William Road, it takes the izakaya spirit – food made to enjoy with a drink, shared freely across the table – and gives it a neighbourhood feel. The pace is gentler, and it’s very much a space to linger over shared plates – like Gulf blue swimmer crab udon noodles, dumplings and zucchini flowers with prawn – and a sake or two.
Cuisine: Japanese Australian Price: $$$ Atmosphere: Shobosho for a buzzy bar-like vibe or Shosho for something more relaxed Location: Leigh Street and Hyde Park
Planning a trip to Adelaide? Check out more of our recommendations here:
Monarto Safari Resort’s new Safari Lodge delivers so much more than a memorable stay; it’s packed full of unforgettable moments.
Just a year after the 78-room Monarto Safari Resort opened, the new Safari Lodge brings a more intimate and exclusive overnight African safari experience to Australia just outside of Adelaide. But just how similar is it to an African safari?
Consider these pinch-me moments I had during my stay and decide for yourself.
1. Cheetah sightings at check-in
Spot cheetahs before you even check in.
Safari Lodge is set within the Wild Africa precinct of the expansive, open-range Monarto Safari Park. I expected to see animals, but I didn’t expect to see two cheetahs stalking the fenceline just behind my tent at check-in.
I cross the paddock to get a closer look. Both are now perched like a sphinx on a hill overlooking the 20 premium tents that make up Safari Lodge. I stand here, locked in place, waiting to see if they make a move. After 10 minutes like this, I turn to get settled into the tent but throw a final look in their direction; they’ve slinked back down, now barely visible in the grass. I’m sure I’ll be dreaming about this encounter later tonight.
2. Sipping champagne as a giraffe sips from a waterhole
Enjoy champagne while meeting the locals. (Credit: Katie Carlin)
The all-inclusive stay includes a 2.5-hour Sunset Safari that takes guests into the Wild Africa precinct onboard a purpose-built Safari Land Cruiser for a chance to see free-roaming herds of African animals up close.
The safari drive culminates in a champagne and canapé stop in a fenced and sheltered viewing area of the precinct. A chance to watch the sun set as animals gather around one of the many waterholes. And we’re in luck! Two giraffes are stripping leaves from a nearby tree as three white rhinos graze to my right. One giraffe starts galloping, in that funny head-bobbing way giraffes do, to the water’s edge. It splays its legs and bends its long neck down to start slurping up water. I find giraffes endlessly entertaining, and sipping champagne while watching the scene play out is the icing on the cake.
3. A rain shower with views of a waterhole where African animals gather
Enjoy views from the King Safari Tent.
I am staying in tent 17, one of the best positioned tents for animal encounters, due to its proximity to the waterhole. Not only does the spacious 71-square-metre King Safari Tent feature a king bed, lounge area, separate dressing room with kitchenette, coffee machine, kettle and fully stocked mini bar, and ensuite bathroom. But you can even glimpse the waterhole from the rain shower. It’s thoughtful details like this that keep you connected to the safari experience no matter where you are located.
4. Feeding lions from within a caged dome
Step into the Lion 360 experience. (Credit: Katie Carlin)
Monarto Safari Park isn’t a zoo. Set across 1500 hectares of South Australian bushland, it’s an expansive safari experience. It’s been designed to support complex social groupings, natural behaviours and long-term species management. Entry is included for guests, but I’ve decided to upgrade my experience with tickets to Lion 360.
Senior Keeper Rachel Hemming herds 15 of us into a domed cage for the unique lion feeding experience. She leads Monarto’s care and conservation breeding programs for their iconic big cats. “Make sure you don’t get too close to the edge of the cage; the lions like to mark their territory,” she warns.
She starts making cat-like calls to Kubwa, Kashka and Kito, the three male lions lazing somewhere out of sight behind the tree line in the distance. The promise of food eventually lures the lions over. I’m in awe of their size as they pace back and forth, pausing to take the meat as it’s fed to them via tongs.
In her excitement, one lady has inched too close; a lion takes aim and hits his mark before she realises her mistake. I see her leaving the gift shop with a new jacket not long after the tour ends.
5. A swim in a private plunge pool with a floating charcuterie board
Tuck into a poolside treat. (Credit: Katie Carlin)
The Safari Lodge reception is also home to a restaurant and bar, heated swimming pool and several private plunge pools available to book. After a morning spent at Monarto Safari Park, a dip in one of the private plunge pools sounds too good to skip.
I change into my swimmers and make my way to the lodge. A generous charcuterie board arrives shortly after I slip into the pool. I’m told floating trays are already on order, but picking at the selection of cheeses, meats, nuts and fruit while perched on the edge sipping champagne is just as indulgent as it is having it float in the water. I never make it to the gym or pickleball court beside the lodge, but I have no regrets.
6. A front-row seat to a male rhino rejected by two females
Watch a rhino’s unlucky day. (Credit: Lucas Alexander)
Louis Tonkin, our Wild Africa Tour host, is giddy with excitement when he spots the three white rhinos on our Sunset Safari drive. He has an inkling that we’re about to get a show.
He pulls to the side and tells us what terrible eyesight white rhinos have, struggling to spot a motionless animal or object even from a short distance. However, they make up for it with acute hearing and an incredible sense of smell. Which explains why the larger male rhino is methodically creeping towards the two disinterested females grazing metres in front of him, then suddenly freezing on the spot. He’s hoping one will be open to mating with him. He takes another wary shuffle forward and suddenly the smaller of the two turns and charges towards him, butting him hard with her head. It’s a firm no. The male, denied, sheepishly backs away.
7. Watching a dazzle of zebra from the comfort of a luxury safari tent
Wildlife encounters abound.
Rain clouds loom, and the wind is howling, but thankfully it hasn’t deterred the zebras. I’m brewing a cup of Monarto’s Serengé-T – a vanilla rooibos blended with Daintree black tea and butterfly pea flower when I spot them. Six zebras are prancing across the plains for a drink at the waterhole. I watch their antics from the deck of my King Safari Tent, wrapped in a merino blanket made by Australian-owned Grampians Good Co. and marvel at the fact I get a front-row show to these wild animals.
After they disappear from view, I sit with the sketch pad and pencils I find in the cupboard and start drawing some of my most memorable animal encounters from the weekend – starting with the two hippos I saw ravenously munching on grass at dusk as we made our way out of the Wild Africa precinct last night. This really is as close to an authentic safari experience as you can get outside of Africa.
