Adelaide ’s dining and nightlife scene is thriving, with lots of excellent nightlife precincts being developed or reinvigorated throughout the city. Going out for a drink is no longer just a Friday or Saturday night thing, with lots of cool new bars popping up along Adelaide’s streets or down its hidden laneways, now popular spots on all nights of the week.
This new wave of bars is drawing people out and about and the city’s bar scene is now ready to rival any major city in Australia. Whether you’re looking for a place to have a quiet beer, a social cocktail with friends or sit in a sophisticated wine bar, Adelaide has you covered. If you’re staying in hotels in Adelaide’s CBD, head out for a drink or two at one of the city’s trendy bars.
The Loft Wine Bar
Located on Gouger Street, The Loft Wine Bar is a classy place, but not so sophisticated and formal that you should feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, this place has a real relaxed atmosphere, with a cosy fireplace and elegant décor, where you can sit and share a bottle of wine with friends.
Their wine list is extensive with plenty to suit everyone’s taste and budget, while they also have an excellent cocktail list and a good range of beers for those who aren’t into wine. You can also enjoy food here from their Asian inspired menu.
Bar Torino
Bar Torino is a tapas bar with an Italian twist, located on Hutt Street. This place has an interesting feel to it with antique furniture and its bar overshadowed by a wall of spirits. Enjoy something from their extensive cocktail list, along with a selection of tapas inspired dishes. Be sure to make the most of their Aperitivo Hour on Tuesday to Thursday from 5-7pm for cheap drinks and snacks.
2KW
This rooftop bar has grown to become an Adelaide institution, the sort of place where locals flock to, set in a perfect location on the roof of a historic building on King Street. The restaurant at 2KW is world class, but the real draw card is its terrace bar, where you can sit with a glass of wine or a cocktail while looking out over the city.
Clever Little Tailor
Peel Street is the epitome of the up and coming laneway bar scene in Adelaide, with lots of fun little bars and restaurants to choose from. Clever Little Tailor is considered to be one of the pioneers and you will always find loyal customers here popping in for a drink or two with friends while nibbling on bar snacks. This place has a good range of craft beers, spirits and wine, and you will always find something new to try.
Cantina Sociale
If you feel like hanging out in a rustic European bar and drinking wine from a carafe while sitting on wooden seats with wine barrels for tables, this is the place for you. This place serves up good food and an extensive, ever changing wine list in an atmospheric setting that will make you feel like you are somewhere in Europe.
Chihuahua Bar
Another Peel Street favourite, the Chihuahua Bar takes you to Mexico with colourful décor and Mexican inspired cocktails being poured over at the bar, along with tasty Mexican bar snacks. Wine lovers won’t miss out here with a good range of International and local wines on the list.
Udaberri
A Spanish wine bar that is equally well known for its amazing cocktails, Udaberri is a long-time local favourite. The food here is Basque style “pintxos” (not to be confused with tapas), and drinks are served over a long wooden bar. You can also escape outside to their colourful garden terrace to relax with your wine or cocktail.
Happy Sally
Happy Sally is a New York style basement bar with a kind of retro, vintage feel to it, where people sit over cocktails while listening to live music on Friday nights. The retro feel comes complete with an old-school jukebox which cranks out 50’s tunes that might just have you swingin’ and jivin’ after a cocktail or two.
Africola
While Africola has gained a huge name for itself in Adelaide’s restaurant scene for its amazing South African inspired food, the bar at Africola equally deserves a mention for its amazing range of unique cocktails and its, fun, funky vibe.
Maybe Mae
This little hidden underground bar is the sort of place that you only visit if you know about it. Hidden between the laneway districts of Peel Street and Leigh Street, behind the famous Bread & Bone Grill, Maybe Mae is a quaint little bar with both beer and wine on tap. Apart from that, they have an extensive list of beers, wines and cocktails to choose from, helping you feel far away from the busy city above.
Press Food and Wine
Press Food and Wine, officially Press* Food and Wine, is one of the top restaurants in Adelaide, with an equally well regarded wine bar. Their wine list is constantly evolving with selections from some of the best up and coming local wine producers. Enjoy a meal while sampling something from their wine list in their restaurant, or head around the corner to the Proof Laneway Rooms – their specialised wine bar.
Mother Vine
This impressive wine bar is located across the street from East End Cellars on Vardon Avenue, and boasts an extensive wine menu with good food to match. Choose a bottle and a cheese platter, or enjoy a bite from their short but interesting menu.
Alfred’s Bar
A newcomer to the Peel Street bar scene, Alfred’s Bar has a real retro feel to it, and is the sort of place where you can just relax with a drink with friends while having a chat or playing some darts. There’s plenty of good drinks and nibbles to choose from, including a fantastic cocktail list.
La Rambla
There are two kinds of bars that seem to be huge in Adelaide – Wine bars and tapas bars – and the two seem to make a good mix. La Rambla is another of Adelaide’s best tapas bars. It’s a lively place where people get together over tapas and jugs of sangria, while there are also plenty of beers and wines on the menu to choose from.
These are just a few of the cool bars that are lighting up Adelaide’s nightlife scene at the moment, and if you just wander around any of the city’s nightlife precincts, you are sure to stumble across more great finds. Adelaide’s bar scene is one to look out for.
