51 Best Restaurants in South Australia, Australia

Simply the best breakfast choice in Adelaide, Big Table has been at the Central Market for over 20 years, and regulars know to get there early for a chance at one of the few tables. Sitting at the counter isn't too bad an option either, especially when you have treats like fresh banana bread with rhubarb conserve and ricotta to look forward to.

This casual diner is a godsend for the island and the fresh, colorful breakfasts and hearty lunches are worth planning a day around. Mexican and Asian influences abound on a menu that's accompanied by local wine, gin, and beer or freshly baked pastries including Portuguese custard tarts that have achieved legendary status.

Local winemakers and visitors alike love this cozy restaurant and cooking school run by a married couple. Fiona and Matteo Carboni are united by their love for Italy and moved to the Barossa after living in Matteo's native Italy. Now they share their passion for pasta and wine in the form of wonderful, rustic trattoria meals and classes teaching guests how to make pasta and other Italian dishes from scratch. Each class is peppered with colorful anecdotes and culminates in a four course meal accompanied by wines specially imported from Europe.

Conveniently located on a quiet street off Rundle Mall, this cozy and friendly specialty coffee shop has what it takes to pep customers up. Baristas prepare expertly sourced, single-origin coffees from various roasters, with the option to try espresso, Aeropress, or batch brew, and light, healthy, delicious fare for breakfast and lunch.

Whether it's for lunch (more casual) or dinner, the creative modern Southeast Asian cuisine works wonderfully with local and European wines alike, and the selection here is among the best in the region, if not the state. Vietnamese owner chef Tuoi Do incorporates local ingredients into a menu that speaks of her heritage; a tasting menu is available.

Lunch at this degustation-only restaurant begins with a walk through the kitchen, and the chefs reappear continually throughout the meal to introduce each new course. It’s just one of the personal touches in a memorable meal that relies heavily on locally grown produce (much of it, including the signature garden leaves that hit the table first, drawn from the on-site gardens). The setting in a giant glass-enclosed atrium offers lavish widescreen views over a creek and vineyards to keep diners entertained between courses and the beverage pairings include fabulous estate wines like the contrasting Beauty and Beast Shirazes as well as a selection of international drops.

Located in a basement off Hindmarsh Square, this elegant establishment is beautifully decorated with stylish timber furniture and local artwork. The dim lighting and relaxing background music really set the mood for some quality Indian cuisine, which is what you'll get in spades; in fact, you might want to try everything on the menu, and the Feed Me Menu allows for just that.

Lovers of Australian wine should not miss a meal at this intimate pavilion-style vineyard restaurant set in the country's most famous winery. Though only 15 minutes from the city it's high enough to afford views over the vineyards and the city skyline toward the coast, and the seasonal, Modern Australian cuisine is just as special. For a truly memorable experience, the Icon and Luxury wine pairing presents a chance to try some of Penfolds' (and Australia's) most sought-after wines.

On the short drive from the airport to the city, this colorful and welcoming family-run restaurant serves up traditional Afghan comfort food that has locals booking weeks ahead. Some items are only available on certain days but the rich, oily eggplant banjaan borani is always on the menu and a must try. Pick up a cookbook and you can try to replicate it at home. BYO only.

Billed as an eclectic regional dining experience, the Salopian Inn sources its food from a home garden (the menu comes with a map of the plot) as well as pasture-fed, locally sourced beef and lamb, free-range poultry and pork, and sustainably caught local seafood. Expect plenty of influences from across Asia in the cooking, which is best sampled on the A$85 tasting menu. Guests are encouraged to wander down to the wine cellar to pick an accompanying bottle.

If you’ve ever turned your nose up at Asian fusion, you may reconsider when you come to Shobosho, with its use of organic local ingredients and Korean and Japanese influences in the cooking. Everything about the space, from the approach to service to the immensely creative dishes---often cooked over coals---to the plateware and the atmosphere itself, strikes a balance between sophisticated and relaxed that is difficult to find in Adelaide.

"(Not a Greek restaurant)" warns the menu at this gorgeous restaurant on the cliffs at Port Willunga, 10 km (6 miles) southwest of McLaren Vale. Instead you’ll find plenty of seafood drawn from the aqua seas framed by large windows that make this an unforgettable dining experience---the Szechuan pepper squid with seasonal salad is a perennial favorite. There’s a two-course minimum on weekends but despite the white linen tablecloths it’s a relaxed dining experience. If you’re after something even more casual, the attached fish-and-chip kiosk is incredibly popular in summer.

This is contemporary food that takes Modern Australian cooking to new heights. A chalkboard, listing dishes defined only by their ingredients---most of which are locally grown---greets diners who come to this casual, wine-focused, entirely seasonal restaurant, where chefs in the open kitchen work hard to deliver creatively composed share plates served on handmade ceramic dishware. Downstairs, a wine cellar goes far beyond the usual suspects; instead of Barossa Shiraz, there are bottles from Europe and Australia made from organic grapes with no or minimal additives. If they pique your interest, the adjacent cellar door pours natural wines from the nearby Basket Range.

It may look like a standard country pub from the outside, but step through the front door and you’ll find an entirely different story. Plentiful leather chesterfields, chaise longues, and a shimmering blue-and-gold pressed-tin bar set the scene for the valley’s best dining experience. The elevated pub food includes delights such as duck sliders, honey roasted pumpkin, and chicken, beef and fennel meatballs, while the degustation begins with an hour long tour of the owners’ organic, biodynamic farm where much of the produce is sourced.

The adjacent six-bedroom house is available for rent and is perfect for larger groups.

This rustic and whimsical restaurant in a restored villa makes exemplary use of the Barossa's distinctive regional produce in a seasonal Mod Oz menu flavored with tastes from Asia and the Middle East. Local olive oil and seasonal fruits and vegetables influence dishes, and the Barossa-centric wine list includes rare classics and newcomers.

It takes two elevators to get to this rooftop venue, but it’s worth it for elegant Modern Australian dishes that make the most of highly seasonal produce—many local producers are name-checked on the menu. After dinner, retire to the adjacent bar overlooking the governor-general’s house (and most of North Adelaide) for a nightcap.

This is one of the city's most original places both in terms of interior design (including a vibrant Technicolor bar and dining space) and the Modern Australian menu, featuring South African--inspired and somewhat kitschy dishes with robust flavors such as the spicy, smoked peri peri chicken and crispy chicken skin "tea sandwich." The wine list is brief but well curated and leans toward natural numbers; alternatively you can bring your own for A$20.

This local favorite is rustic and noisy, with professionals and university students engaging in enthusiastic conversation. The terrazzo-tile dining room is furnished with bare wooden tables and paper place-mat menus, which list traditional pizza and pasta dishes in two sizes—appetizer and entrée.

The wood-fired oven at this popular spot has been running continuously since it was first established in 1924, and the fourth-generation owners still use many of the same recipes with slow-fermenting dough that were in vogue then. Bread and sweet and savory pastries start coming out early each morning, and locals are split as to whether the hearty meat pies or the custard-and-cream-filled bienenstich is the better hangover cure.

You wouldn’t know it from first glance, but this restaurant is part of a multipurpose art space and there’s plenty of creativity on the fine dining menu designed by South African chef Brendan Wessels. Expect nods to his homeland like the large braai in the kitchen that adds a touch of smoke to many dishes.

It's hard to disappoint when cheese and chocolate are your specialties, particularly when they're adeptly paired with local wines. Blessed cheese is a unique combination of cheese shop, licensed café, and provedore specializing in artisan cheeses, local and imported gourmet foods, and regional produce. You can pack a picnic for the day with platters for two available from A$50, dine in their licensed café with a regional breakfast or lunch, relax with cake and coffee, or sample their delicious range of cheese.

With its worn floorboards and pressed-metal ceilings, this café feels like a country corner store, but you'll also find a large alfresco area and undercover courtyard, perfect in spring. Come early for a cup of coffee, a piece of chocolate, and the best breakfast outside Adelaide. For a taste of McLaren Vale, order a tasting plate for two, and for something spicier, tuck into gluten-free salt-and-pepper squid (in season).

Book ahead for weekends.

A stylish yet charmingly casual restaurant in a converted 1860s flour mill, this is a great spot to linger over a long lunch of share plates. Using regional produce, head chef Ben Fenwick creates an imaginative contemporary menu that is a mix of French, Japanese, Middle Eastern, and Modern Australian.

Family run since 1985, and located in one of Adelaide's iconic Victorian houses converted to commercial space, Chianti is all things to all people. Sit inside or outside and enjoy the award-winning breakfasts or, in the evenings, the traditional northern Italian trattoria cuisine.

This restaurant, located in Adelaide's premier Asian dining strip, is a step above its neighbors with modern Chinese dishes that utilize traditional spices and fresh local produce, meat, and fish. The service is professional yet warm and friendly, with an ambience that is second to none thanks to the funky decor and trendy vibe. Lunch is served only on Friday.

If you're in need of a fine steak, look no further that COS on trendy Leigh Street. The simplicity of these steaks—select from a 250-gram grain-fed yearling eye-fillet to a 500-gram rib-eye fillet—served with frites and side salad ensure even lunchers are not too gastronomically challenged.

For a hearty German lunch at a reasonable price, no place in Tanunda beats this small, friendly café and shop. The wurst is fresh from local butchers, the sauerkraut is direct from Germany, and the potato salad is made on-site from a secret recipe.

At this tiny shop renowned for its fish-and-chips and other affordable local seafood dishes, you can get your food to go, eat it at the counter, or enjoy it with a glass of wine in the seating area next door. Choose your fish—whiting, John Dory, garfish—from the blackboard menu and have it beer-battered, crumbed, or grilled, or get a paper-wrapped parcel of scallops, prawns, lobster, and oysters (in season) shucked to order.

Owned by a French expat and his Australian wife, Hey Jupiter is in all aspects a Parisian brasserie transported to Adelaide---wicker seats, oyster happy hours, and all---but with better service and a wine list that goes far beyond average. Located on a quiet street near plenty of other shops and bars in Adelaide's bustling East End, Hey Jupiter is a great place to stop for weekend breakfast, lunch, or dinner, as well as a nice place to simply grab a drink after a long afternoon of shopping on Rundle Street.

Adorned with photographs from a bygone era, this casual eatery opened in 1964 during the height of opal mining and is a popular spot for viewing the sunset, watching a rugby game on TV, and unwinding at the end of a day of sightseeing. Comforting dishes like lasagna are served as are beer and Australian wine.