Adelaide is home to the best bars in South Australia. The city has an incredible amount of bars to choose from, so it’s easy for revellers and other patrons to choose what suits them best. Do you want to stroll through hundreds of alleyways or visit the basement dens? The choice is yours. With bar owners reopening their doors with strict COVID-19 social distancing rules, you can safely indulge in nightlife once more.
There are many great options for small bars, rooftop bars, fine wines, and underground bars with the best drinks, live music, and crowds around the South Australian area. You can do to Adelaide Hills, North Adelaide, the Adelaide CBD, or anywhere else in Adelaide and you’ll find great bars for an post-work drinks or a good time with friends during the weekends.
Fortunately, most of Adelaide’s top bars do not merely offer customers the standard beer, wine, and signature cocktails. Enjoy a great meal and some chic new drink concoctions. This is great for smart planning starting off your night right. You may fancy a night of bar hopping, but some of the picks on this list will make you want to stay in one spot until closing.
1. Dance, Pizza, Drink At Adelaide’s 1,000 Island
Sunny Pizza, which is located near Hindley Street, recently unveiled an exciting, new instalment: The 1,000 Island. Its nostalgic, 1970s design brings a modern-meets-throwback-meets industrial vibe with vintage movie posters, abstract art features, and highly creative Aztec-style designs adorning the walls. You’ll also enjoy the glow of squiggly neon pop signs as well as huge booths strategically placed at dance floor level. Outside of the bar’s typical drink menu, they serve a unique cocktail that is literally “on fire.” 1,000 Island is also gaining an excellent reputation for its food menu. It’s a great pizza hangout and dance club.
Address: 15 Solomon St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
Website: 1000island.com.au
2. Enjoy A Library Of Spirits At Bibliotheca Bar
You can always pair books with a nice espresso or cup of tea, but at Bibliotheca, you can pair a cocktail with your favourite read. The book exchange and bar features cocktails from around the globe and a huge gin and whiskey list. The bar’s craft cocktails are all book-themed, so you can find Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and Rikki Tikki Tavi drinks (and many others) to your delight. Hungry? Small bites are available for you to complete the ultimate trifecta: drinks, books, and food.
Address: 27 Gresham st., Adelaide, SA 5000
Phone Number: (08) 82126979
Website: bibliotheca.com.au
3. Find Your Happy Hour At The Stag Public House
Not everyone wants or needs a stiff cocktail — sometimes you need a good ol’ beer or cider to wash away the day. The Stag Public House’s happy hour gives you an opportunity to do just that every day of the week. Catch happy hour all day on Friday and 4pm-6pm the rest of the week for $6 pints on selected drinks. They’ll let you play some pool and fill your belly with grub while you’re at it. Trust me, with a venue that holds one of the oldest pub licenses in all of Adelaide, it knows how to take care of you.
Address: 299 Rundle Street, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
Phone Number: (04) 78-557-824
Website: thestagpublichouse.com
4. Sample 130 Rare Wine Varieties At Musque Food & Wine
If you need a reason to head over to the Barossa Valley region, then here it is, Musque Food & Wine. While Musque’s restaurant has consistently grown stronger, their bar is a fairly recent addition. With a wide array of gin on their “Wall of Gin,” you can sample 130 different exotic gin blends you are unlikely to find anywhere else in Australia.
Address: Shop 1& 2 / 109 Murray St. Tanunda, South Australia, 5352
Phone Number: (08) 7513 7740
Website: musque.com.au
5. Walk Too Fast, And You’ll Miss Maybe Mae
It is as close to a “hidden” gem as you can get. Maybe Mae may be hard to find at first, but once you get there, you’ll never forget it (if you moderate yourself that night, of course). The art-deco bar is all about local and sustainable ingredients that tell the stories of Southern Australia, from Coastal, Hills, and Valley-inspired drinks. Of course, it features the usual gin-based cocktails, but the house cocktail menu doesn’t shy away from branching out. You’ll be able to order tequila, whiskey, and rum.
Address: 15 Peel Street, Adelaide
Phone Number: (04) 24 899 946
Website: maybemae.com
6. The Clever Little Arrow Is No Folktale
Named after the German folktale, Clever Little Arrow is a chic liquor and snack bar serving up high-quality whiskey and cocktails. Intimate seating arrangements and warm lighting, colours, and upholstery make this the perfect date-night spot or solo people-watching expedition. You can also from a long list of craft beer and an extensive wine list.
Address: 19 Peel St, Adelaide, South Australia
Phone Number: (04) 07 111 857
Website: cleverlittletailor.com.au
7. Branch Out For Mediterranean Class At The Adelaide Stem Bar
Operating out of a 100-year old building, Stem Bar offers a remarkable mix of classic, elegant restaurant and spacious, trendy bar. The Mediterranean menu is intentionally crafted to align well with its massive 1,000-bottle wine cellar.
Address: 188 Hindley Street, Adelaide 5000
Phone Number: (08) 7077 3039
Website: stembarandrestaurant.com.au
8. Get yourself A Classic Paloma At Paloma Bar And Pantry
This Spanish-themed restaurant and bar serves up refreshing drinks and quick eats. Its mix of Spritzes, which combines sweet local wines with earthy herbs and citrusy notes, and simple wine, sherry, and cocktail menu, make it a great place for a summer evening in Adelaide. Not only can you enjoy their own creations, but you can also take advantage of the classic Paloma, a blend of grapefruit, tequila, and lime juice. It’ll pucker your lips, but what is a pucker but a kiss of satisfaction?
Address: 20 Peel Street Adelaide SA 5000
Website: palomabarandpantry.com.au
9. Enjoy A Tuk-Tuk Style Menu At The Crowd-Favourite Golden Boy
The Golden Boy, an already well-known local favourite located in Tanunda’s Murray Street, has decided to expand once more. Outside of being a classic place to enjoy a tuk-tuk menu at a massive marble share table, its newest bar section is located in the building’s refinished basement. It features gorgeous navy carpets, pastel peach walls, and a brass finish detail.
Address: 309 North Terrace Adelaide
Phone Number: (08) 8227 0799
Website: golden-boy.com.au
10. Step Back In Time At Apotheca Bar & Restaurant
This 19th-century bar is known for a very thorough and extensive wine list. The cushy period seating and exposed brick walls will not only satisfy your timewarp needs but also make you feel quite fancy. Pinkies up and enjoy that cocktail! This is a bar where you go for the interior and stay for the drinks — oh, and also enjoy some tapas while you’re at it.
Address: 118 Hindley Street Adelaide South Australia
Phone Number: (08) 8212 9099
Website: apoteca.com.au
Honourable Mentions
- Pink Moon Saloon
- Bank Street Social in Adelaide’s West End
- Clever Little Tailor
- Bodyline Bar- Near Adelaide Oval
- West End Brewery
- Sitchu (Also one of the best rooftop bars in Adelaide’s CBD)
- Adelaide’s East End Cellars
- La Buvette Drinkery
- La Rambla Tapas Bar
- 2KW Bar & Restaurant
- Bar Torino
Conclusion
There isn’t enough word space in this article to feature every great bar in Adelaide, but we certainly wish there was. The city is full of classic bars and pubs that would please any world traveller and certainly make it on their list of places to remember. Fortunately, if you live in Adelaide, you have the opportunity to enjoy them all the time.
Whether you need the quiet of a Spanish-inspired, minimalist bar like Paloma, a communal pub scene like the Stag Public House, or something unique and bookish with Bibliotheca, there’s something for everyone.
