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The Best New Bars in Adelaide: Where to Drink Right Now
The good times are here to stay, with the best new bars in Adelaide providing stylish sips and bar bites in 2026.
Adelaide’s newest bars are giving the city plenty of reasons to stay out a little later. From a Hutt Street wine bar where dinner is deliberately left open to interpretation, to a Hindley Street cocktail hideaway and Glenelg’s newest rooftop, these are the best new bars in Adelaide to know right now.
In This Guide
The Best New Wine Bars in Adelaide
Bar Sofia
Twelve steps north of Sofia on Hutt Street, there’s a new door worth knowing about — and what’s behind it is the kind of thing Adelaide’s best diners have quietly been waiting for. Bar Sofia is the seventh venue from the crew behind Sofia Bistro, Part Time Lover and Pom Pom, and it’s built around a deceptively simple idea: what if a bar could be whatever its best guests needed it to be? Chefs Stewart Wesson and Tom Robinson are doing the kind of creative, untethered cooking here that gets chefs genuinely excited to come to work — and that energy translates directly to the plate. Some nights look like apero hour with mezze plates. Others, it’s something else entirely — a fully bespoke chef’s table. Open Thursday from 5pm and Friday to Sunday from 3pm to late, or as it reads on the way in; ‘try your luck’…
Suburb: Adelaide (Hutt Street)
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Best For: Late night, special occasion, group dining, date night
Need To Know: Offering and opening hours can change
Bar Canopy
The former Stem Restaurant site has a new lease on life, with sommelier Henry Brampton and Lorenzo Di Pasquo turning it into a wine bar made for lingering. The list at Bar Canopy moves between rare international drops and boutique local bottles, with half-bottle pours making it easy to stay for one more. There are cocktails for the non-wine drinkers too, including a coconut-aged Negroni, plus truffle melts and French caviar when a simple glass of wine calls for something a little more glamorous.
Suburb: Adelaide (West End)
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Wine bar
Best For: Date night, wine lovers, cocktail lovers, locals
Need To Know: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 4pm
Lola’s Wine Bar
East End Cellars Norwood has officially made way for Lola’s, an all-day neighbourhood hangout where wine bar, cocktail lounge and bistro blur into one. Vinyl DJs and occasional disco nights bring a playful edge, while the menu moves from oysters and grilled mushrooms with rayu to pork milanese. It’s the sort of eastern suburbs local that works just as well for a quick drink as it does for settling in for the evening.
Suburb: Norwood
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Wine bar
Best For: Locals, wine lovers, group dining, weekend plans
The Best New Cocktail Bars in Adelaide
Routine Social Club
The latest opening from local hospitality group Chahoud Group, Routine Social Club is an all-day city spot that moves effortlessly from slow mornings to aperitivo and last pours. Seasonal plates, cocktails and wine set the scene for a long evening, with the drinks list covering the classics, from Palomas and Negronis to a considered wine selection. Earlier in the day, smoked salmon, fresh bread and carefully layered toppings make for a leisurely breakfast, while the mood shifts as the day goes on.
Suburb: Adelaide (CBD)
Price Guide: $-$$
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Best For: Cocktail lovers, wine lovers, breakfast, weekend plans
Need To Know: All-day offerings
When & Where
The name tells you nothing, and that’s kind of the point. When & Where is built around the thrill of not quite knowing — hidden enough to feel like a find, considered enough to make you stay. Vintage films set the mood early, and DJs take it somewhere else entirely by the time the night gets going.
The cocktail list does classics and creative in equal measure, with signatures leaning into seasonal Asian ingredients. The food — Pho Jaffals, Truffle Mi Goreng, steak frites — is good enough to keep you off the dinner reservation apps. Even the logo came from a squeeze of Sriracha on a plate. You’ll get it when you see it.
Sitchu Tip: They also take private bookings — file that one away for your next occasion.
Suburb: Adelaide (CBD)
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Late night, cocktail lovers, group dining, date night
Need To Know: Entry is upstairs at 99A Hindley Street
Burdette
Down a little Union Street detour, Burdette channels the glamour of a 1920s speakeasy with deep reds, vintage mirrors and enough candlelight to make an ordinary Tuesday feel rather more interesting. The East End newcomer from Baine Stubbs and Saskia Lopes de Souza pairs the mood with oysters, charcuterie and absinthe-led cocktails, keeping the doors open until 2am for those who aren’t quite ready to call it a night.
Suburb: Adelaide (East End)
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Late night, special occasion, group dining, date night
Need To Know: Open midday to 2am
The Best New Rooftop and Outdoor Bars in Adelaide
Alma Spritz Bar
Aperitivo has found a new home at the Alma Tavern, where South Australia’s dedicated Spritz Bar is making a case for long afternoons with a drink in hand. Think wood-fired pizzas, Aperol and Campari murals by Billie Justice Thompson and an alfresco setup made for stretching out the weekend. Friday to Sunday brings $16 Aperol and Limoncello spritzes, plus $18 cocktails on tap.
Suburb: Norwood
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Italian
Best For: Weekend plans, outdoor dining, wine lovers, locals
Need To Know: Spritz Bar runs Friday to Sunday
Soda Rooftop
Glenelg has a new place to watch the sun go down. Perched atop the George Hotel, Soda Rooftop brings 360-degree views stretching from the sea to the Adelaide Hills, with a contemporary Australian menu to match. Expect handcrafted cocktails, fine wines, and a standout seared kangaroo loin with black garlic, pickled grapes, pumpkin seeds, and saltbush. Come for sunset, stay for another round.
Suburb: Glenelg
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Best For: Special occasion, waterfront, date night, group dining
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best New Bars in Adelaide
Routine Social Club in the Adelaide CBD is the standout new all-day opening, moving from slow mornings and breakfast through to aperitivo hour and last pours without changing venues. The drinks list covers cocktail classics like Palomas and Negronis alongside a considered wine selection, while the daytime menu includes dishes like smoked salmon on fresh bread. It’s a useful option for anyone who wants a single address that can flex from a morning coffee catch-up to evening drinks, rather than needing to move locations as the day goes on.
Bar Canopy in the West End is a strong choice for date night, with rare wine drops, half-bottle pours and glamorous bites like truffle melts and French caviar without feeling stuffy. Burdette in the East End suits a moodier evening, with 1920s speakeasy styling, deep reds, candlelight and absinthe-led cocktails open until 2am. For something with a sense of intrigue, When & Where on Hindley Street plays on not quite knowing what to expect, pairing vintage films and DJs with a cocktail list built around seasonal Asian ingredients.
Norwood has welcomed two notable new openings. Lola’s Wine Bar has taken over the former East End Cellars Norwood site, combining wine bar, cocktail lounge and bistro dining with a playful, disco-tinged edge. Alma Spritz Bar has also opened at the Alma Tavern, bringing South Australia’s dedicated spritz bar concept to the suburb with wood-fired pizzas, Aperol and Campari murals, and an alfresco setup running Friday to Sunday. Together they give Norwood a strong case as one of Adelaide’s better suburbs for a new bar night out, without needing to head into the city.
Soda Rooftop in Glenelg is Adelaide’s standout new rooftop opening, perched atop the George Hotel with 360-degree views stretching from the sea to the Adelaide Hills. The contemporary Australian menu is led by a seared kangaroo loin with black garlic, pickled grapes, pumpkin seeds and saltbush, alongside handcrafted cocktails and fine wines. For an alfresco alternative that leans more casual, Alma Spritz Bar at the Alma Tavern in Norwood offers wood-fired pizzas and Aperol and Limoncello spritzes in an outdoor setting built for long weekend afternoons rather than a rooftop skyline.
Bar Canopy in the West End and Bar Sofia on Hutt Street are two of the strongest new wine bar openings in Adelaide. Bar Canopy is led by sommelier Henry Brampton and focuses on rare international drops and boutique local bottles, with half-bottle pours for easy tasting. Bar Sofia takes a more flexible approach, moving between mezze-style apero hour and a fully bespoke chef’s table. Lola’s Wine Bar in Norwood is a strong pick further out, blending wine bar, cocktail lounge and bistro into one relaxed neighbourhood hangout with vinyl DJs and occasional disco nights.
Adelaide’s newest bars span wine-led spots, cocktail hideaways and rooftop settings across the city and inner suburbs. Bar Sofia on Hutt Street and Bar Canopy in the West End lead the wine bar openings, while When & Where on Hindley Street and Burdette in the East End are standouts for cocktails. Routine Social Club in the CBD covers everything from morning coffee to late-night drinks in one address, and Soda Rooftop in Glenelg has become the go-to for sunset views. Each brings a distinct atmosphere, so the right pick depends on whether the night calls for wine, cocktails or a rooftop.
Now that you know about the best new bars in Adelaide, we need to make sure you’re well-fed, too. Check out our guide to the best Italian and Greek restaurants in town.
