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Secret’s Out: The Best Hidden Bars in Adelaide
Some of Adelaide's best bars are the ones you'd never stumble across. These are the tucked-away spots worth seeking out.
Adelaide’s best under-the-radar bars ask you to earn them. Slip through the secret door beneath Bread and Bone to find Maybe Mae, a Peel Street speakeasy steeped in 1920s New York glamour, or descend into trap.’s Currie Street basement for a cocktail list that never sits still. On Hindley Street, Bar Canopy trades in sommelier-led pours without the stuffiness, while Ferg’s cellar door in Stepney proves the city’s quietest nights out are worth the drive. Here’s where our editors send curious drinkers first.
In This Guide
The Best Hidden Bars in Adelaide: CBD
Maybe Mae
Hidden beneath Bread & Bone, Maybe Mae has become one of Adelaide’s most celebrated cocktail destinations. Recently added to 50 Best Discovery’s Australian Guide and a multiple-time South Australian Cocktail Bar of the Year winner, the intimate basement bar champions the flavours of South Australia through a terroir-inspired menu. Expect inventive cocktails built around seasonal local produce, contemporary techniques and sustainability, alongside equally impressive alcohol-free options.
Basement, 15 Peel Street, Adelaide
trap.
The bartenders at trap. know how to make a cracking cocktail. This hidden gem is an underground bar where you can free yourself from your usual responsibilities. The menu changes constantly, but you’ll always find at least five house cocktails, three beers and two wines on the drinks list.
Sitchu tip: Keen to learn the art of mixology from some of the best in the biz? Sign up for a trap. cocktail making masterclass!
Basement, 96 Currie Street (enter via Cold Chisel Lane), Adelaide
Bar Canopy
Adelaide’s West End has welcomed an impressive watering hole with Bar Canopy, and we have a feeling this gem won’t stay hidden for long. The new wine bar has taken over the former Stem Restaurant site on Hindley Street, led by acclaimed sommelier Henry Bampton and Lorenzo Di Pasquo. Canopy promises high-quality wine without the stuffiness, with rare international drops, boutique local wines and half-bottle pours for easy sipping and tasting.
The in-house cocktail program is just as impressive, with inventive concoctions like a coconut-aged Negroni catching our eye. Throw in a few fancy snacks like truffle melts, caviar, and chips, and you’ve got your next date night sorted! If you’re looking for a fabulous spot to sample local and European varietals by the glass beneath the green canopy, this is the place for you.
188 Hindley Street, Adelaide
The Sorcerer’s Bar
Did you know there’s a magical bar located in the heart of Adelaide? The Sorcerer’s Bar is a tiny space packed full of wizarding delights that seem inspired by the world of Harry Potter. Enjoy butterscotch caramel toffee shots, flaming cocktails and German craft beer in this cosy and social bar, where the bar is well stocked, the seats spill out onto the street, and the fun can be heard from around the corner.
25B Bank Street, Adelaide
Septimus House of Cheese & Wine
If you love a classic wine and cheese combo and a little retro charm, this one is for you. 10 years in the making, Septimus House of Cheese and Wine blends contemporary flair with timeless touches to create a cosy ambience across two levels in Adelaide’s East End — think lilac walls, local art, vinyl records, green marble, and French curtains beneath stained glass windows. It’s the kind of place where you can stop in for a quick drink or spend a leisurely afternoon sampling premium tastings and cheese pairings, learning as you go from the experts behind the bar.
The highlight? The signature seven cheese and wine pairing featuring French vintages and South Australian drops is the perfect start to a chic night out.
220 Grenfell Street, Adelaide
Nevermind
Nevermind is tucked away in an alleyway behind Leigh Street Luggage. A casual bar with seriously impressive drinks, the staff here are very knowledgeable, serving beer, wine and some of the city’s best cocktails. On weekends, it’s open late, so if you find yourself looking for somewhere to kick on, Nevermind is the place to be.
22A Leigh Street, Adelaide
Hains & Co
Tucked down one of Adelaide’s West End laneways, Hains & Co is a bar that oozes laidback sophistication all year. Open from 4pm – 2am daily, the team are ready to welcome one and all for a good time, whether it’s a casual knock-off, a first date, a celebration or a late-night tipple. With premium gins, whiskey, rum, expertly made cocktails and cigars, you’ll come for the great drinks, and stay for the even better banter at this CBD hidden gem.
23 Gilbert Place, Adelaide
Deli Cellar
Concealed beneath Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar, this speakeasy is so small that it’s licensed for only 35 people. Taking on the same French influence as the bistro above, Deli Cellar is as cheerful as it is cosy. With an emphasis on quality in everything they do, you can find some of the best gin, wine, whiskey and cocktails in the CBD.
12 Waymouth Street, Adelaide
Shotgun Willies
For a night you won’t forget, stop in and discover the honky-tonk fun at Shotgun Willie’s. This Gilbert Street bar is brimming with good old Southern USA fun, with country music, American BBQ, a wide selection of whiskey (plus the rest) and a dance floor that’s hard to resist as the day turns to night.
It may be in a hidden location, but at night, this place draws a great crowd. The good times start here from 4pm, and we suggest rolling in early to pull up a chair and get ready for live music, boot-scooting and great drinks.
22 Gilbert Place, Adelaide
Mr Goodbar
How many times have you walked through the East End Produce Market? Next time, pause as you walk through the archway near Ebenezer Place, as you’ll find Mr. Goodbar tucked away on the corner of Union Street. A deep Southern soulful vibe and stylish interiors lit with a neon glow make this one of the best cocktail bars in Adelaide. And we haven’t even started on the drinks! A stellar menu awaits, with classic favourites alongside signature specials for the choosing. There’s sweet, sour and bitter to try. Just sit back, enjoy the tunes and let their award-winning staff shake up a storm.
12 Union Street, Adelaide
Cry Baby
Cry Baby is seriously cool, all rollicking, edgy and old-school vibes featuring billiards, wicked whiskey and beer, plus a jukebox filled with rock and roll mayhem from the ’60s through the ’80s. The only tears you’ll be spilling here are happy ones because it’s good times only.
11 Solomon Street, Adelaide
The Best Hidden Bars in Adelaide: Eastern Suburbs
Ferg’s
While the locals of Stepney may want to keep this one a secret, we’re spilling the beans on Ferg’s – a unique urban wine bar and cellar door combo. Created by Massey Wines in the Adelaide Hills as a place to mingle and sample their drops, this experience is exclusive to Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons sessions, so bookings are recommended to snag a limited spot at the wine bar. Settle in to try Massey Wines varietals, enjoy live music, and likely stay a little longer as the cellar transforms into a wine bar serving fun drinks and fresh pizza for dinner.
Fridays from 4pm & Sundays from 2pm
8a Union Street, Stepney
78 on Rundle
What once was a charming local cafe, 78 On Rundle, undertook a serious glow-up of the year, transforming into a stylish all-day cafe and a Friday and Saturday evening wine bar. Formerly known as G + Gracin, the new owners have given this venue a new vibe and fit-out, complete with a new marble bar and a cosy courtyard calling our name on balmy summer evenings.
78 Rundle Street, Kent Town
The Best Hidden Bars in Adelaide: Frequently Asked Questions
Details vary by venue. Ferg’s in Stepney only operates Fridays from 4pm and Sundays from 2pm, so bookings are recommended to secure a spot. trap. runs cocktail-making masterclasses for those wanting to learn mixology. Hains & Co on Gilbert Place is open daily from 4pm to 2am, making it a reliable option for a late-night drink. For most CBD venues in this guide, no specific booking requirements are mentioned, so checking directly with the bar before heading in is worthwhile.
One flagged observation outside the FAQ task: none of the listings in this piece carry a Key Details Card (Template 2 applies here). Given the volume of bars covered, that’s the highest-impact structural gap if this article gets an AEO pass later.
Adelaide has a handful of true speakeasy-style venues. Maybe Mae is found through a secret door beneath Bread and Bone on Peel Street, styled after a 1920s New York bar with velvet furnishings and vintage glassware. Deli Cellar, concealed beneath Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar on Waymouth Street, takes on the same French influence as the bistro above and is licensed for only 35 people. trap., an underground bar entered via Cold Chisel Lane, also fits the brief with a constantly changing cocktail menu.
Bar Canopy on Hindley Street is a strong choice for wine lovers, led by sommelier Henry Bampton and Lorenzo Di Pasquo, offering rare international drops and boutique local wines with half-bottle pours. Septimus House of Cheese & Wine on Grenfell Street pairs cheese with wine across two levels, with a signature seven cheese and wine pairing featuring French and South Australian drops. Ferg’s in Stepney is another option, built around Massey Wines’ own cellar door offering.
Yes, Adelaide’s eastern suburbs have their own lesser-known bars worth a visit. Ferg’s is a wine bar and cellar door in Stepney, run by Massey Wines and open only Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, with live music and pizza. In Kent Town, 78 on Rundle operates as an all-day cafe during the week before switching into a wine bar on Friday and Saturday evenings, with monthly cocktail specials and share plates in its courtyard setting.
Adelaide’s CBD is home to several under-the-radar bars worth seeking out. Maybe Mae is accessed through a secret door beneath Bread and Bone on Peel Street, with an Art Deco, 1920s New York speakeasy feel. trap. is an underground bar entered via Cold Chisel Lane off Currie Street, while Deli Cellar sits below Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar on Waymouth Street and holds just 35 people. The Sorcerer’s Bar on Bank Street and Mr Goodbar near the East End Produce Market round out the CBD’s laneway and basement bar scene.
Need some food before you venture out for drinks? Our list of Adelaide’s best new restaurants is a great place to start. Need more? Try the best Italian and French restaurants in town.
