The Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Adelaide You Need to Try

If Adelaide has one thing, it’s an abundance of amazing eateries.

Wildly creative, produce-driven and diverse thanks to our multicultural makeup, the quality and variety of restaurants make occasions truly special. Experience stand-out meals, with breathtaking food and first-class service a guarantee.

From masterful teppanyaki to mind-bending modern Australian, these are the best fine dining restaurants in Adelaide to put at the top of your list.

Best Fine Dining Adelaide CBD

Aurora 

Book in for a memorable night that both nourishes and engages at Aurora. This unique fine dining restaurant in Adelaide is a fusion of world class yet accessible dining, with a focus on sustainability, local produce and social responsibility. Both the a la carte and tasting menus take you on an ever-changing and evolving journey, with a fusion of diverse cuisines on offer, crafted by the talented team whose expertise is shaped by their rich heritage and life experiences.

With a menu that changes with the seasons, be treated to dishes like lamb and labneh with strawberry and shisho, Flathead with avocado and soy crisps, Black Onyx Angus steak with potato and mushroom, and beetroot with creme fraiche and walnuts, all housed within sophisticated and moodily lit surrounds. 

63 Light Square, Adelaide

Fishbank Restaurant

Serving up some of the freshest seafood from across Australia, Fishbank Restaurant is the perfect place to splash out for a special occasion. The contemporary, opulent décor compliments the venue’s open space and high ceilings, matched equally by the quality of the food and award-winning wine list. Fishbank’s menu features premium grade seafood, from freshly shucked oysters, sashimi and caviar from the raw bar to moreish prawn toast, grilled silver whiting and southern rock lobster. Make sure you flick through the 40-page drinks menu for a wide selection of wine recommendations curated by the house sommelier.

Ground Level, 2 King William Street, Adelaide

Press* Food & Wine

We’re pleased to report that Press* Food & Wine really has it all. The interiors set an intimate mood, with plush booths and rattan seating mixed with exposed wooden beams and raw brick to give an overall loft-style feel to the restaurant. Their menu is designed seasonally around fresh South Australian produce, representing fine dining in Adelaide with chargrilling as an integral part of their cooking style. Choose between the set menu or an inventive la cart offering that could include anything from a choux bun of chicken liver parfait to steak tartare and market fish. We’re sure you’ll be hard-pressed to find a meal this good anywhere else.

40 Waymouth Street, Adelaide

arkhé

Immerse yourself in arkhé and their charcoal black walls, brass fixtures and open-flame dining. Elements of fine dining are tuned to a cool clientele that keep on coming back for more thanks to the changing seasonal menu. A range of seating includes intimate booths, bar stools, chef’s table or a spot in their private outdoor courtyard, making this a perfect spot for all occasions.

You are recommended to order multiple smaller plates designed to share, each delivering a variety of flavours and textures within a single bite. A few larger dishes alongside offer open-flame indulgence across seafood, meat and vegetable. Begin with a curated cocktail then move onto succulent scallops, raw kingfish, oysters and hot roasted duck leg with caramelised orange.

127 The Parade, Norwood

Restaurant Botanic

Situated in a heritage rotunda and nestled within the beautiful Adelaide Botanic Gardens, the visually stunning Restaurant Botanic is a luscious fine dining restaurant in Adelaide. A place that everyone should experience at least once, it is clear to see why Restaurant Botanic was named as Australia’s Restaurant of the Year 2022 by Gourmet Traveller.

From their ingredients being sourced straight from the botanic gardens themselves to the artistic effort put into creating each of the 20+ courses of their degustation menu of flavour combinations, not including the addition of a delectable, paired wine flight. Recent renovations introduced an exclusive ‘chef’s table’ option, with 10 seats surrounding the culinary kitchen to see your culinary and sensory escape prepared fresh.

Plane Tree Drive, Adelaide

Apoteca

Experience one-of-a-kind boutique venue with an old-worldly charm at wine bar and restaurant Apoteca on Hindley Street. Sporting a European-inspired interior, local foodies flock to the cellar come Friday for an intimate fine dining experience in Adelaide, known for being one of the city’s best.

Guests come for the sophisticated flavours but stay for the big-hitting wine list, personality-driven service and charmingly cosy décor. Select from the a la carte menu or let the chef take care of everything with their sumptuous ‘Chef Selection’ menus featuring four or five courses of their most popular dishes, also available with matching wines.

118 Hindley Street, Adelaide

Five Regions Restaurant

Taking inspiration from South Australia’s world-renowned surroundings, Five Regions Restaurant serves some of the best fine dining in Adelaide. Overlooking the hallowed grounds of Adelaide Oval, a combination of produce and experience from The Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Coonawarra is injected into the heart of Adelaide in this restaurant.

Five Region’s five course degustation menu changes with the seasons, telling the story of each wine region through regional ingredients, landscapes and seasonality. Every bespoke menu comes with perfectly-matched-to-the-wine dishes to indulge in. Sample menus range from light, vibrant snacks of caviar and oysters, to heartier flavours of kangaroo and beef tendon.

Adelaide Oval, King William Road, North Adelaide

Georges on Waymouth

Georges on Waymouth’s seasonal Mediterranean menu is one to behold. Bringing together innovative flavour profiles that let the produce speak for themselves, their meze plates may be small in size but certainly aren’t in flavour. Crisp white tablecloths and unwavering old-school hospitality lean into the venue’s Euro charm while its seasonally changing local menu has won a slew of awards over the years.

Drinks for before, during and after your meal are catered for thanks to their handsome wine list. Champagnes and wines are joined by a range including digestives, cognacs and an inspired list of gins that are sure to whet your appetite.

20 Waymouth Street, Adelaide

Lenzerheide

Housed in a former historical residence, Lenzerheide oozes elegant dining. A cosy atmosphere with elegant surroundings complements a menu of innovative culinary creations. Open for lunch, dinner and high tea, the sumptuous a la carte menu champions the finest local produce through carefully refined plates.

Pea dumplings with miso and wakame consommé will change the way you look at entrees, and you’ll find yourself still thinking about the Onkaparinga Valley venison (served medium rare) with exotic mushrooms, sweet soy and cabernet glaze long after your meal has finished. Level up your meal and opt for the accompanying wine pairing which you’ll find under every dish on the menu.

146 Belair Road, Hawthorn

Luma Restaurant and Bar

With a setting that will take your breath away from the moment you step in, Luma Restaurant and Bar is a place to see and be seen. Reimagined into a foodie wonderland, the Playford Hotel’s restaurant is widely accepted as one of the CBD’s best eateries but, if you ask us, it might just be the best fine dining restaurant in Adelaide. From the unique, elegant and dramatic interiors with lighting that flows across the entire room, to compelling and unforgettable dishes, The Playford’s Luma is a sensorial masterpiece. Awarded ‘One Chef Hat’ by The Australian Good Food Guide in 2023, the menu of snacks, small and large dishes cover a range of textures and flavours.

120 North Terrace, Adelaide

Jolleys Boathouse

Nestled on the calming banks of the river, Jolleys Boathouse is a true icon of fine dining in Adelaide. A longstanding institution catering to any palate, their menu offers only the best in local seasonal produce, becoming synonymous with excellent service and great food style. Select from the a la carte menu or let the chefs take control whilst you sit back and taste your way through Jolleys’ feature dishes. Entrees of lobster tortellini join mains of dry aged duck breast and Mayura station rump. For the ultimate alfresco feast, see if you can score yourself a table on the balcony. You’ll thank us later.

1 Jolleys Lane, Adelaide

Best Fine Dining in the Adelaide Hills

Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant

Hardy’s Verandah is noted to be the one of the spots best fine dining in the Adelaide Hills, with sweeping views of the Piccadilly Valley to gaze out to from your table situated along the wrap around balcony. Set within the historic walls of Mount Lofty House, Hardy’s Verandah serves a seasonally changing four to seven course deguststation menu, also available in pescatarian and vegetarian, following the ‘Valley to Verandah’ concept and paired with a multi-award winning wine selection, sake collection and creative cocktail menu.

Expect an explosion of flavours from Head Chef Jin Choi, who takes the finest fish, meat, fruit and vegetables to craft inspiring dishes that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. After dinner, the Arthur Waterhouse Lounge is open for late night whiskey, cognac, cigars and aperitifs to round out the evening in luxury.

Mount Lofty House, 1 Mawson Drive, Crafers

Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant

Venture just 15 minutes from the city and discover the embodiment of fine dining in Adelaide with Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant. With stunning views, contemporary food and exemplary service, your dining experience is complemented with the finest collection of Penfolds wines from their cellar door, which is handily located just next door. The restaurant has a truly stunning setting, sitting along the foothills of Mount Lofty Ranges in Adelaide Hills with floor to ceiling windows that frame the dazzling city lights. Bold wood interiors adorned with spectacular lighting overhead reminiscent of a galaxy compliment plush red furnishings that could be inspired by their famed Barossa Valley red wines. Offering decadent degustation experiences, chef Scott Huggins will take you on a culinary expedition across the region and beyond favouring fresh, contemporary dishes.

78 Penfold Road, Magill

d’Arry’s Verandah

Wine and dine the day away at d’Arry’s Verandah, the multi-award-winning foodie mecca nestled with McLaren Vale’s rolling hills. Breathing new life into a 19th-century homestead, the landmark venue teams incredible vistas and exceptional cuisine with d’Arenberg’s illustrious wine portfolio. Diners can choose their own adventure with a lavish 8-course degustation or select their own with two or three courses from the seasonal à la carte menu. An impressive list of awards and accolades support d’Arry’s spot as some of the best fine dining in Adelaide, including Delicious SA’s top 50 most delicious restaurants in South Australia along with multiple wins of Chef’s Hat, 13 points from Australian Good Food Guide.

Osborn Road, McLaren Vale

FINO at Seppeltsfield

We may be heading away from find dining in the Adelaide Hills, but if you’re looking for a taste of decadent fine dining come lunch hour in the Barossa Valley, you will find it at FINO, where the art of regional dining takes centre stage. With a focus on using fresh and seasonal produce, Head Chef David Swain has curated an exceptional culinary experience through blending passion with perfection. With standout dishes like Kingfish with Geraldton wax, lamb croquettes or Wagyu brisket, this is no ordinary meal. With a wine list showcasing Barossa’s finest varieties plus tempting and creative cocktails catering to all, it’s hard to beat a long and luxurious lunch in the suntrap courtyard at Seppeltsfield. 

730 Seppeltsfield Road, Seppeltsfield

Had a taste of all the best fine dining in Adelaide and after more foodie inspo? Head down to the glistening bay in Glenelg and enjoy a sunset meal overlooking the ocean. Or if you’re after something a bit fancier, take a tour through the best rooftop bars in Adelaide and enjoy a drink under the stars.