16 Iconic Dishes in Adelaide To Try at Least Once

From iced coffee, a giant pigeon statue and chicken salt to FruChocs and the Malls Balls, South Australia boasts its fair share of icons – some more prolific than others. This trait continues throughout the city’s food scene, with restaurants in Adelaide creating standout dishes that are mainstays on a menu and keep people coming back for more.

With chefs creating plates from the best locally sourced South Australian produce, it’s time to get inspired with the best starters, mains and desserts to add to your foodie bucket list for a memorable dining experience. These are 17 of the most iconic dishes in Adelaide that everyone should try at least once.

The Lamb Shoulder at 2KW

2KWs fancified interpretation of a classic Sunday Roast, this mouthwatering 1.2kg lamb shoulder has been on the menu for a decade. Slow-cooked for 8 hours before finished off in a Josper to give it that melt-in-your-mouth experience on the inside and charred crispy texture on the outside. The beautiful cut is finished with a mint caramel sauce that cuts through the richness of the lamb, while adding a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with the edamame. 

Paired with their famous triple cooked salt and vinegar potatoes and a green salad, this is an old classic refined, and it’s here to stay.

2 King William Street, Adelaide 

Portuguese Custard Tart from Saudade

Churning out hundreds of freshly baked Portuguese delicacies daily, expect to find a line of shoppers looking for a decadent sweet fix at Saudade in the Adelaide Central Markets. 

Perfecting the smooth custard tart within thin layers of crispy pastry, the traditional Pastel de Nata recipe has delighted Adelaideans for years. Regarded as one of the world’s best pastries, there is nowhere better in town to try a Portuguese Tart – it is, after all, the only item on the menu. With the business named after the Portuguese word for heartfelt longing for absent things, these tarts will have you yearning for just one more bite.

Adelaide Central Market, Mitcham Square Centre & Norwood Place

Gnocco Fritto at Fugazzi

Dine in style at Fugazzi on Adelaide’s ever-popular Leigh Street and immerse yourself in furnishings of velvet, leather and marble, with a buzzing atmosphere to match.

Open late 7 days a week, order a bottle from the excellent wine list and start your meal with one of their perfected small plates: the Gnocco Fritto. The fried and fluffy bread is drizzled in whipped ricotta, honey, black pepper and salt – all complimenting each other to create a flavour sensation. It’s so good that you may want to order two!

27 Leigh Street, Adelaide

Pasta: Osteria Oggi

There’s a reason Osteria Oggi is considered Adelaide’s pasta mecca. There’s also another good reason why CNN named it as one of the 10 top new restaurants in the world back in 2016. It’s all about the pasta. Made fresh daily, think authentic spaghetti carbonara, campanelle with scorched leek and hazelnut, maccheroni swimming in a rabbit ragú and a moreish tagliatelle with Blue Swimmer crab.

Complete with a cobblestone floor, aesthetic arches, a private cellar, intimate booth seating and a 20-metre concrete bar, you’ll just about think you’ve died and gone to Italian heaven. It’s truly some of the best pasta you can try in Adelaide.

76 Pirie Street, Adelaide

Wagyu and Roasted Bone Marrow Burger: Bread and Bone 

There’s no denying the beauty of the perfectly cooked wagyu and bone marrow burger from Bread and Bone. Made with 200g wagyu patty, provolone, truffle aioli, pickled shallot and sandwiched in a charcoal bun, it is even better when paired with a glass of red wine. One of the most iconic dishes every Adelaidian should sink their teeth into – and pronto!

15 Peel Street, Adelaide 

Pie of the Month: Bakery on O’Connell

Famous for being available to the people of Adelaide any time of the day or night, the Pie of the Month at Bakery on O’Connell is always a treat, whether it’s a Bobotie Curry Pie with Middle Eastern flavours of minced lamb with mildly spiced curry, or a traditional beef pie with gravy.

And, while it’s certainly not the most aesthetic dish, the Pie Floater – another of South Australia’s most iconic dishes of a meat pie within a thick pea soup – is available 24/7! While you’re there, grab a sweet, loaded donut to go, and satisfy those sweet and salty cravings all at once.

128-139 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide

An Original Taste of Germany at the Hahndorf Inn

No trip to Adelaide is complete without a drive to South Australia’s award-winning taste of Bavaria at the Hahndorf Inn. Settle into the 2-storey 1863 hotel with its exposed stone walls and wood-panelled ceiling, and prepare to feast. Go big and try it all with the ‘Original’ Taste of Germany – a platter feeding up to four people loaded with bratwurst, sausage, pork hock, kassler, mashed potato, sauerkraut, pretzels, mustard and gravy, paired with a stein of beer. Prost!

35 Mount Barker Road, Hahndorf

Spicy Corn Ribs at NOLA

Savour the sights, sounds and flavours of America’s Deep South at the impeccable NOLA bar and eatery. Their New Orleans inspiration can be felt in everything they do, from the rich coloured interiors and bold neon lighting, weekly live music sessions, whiskey selection and of course, the food.

Their focus on creole and Cajun cuisine shines a light on their menu, including their standout dish, the spicy corn ribs. Fried and rolled in spicy garlic butter with NOLA spices and completed with parmesan, suitable for vegans and gluten-free, it’s like a firework going off on your tongue!

28 Vardon Avenue, Adelaide

Pipis at Kuti Shack

Tucked away into the sand hills of Goolwa Beach sits the charming Kuti Shack, formed by a passionate team doing incredible things with local Fleurieu produce such as the Kuti  – also known as pipis and cockles. Their team of chefs have previously headed up some of South Australia’s finest restaurants, now, they’re creating exciting new and innovative dishes with sustainable, local indigenous ingredients, starting a Pipi revolution.

The standout dish here has to be their wok-tossed Goolwa pipis flavoured with their chilli jam, lemongrass and warragal greens, presented in their shells, though there are always new creations on the menu to be enjoyed with friends and a complimenting glass of white.

Beach Road, Goolwa Beach

Crispy Chicken Tea Sandwich With Peri Peri Drippings at Africola

With dishes so iconic they have a recipe book available to purchase, Africola is home to some of the most unmissable dishes in Adelaide. An absolute must-try is their Crispy Chicken Tea Sandwich with Peri Peri drippings; crustless white bread slathered with chilli-spiked mayo, filled with crispy roast chicken skin and flat-leaf parsley, alongside peri-peri chicken drippings just waiting to be dunked into.

This plate is served as a snack to begin your flavour-packed feast, to be enjoyed in the lively surroundings on Adelaide’s East Terrace.

4 East Terrace, Adelaide

Pizza #01 (Margherita) at Sunny’s Pizza

You can never go wrong with the humble Margherita pizza, and Sunny’s Pizza wood-fired pizzas are some of the best around. Open 7 days a week, the restaurant captivates with neon lighting, disco balls and pumping music to get you in the mood before you’ve sipped your cocktail.

Order their Pizza #01 and indulge in the soft, fluffy crust encasing the perfect blend of San Marzano tomato, mozzarella and a healthy dose of basil that instantly makes you understand why this is one of Adelaide’s most iconic dishes. Need further proof that you need to try it for yourself? How many other pizza restaurants have you been to that have collaborated with a Michelin-starred chef or two?

17 Solomon Street, Adelaide

Kingfish Sashimi at Golden Boy

If you are a fan of Thai food, fresh seafood and good vibes, then Golden Boy on North Terrace is a must-visit on your food tour of Adelaide. Settle in for lunch or dinner and start your order with their self-proclaimed favourite dish of Kingfish Sashimi.

You’ll spot this dish as the first item on their menu, with the kingfish complimented with nam jim, coconut cream, kaffir and zesty finger lime flavours that pack a punch. With flavours and textures like these, there’s a reason for their multiple award wins including multiple ‘Best Thai Restaurant’ accolades.

309 North Terrace, Adelaide

Oysters at Coffin Bay

An otherworldly experience altogether, a trip to Coffin Bay on the Eyre Peninsula can only mean one thing: Coffin Bay Oysters. Experience, indulge and discover the joy of fresh oysters in a way that suits your style best with a boat tour.

From group trips to private charters, you can wade through the crystal clear turquoise waters and explore the working oyster farm with expert guides. Enjoy a dozen freshly shucked, world-class oysters paired with local beverages, and relax as you cruise the Coffin Bay waterways to take in some of South Australia’s most stunning coastlines and landscapes. This is South Australia at it’s best.

146 Esplanade, Coffin Bay

Donut of the Month at Port Elliot Bakery

A longstanding Adelaide foodie experience, a drive to Port Elliot Bakery for their Donut Of The Month is a non-negotiable. Alongside the usual bakery offerings sits their ever-changing speciality donut flavour, available for a limited time each month.

Expect the unexpected with this standout sweet treat and savour classic and unusual flavours, or get lucky with a seasonal special. With previous flavours including Vietnamese coffee with coconut sugar and coffee cream, peppermint cookie with crushed Oreo topped with a mint Lindt ball for Christmas and the sweet crunch of Rocky Road, prepare for the pastry paradise.

31 North Terrace, Port Elliot

Petit Dejeuner au Champagne for Two at Hey Jupiter

Start your day the French way with the delectable Petit Dejeuner au Champagne (breakfast with Champagne) at Hey Jupiter Brasserie Française.

Treat yourself and a friend to a 375ml bottle of Louis Roederer Champagne and a breakfast feast of boiled free-range eggs, pastries and toast, Ham, Comté, Bonne Maman jam, smoked salmon, fresh fruit, coffee or tea and juice. The charming interiors and alfresco seating area will take you to the streets of Paris as you cheer to good health and enjoy a little slice of France in the East End. C’est bon!

11 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide

Banjaan Borani: Parwana Kitchen

Prepare yourself for a sensory explosion in the form of Parwana Kitchen’s signature eggplant dish, the Banjaan Borani. Perfected over the years, the Afghan cuisine is available for lunch or dinner in their Henley Beach Road location. The dish – eggplant simmered in fresh tomato sauce and topped with garlic yoghurt and mint – is best served with rice, some Torshi (spicy pickled vegetables) and Naan bread.

124B Henley Beach Road, Torrensville

Are you hungry after reading our roundup of the most iconic dishes in Adelaide? Us too. For more foodie inspo, check out where to wine and dine your special someone or find Adelaide’s best Italian food.