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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 Cocktail Bars in Adelaide
Love Bomb
Port Adelaide is getting a little more funk, thanks to Love Bomb, a neighbourhood bar with a playful edge and plenty of personality. Locally owned and independently run, it brings together moody lighting, good tunes, a seriously tempting cocktail list and a menu made for sharing. Settle in over burrata and crispy prosciutto, truffled porcini arancini, fresh oysters or a pizza (the hot honey pepperoni has our eye), before working your way through margaritas, martinis and the signature Gracie’s Love Potion. Friday brings $10 base spirits and house wine from 4-6pm, and live music from 7pm, while Sundays are made for $15 spritzes and leisurely afternoons at the bar from 2pm-5pm.
Sitchu Tip: Head in on a Thursday, when the Lovers Plate and a bottle of house wine come in at $49.
Suburb: Port Adelaide
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Date night, Group dining, Weekend plans, Locals
Bar Cruz & Bar Mary
Restaurant Aptos was never destined to have the old Stirling church all to itself. Chef Patron Justin James has now completed the picture with Bar Cruz and Bar Mary, a pair of new drinking and dining spaces tucked into the same storied address.
Taking over the ground floor, Cruz brings a proper cocktail bar and dining room, where rare native ingredients meet subtle nods to James’ American roots. There’s fried chicken and onions, a paperbark and wattleseed waffle with bunya ice cream, and the strictly limited Cruz burger, with just ten served each day.
Upstairs, Mary takes a quieter turn. The whisky-focused room is designed for slow pours and long conversations, with private dining available by request. Between the two, there’s a courtyard, teepee and wine room, making the old church something of an all-evening affair.
Suburb: Stirling
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Cocktail lovers, Special occasion, Group dining
Need To Know: Open Thursday to Sunday
Admiral’s Quarters
There’s a version of Hains & Co that only reveals itself once you’ve found the stairs. Above the West End favourite sits Admiral’s Quarters, a whisky-led cocktail bar built around owner Marcus Motteram’s personal collection, 620 bottles deep and nearly a decade in the making, including pours from distilleries that no longer exist. Downstairs keeps its usual energy; up here, things slow right down. Think Martinis done properly, a Whisky Sour worth the wait, and a balcony made for a cigar and a long look over Edmund Wright House. Regulars will eventually be able to lock in a private locker for their own bottle, and the room takes bookings for functions up to 50.
Suburb: Adelaide
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Whisky lovers, date night, special occasion, group dining
Need To Know: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm
Routine Social Club
The latest opening from local hospitality group Chahoud Group, Routine Social Club is an all-day city spot that moves effortlessly from slow mornings to aperitivo and last pours. Seasonal plates, cocktails and wine set the scene for a long evening, with the drinks list covering the classics, from Palomas and Negronis to a considered wine selection. Earlier in the day, smoked salmon, fresh bread and carefully layered toppings make for a leisurely breakfast, while the mood shifts as the day goes on.
Suburb: Adelaide (CBD)
Price Guide: $-$$
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: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Late night, cocktail lovers, group dining, date night
Need To Know: Entry is upstairs at 99A Hindley Street
The Best New Rooftop and Outdoor Bars in Adelaide
No.6 East
A new East End terrace bar has just opened its doors, and No.6 East is bringing a distinctly homey feel to the bar scene. Upstairs at 6 East Terrace, the space overlooks Rundle Park and is designed to feel more like being invited to a friend’s very stylish house than heading to a traditional bar. Think eclectic art, leafy plants, mismatched furniture and plenty of spots to settle in with a drink. It’s the fifth venue from the team behind Jennie, Malt & Juniper, Alfred’s and Bar Bar, so you know the drinks are in good hands.
Suburb: Adelaide (East End)
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, cocktail lovers, locals, weekend plans
Need To Know: Tuesday to Saturday from 3pm until late
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
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
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best New Bars in Adelaide
For a special date night, Bar Mary in Stirling is a whisky-focused room upstairs at the old church shared with Restaurant Aptos, designed for slow pours and long conversations, with Bar Cruz’s cocktail bar and dining room downstairs. Admiral’s Quarters above Hains & Co suits a quieter evening of Martinis and Whisky Sours, with a balcony overlooking Edmund Wright House. Bar Canopy in the West End offers half-bottle pours, a coconut-aged Negroni and French caviar, while Love Bomb in Port Adelaide pairs moody lighting with a Lovers Plate built for two.
Love Bomb in Port Adelaide runs Friday happy hour from 4pm to 6pm, with $10 base spirits and house wine, followed by live music from 7pm. On Sundays from 2pm to 5pm, spritzes are $15 and cocktails $18, and on Thursdays the Lovers Plate comes with a bottle of house wine for $49. In Norwood, Alma Spritz Bar at the Alma Tavern pours $16 Aperol and Limoncello spritzes from Friday to Sunday, plus $18 cocktails on tap, with wood-fired pizzas and an alfresco setup for long weekend afternoons.
Bar Canopy in Adelaide’s West End is one of the best new wine bars in the city, with sommelier Henry Brampton and Lorenzo Di Pasquo pouring rare international drops and boutique local bottles, plus half-bottle options. On Hutt Street, Bar Sofia comes from the team behind Sofia Bistro, Part Time Lover and Pom Pom, with chefs Stewart Wesson and Tom Robinson cooking anything from mezze plates to a bespoke chef’s table. In Norwood, Lola’s Wine Bar has replaced East End Cellars with an all-day mix of wine bar, cocktail lounge and bistro, plus vinyl DJs and occasional disco nights.
Soda Rooftop is the standout new rooftop bar in Adelaide. Sitting atop the George Hotel in Glenelg, it offers 360-degree views from the sea to the Adelaide Hills, alongside handcrafted cocktails, fine wines and a contemporary Australian menu, including seared kangaroo loin with black garlic and saltbush. In the East End, No.6 East is an upstairs terrace bar at 6 East Terrace overlooking Rundle Park, from the team behind Jennie, Malt & Juniper, Alfred’s and Bar Bar. For open-air drinks in Norwood, Alma Spritz Bar runs an alfresco setup at the Alma Tavern from Friday to Sunday.
The best new bars in Adelaide right now include Bar Sofia on Hutt Street, where the offering shifts from apero hour to a bespoke chef’s table, and When & Where, a cocktail bar upstairs on Hindley Street with DJs and Asian-leaning signatures. For views, Soda Rooftop sits atop the George Hotel in Glenelg, while Admiral’s Quarters above Hains & Co pours from a 620-bottle whisky collection. Further afield, Bar Cruz and Bar Mary have opened inside Restaurant Aptos’ old church in Stirling, and Love Bomb brings shared plates and cocktails to Port Adelaide.
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.
