Dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON recently visited Adelaide to eat her way through as many restaurants as possible. “It was worth every bite,” she says. 

Adelaide is officially on the 2025 Happy City Index and no doubt its food scene is one reason for the ranking. 

I recently visited the capital of South Australia to eat my way through as many restaurants as possible. It was worth every bite. 

Osteria Oggi is a must, and so delicious we went a second time. This Italian piazza offers sensational food, attentive service, a beautiful fit-out and superior wines. There wasn’t a dish we didn’t adore, including the beef carpaccio ($28) and kingfish crudo with cucumber, fennel, chilli, dill and salmon roe ($29), both executed with precision. Love. Love. Love.

Sophisticated through and through is French-inspired Station Road, which transcends the ordinary. The wine list is as thick as an encyclopedia, with some top drops over $1000 a bottle. True bite-sized snacks include a slow-cooked hen’s egg with leatherwood honey and smoked cream ($10) and hand-picked mud crab, preserved chilli, betel leaf and blood lime ($16). 

Leighton Street Wine Room (housed in an old laundromat) offers more than 400 wines. This “hole-in-a-wall” has great food, although the service was inconsistent. We enjoyed the Bob Fiano (2024) from Clare Valley and every dish we ordered, including the creamy chicken liver parfait with plum and rhubarb jam ($18).

Be sure to visit Apoteca, even if only for the fit-out. Formerly The Apothecary 1878, the restaurant is in a heritage-listed building, and 146-year-old pharmacy cabinets grace the front bar. From the “First Aid” section of the “Prescription” menu, we went over the moon and back with the kingfish, cucumber and apple ($26) and King prawns ($12 each).

Ocean Bar and Kitchen, right on beautiful Henley Beach, is stunning. Renowned restaurateur Adam Swanson and TV personality is the executive chef, bringing his food flair to dishes such as the calamari fritti ($28) and to-die-for pork and veal meatballs with sensational tomato sugo ($20). We would go back and then back again. 

For fun vibes, visit the famous Adelaide Markets. We hit SiSea for seafood and tapas. The place was pumping. The oysters truly tasted of the sea ($26 for six natural) and the Spanish-style mussels hit the spot ($25.50).

Enjoy a rooftop bar? 2KW is loved by locals for its vibe and has excellent views of the sunset and Government House. KW stands for King William Street and this bar and restaurant is celebrating 10 years.

Visiting Adelaide calls for a trip to a winery. At D’Arenberg in McLaren Vale, we tasted wines in The Cube (with panoramic views), explored the Salvador Dali exhibition, and lunched at multiple award-winning d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant. Don’t skip their signature desserts.

Disappointing was Ode. Although upmarket, the menu’s description of some dishes didn’t deliver what was promised, with ingredients promised even missing.