Mediterranean menus, cheeky cocktails, sensational sandos, reliable smashed avo and the perfect hot chip. Here are CityMag's top 10 hospo openings for 2023.
December 21, 2023
Habits
CityMag’s favourite hospitality openings of 2023
2023 was the year of the elevated, curated, seasonal, Mediterranean experience — and we were here for it. Over 12 months we covered a bunch of restaurant and bar openings, and reckon you should check them out.
In no particular order (aside from alphabetical), here are our top 10 of 2023:
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Enoteca Lounge & Cucina
281-283 Rundle Street, Adelaide 5000
This picture: Helen Karakulak
From Natalie, the daughter of Enzo in Enzo’s Ristorante and her Milan-born partner Alessandro comes Enoteca Lounge & Cucina. The restaurant is located on Rundle Street, but stretches all the way back to Vardon Avenue, being both a great place to dine in or sit at the bar and people-watch the Ebenezer/Vardon thoroughfare. We choose to do so with a negroni in hand, which we’ve dubbed the sip of summer. You can read our hunt for the best one, and our review of Enoteca’s in our latest print mag. As for food, CityMag can’t go past a good crab spaghetti.
Read about it again.
High Spirits
20 Gilbert Place, Adelaide 5000
High Spirits blew us away, and nearly fried our eyebrows off in the process. This grand spectacle of a spot loves to set things on fire — drinks and bar included. The cocktails are fruity and extravagant, with The Zombie — pictured above in its golden hour — being our top pick.
Read about it again.
House of George
Cnr East Terrace & Vardon Avenue, Adelaide 5000
This picture: supplied.
The broad range of the Mediterranean seemed to be the spot for many Adelaide hospo people in 2023. House of George led the way. The former Yiasou George said goodbye to traditional Greek food and hello to a broader Mediterranean feel, without getting rid of lamb and pita in the process.
Read about it again and again.
Kenny’s on Hindley
139 Hindley Street, Adelaide 5000
If there’s one thing to know about the CityMag team, it’s that we can’t go past a good hot chip. So when we heard that Kenny’s on Hindley was making the bold claim that theirs are the best in town, we had to find out for ourselves. These crunchy bad boys are made of fresh potatoes, not frozen, and go through a few rounds of frying to achieve a deliciously fluffy inside. There are a lot of good chips in town, and Kenny’s is certainly up there for us.
Read about it again.
MOMODA by Krish
1 Magill Road, Stepney 5069
MOMODA by Krish had CityMag salivating (literally), hence why we wouldn’t look past it as an inclusion as one of our favourite restaurants for 2023. Expect a broad range of Asian fusion food that is effortlessly balanced — something that head chef Krish Dutt prides himself on. CityMag’s top pick was the charcoaled grilled pork ribs, as the meat literally fell off the bone.
Read about it again.
Nauti Buoy
1 Henley Beach Road, Henley Beach South 5022
This picture: supplied.
Nauti Buoy is one of this list’s earlier openers, moving into the seaside locale in March. It’s the brainchild of the Loverboy nightclub crew and ex-Peter Rabbit chef Renee Lind. Nauti Buoy is a versatile beachside hang, with brunch during the day and drinks and tapas options from sunset. The menu changes seasonally, but one of their staple sides that CityMag can never go past is the baked halloumi with zaatar, honey and lemon thyme.
Read about it again.
Olive
4/86 Pirie Street, Adelaide 5000
We have given Olive plenty of love in the mag recently, and for good reason. The approachably cool Mediterranean offering from Sprout Food Group is the perfect place for your next date night. The menu is seasonal, and our pick of the summer is a salad with buffalo mozzarella, rockmelon, pancetta, salsa verde and picked grapes. We were lucky enough to try this party on a plate for our recent Chef vs. Public BBQ segment with Callum and Themis. You can read all about it in our latest print mag which is on streets now, and even collect the recipe.
Read about it again and again.
Spread
5/246 Unley Road, Unley 5061
Just when we thought the sando wave had crested and crashed in Adelaide, Spread popped up. Located on Unley Road behind its sister restaurant Dolly, Spread brings a casual sando bar by day and wine bar by night to the south of the city. CityMag’s favourite was the number seven, pictured above. It has eggplant katsu, green and smoked tomatoes, Stracciatella and prosciutto.
Read about it again.
Thirsty Tiger brunch
Upstairs, 99 Hindley Street, Adelaide 5000
The Gang Gang crew have introduced brunch to their hot spot Thirsty Tiger and want future patrons to recover from a seedy Sunday with them on Hindley Street. Located above 99 Gang Gang, and we couldn’t look past it for a top 10 newbie inclusion. With any Gang Gang prodigy, expect what the team is best known for — burgers. Along with the burgs, CityMag got to indulge in a smashed avo and a classic steak frites and egg.
Read about it again.
Trap.
Cold Chisel Lane, Adelaide 5000
We couldn’t stop thinking about this tiny bar located just behind Cry Baby and Sunny’s Pizza. The 12-seater venue has a complex and intricate method to cocktails — it highlights the concoctions with a story behind them and we were here for it in 2023. Owner Lachlan Gunner wants future patrons to understand the importance of direct communication between bartender and guest, and how Trap. get it right.
Read about it again.
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