The epic eatery that sums up where Adelaide's food and drink scene is at and where it's going.

It’s hard to say just how long Sunny’s on Solomon Street’s been coming. But it’s here now, it’s brilliant and it officially opens next Wednesday – November 2nd.

That’s the short story.

The other story is that Sunny’s very nearly never happened.

Two of the five co-owners: Josh Dolman and Ash Wilson

“I can’t speak for everyone here,” says Andy Nowell – co-owner and chef at Sunny’s, “but I was done, I was at the point that if I couldn’t open my own joint I wasn’t going to work in a kitchen anymore.”

“I’d applied for Uni!” says Josh Dolman – co-owner and bartender at Sunny’s, seconding Andy’s exacerbation with the world of hospitality.

Seated on a stoop of sorts out front of their ready-to-roll pizza shop, the ownership group of Sunny’s are all nodding in unison.

Rob Denisoff, formerly of Botanic Bar, explains the hospitality paradox best.

“You just reach a point in the industry where you have to do something yourself or get out.”

But from a team who were ready to throw it all in comes the most triumphantly fun, interesting, delicious, off-handed, inclusive, philosophical, dumb and insert-your-own-adjective venue Adelaide has ever seen.

Interiors by Studio-Gram

With more than five owners Sunny’s should be a mess (maybe, if you don’t know any better, you’ll think it is a mess) but instead, the aesthetic and cultural narrative of the space leads as succinctly and sequentially between its owners’ personalities as the minutes between an hour.

Graphic designer Carlo Jensen and Architects Studio-Gram have worked seamlessly across materials and graphics to produce an authentic environment for people looking to party size (geddit?) their night out.

Everything is fun; the plates, the beer mugs, the coasters, the photos of famous visitors to Adelaide taken by – then staff photographer for The Advertiser and still presently Andy’s father – Grant Nowell.

The toilets! It’s worth going to Sunny’s for the toilets alone.

But towards the more serious end of the operation you’ll find the Italian-made wood oven and the man at its helm, Josh Cook, providing a different kind of reason to visit.

CityMag has followed Josh’s career with keen interest since first sampling his pizza at EST on East Terrace – and we’re happy the young chef has a stake in Sunny’s.

“Everyone’s got an opinion about pizza,” says Josh reflecting on the pressure he’s under.

“People talk about the base, the toppings, the oven… people love to be overly critical about pizza.

“Here, I tried to start from the bottom again. I’m making a different style of pizza now and there’s a bit of stress behind that because I’m trying to make it my own rather than rocking up to EST or even Sparrow back in the day, and just plodding along.

Josh Cook at the pass

“Now it’s got my name and my face on it so I want it to be good and I want it to be something I’m proud of and be happy making.”

Sunny’s is just that sort of place, really.

People care about what they’re doing here, whether it’s design, drinks or gabagool.