As the upgrade progresses along King William Road, the strip’s restaurant luminaries weigh in on how they plan on making the most of the new hospitality opportunities, with extended happy hours and the best charcoal chook you’ll taste this summer.

Adam Liston has big plans for his red-hot chicken shop, Joybird, once the King William Road renovation wraps-up.

“We’ll be making charcoal chicken and making everyone smell it,” laughs the co-owner of the Hyde Park operation, which serves some of the most lauded barbecue birds just south of the city.

“We have outdoor seating, which is a bonus that came through the development, and once the construction has finished you’ll be able to alfresco dine.”

Throughout 2019, King William Road has undergone an exciting upgrade aimed to reinvigorate the precinct (though works are currently paused so as not to clash with the Christmas rush). A key aspect of this is the increased space for outdoor dining.

As we head into the festive season, businesses are embracing the new streetscape and the opportunities this will bring to the street.

CityMag reported on the opening of Joybird three-months ago while the precinct was in the throes of construction. Adam says he was aware he was going into a “messy” situation, but wanted to capitalise on the retail and hospitality hotspot rising from the ashes.

“We know that once it’s all finished, it’s going to be an amazing high street of Adelaide once again, like what it was in the ’90s,” Adam says.

“And Joybird is going to sit in that nice little corner pocket right across the road from the pub… You’ll feel the buzz and the nightlife.”

Simone Ellery, co-owner of Italian bistro Parisi’s Restaurant, will celebrate the road’s unveiling with a toast.

“Parisi’s will be doing apertivi as soon as the road is ready,” Simone says, “which is appetisers and pre-dinner drinks.”

Parisi’s has served traditional Italian cuisine on King William Road for 14 years. But this is the first time the eatery will offer a smörgåsbord of knock-off cocktails and sides from 3pm to 5pm, Thursday and Friday evenings.

“We’re doing Moët by the glass,” Simone says, “and we’re going to have your typical Aperol spritzes, negronis and Camparis, and there will be beautiful Italian share salamis and cheeses, and oysters and nibbles made in-house.”

Apertivi will be served in Parisi’s new street-facing dining area, which seats up to 25 people, fresh furniture and a patriotic Peroni bar.

Outdoor dining at Godi La Vita on King William Road

The point of the apertivi is to celebrate the street’s new look. Simone says her kitchen usually shuts at 3pm, but they “want to get people to make the most out of that area now, and we encourage – after the boutiques and that shut down for the evening – to come down and have a drink before you go home.”

The renovation will give King William Road a “European air” to it, Simone adds, which will only become more apparent as the strip’s future pastiche of restaurants and eateries spills out into the open air with the new on-street dining. 

“It’ll be buzzy, and up-market, and grand, ” says Simone. “We’re excited for it to be finished and for the good times ahead of such a beautiful precinct.”

Outside King William Road café He Said She Said