The Federal and State governments are charting the way out of the coronavirus crisis. Here's how bars in the Adelaide CBD will adapt to the easing restrictions.
May 19, 2020
Habits
Bars reopening in the CBD
SPECIAL REPORT: COVID-19 ADELAIDE
Alas, it seems bars will be the last to be given the nod by public health officials for a return to a workable business model – however, if you’re bar owner with a kitchen, you were delivered some welcome news early on the Friday evening of 22 May.
Premier Steven Marshall announced a backflip on a previous decision and has now allowed all venues of any licence category to trade with 10 patrons indoors, 10 patrons outdoors, and to serve alcohol alongside food, so long as each patron in either area is afforded 4sqm.
Remarks
This article has been updated.
If you own a bar and would like to be listed, or you’d like to update your listing, email jvoneinem@solsticemedia.com.au.
Monday, 25 May also brought the announcement that the stage 2 easing of restrictions would be brought forward to Monday, 1 June, as well as a further easing of restrictions than was initially planned.
From 1 June, venues can have up to 80 patrons at any one time, but that capacity must split between “discreet rooms or areas”, each up to a maximum of 20 patrons. In effect, a pub with a separated front bar, dining room, and lounge could have 60 people spread throughout those three areas. However, each patron must still be afforded 4sqm.
Additionally, all licensed venues will, from 1 June, be permitted to serve alcohol without a meal, so long as patrons are seated. And to belabour the very important point – through all of this, social distancing requirements of 4sqm per person still apply.
This, dear friends, is the moment you and I have been waiting for. A (responsible) glass of wine with dinner somewhere other than the kitchen table, followed by a glass of wine and a snack at some rowdy drinking establishment. An almost full night out.
The eased restrictions are not workable for every business in the exact same way, so we reached out to a bunch of CBD bars to find out how they plan to adapt (and adapt, and adapt).
East
Adelaide Unibar
Union House, University of Adelaide, North Terrace
CLOSED
The UniBar is currently closed and will not reopen until at least the beginning of the university semester two, in August. The decision to reopen will ultimately be based on when students can return to campus.
Baddog
63 Hyde Street
CLOSED
There are no plans under the current outlined restrictions to reopen Baddog.
BRKLYN
260-262 Rundle Street
HOURS
Friday: Four sittings, 5:30pm—7pm, 7pm ’til 8:30pm, 8:30pm—10pm, 10pm—11:30pm
Saturday: Four sittings, 5:30pm—7pm, 7pm ’til 8:30pm, 8:30pm—10pm, 10pm—11:30pm
BRKLYN is open for pre-booked sittings at four times on Friday and Saturday nights. Each sitting will offer table service and must be booked ahead of time, either via Facebook or Instagram direct message, or by emailing functions@brklyn-adl.com.
From 5 June, BRKLYN will also start to accept walk-in clientele.
The Crown & Anchor
196 Grenfell Street
CLOSED
The Crown & Anchor is currently closed.
The team is currently assessing whether the stage 2 easing of restrictions, kicking in on 1 June, will “allow it to be viable [to operate] with full table service offered
East End Cellars & The Tasting Room
25 Vardon Avenue
HOURS
Mon—Tue: 9am ’til 5pm (lunch service 11am—3pm, all day menu 3pm—5pm)
Wed—Thu: 9am ’til 9:15pm (lunch service 11am—3pm, all day menu 3pm—5pm, dinner service 5pm—8:30pm)
Fri—Sat: 9am ’til late (lunch service 11am—3pm, all day menu 3pm—5pm, dinner service 5pm—8:30pm, all day menu 9pm—9:30pm)
Sunday: 12pm ’til 6pm (lunch service 12pm ’til 4pm)
East End Cellars and The Tasting Room are currently offering indoor and outdoor dining, with both spaces each capped at 10 patrons maximum.
Bookings are highly recommended for all food service sittings, and are available as follows, as the venue is introducing staggered sittings to ensure they comply with social distancing requirements.
“In a nutshell if you are dining inside, minimum spend is $150 per person (includes $75 three course set menu), for dinner only, with two hours per sitting,” co-owner Michael Andrewartha says.
“If you are sitting outside for dinner or for lunch in either section, there is no minimum spend for a two hour sitting.”
Golden Boy Cellar Bar
309 North Terrace
CLOSED
Golden Boy’s Cellar Bar is currently closed.
There are no plans yet for the bar to reopen. The team will consider their options as the restrictions continue to ease.
The Golden Wattle
110 Pirie Street
CLOSED
The Golden Wattle is currently closed.
The pub has not yet decided on a reopen date.
“The Golden Wattle won’t be operating till at least we can serve alcohol and 20 people is not going to pay our bills,” co-owner Damien Kelly says.
Hellbound
201 Rundle Street
CLOSED
Hellbound is currently closed.
From Friday, 29 May, the bar will reopen for indoor dining, restricted to a maximum of 10 patrons at any one time, and then from 1 June the bar will expand its capacity to 20 patrons.
Hellbound will trade from Wednesday to Sunday 4pm ’til midnight and will offer table service. The bar will also launch a new menu, with smaller snacks available for around $6 per plate, and bigger snacks for around $15 per plate.
Owner Mark Reginato is excited to welcome the public back into the bar, but cautions there will be a period of getting used to the new trading reality.
“Due to capacity restrictions (20 people max), we may have to turn people away / ask them to wait,” he says.
“[But it’s a] great time to bar-hop around and support multiple venues and get them all back on their feet.”
The Howling Owl
10 Vaughn Place
REOPENING SOON
The Howling Owl is currently closed.
The café and bar plans to reopen for coffee and cake service from 1 June, and will begin full trade from 1 June, as the stage 2 easing of restrictions kicks in.
The Howling Owl will then operate from 8am ’til late Monday through Saturday.
The Jade
160 Flinders Street
REOPENING SOON
The Jade is currently closed.
Owner Zac Coligan says he has plans to reopen the Jade’s garden kiosk soon for takeaway coffee, breakfast and lunch soon. No reopening date has yet been set.
Mother Vine
22-26 Vardon Avenue
HOURS
Wed—Sat: 4pm ’til late
Mother Vine is currently offering takeaway food packs. Check the bar’s social media accounts for menu updates.
The bar will look into how they might operate under the stage 2 easing of restrictions.
NOLA
28 Vardon Avenue
HOURS
Thu—Sun: 5pm ’til 10pm
From Wednesday, 3 June, NOLA will offer indoor seating up to 20 patrons. The venue will be offering table service and bookings are essential.
“To ensure we are still a vibe- and service-rich venue we have opted to shift towards a table service model. This will allow us to control the flow of people, ensuring social distancing is adhered to, while giving the service and experience we want. Think New Orleans speakeasy cocktail bar,” says founder Ollie Brown.
“You will be met at the front door and given a hot toddy (on the house) while you wait for your table. You will then be walked through the dimly lit and candled venue and seated at your table. We will have a range of warm and warming cocktails as well as food.
“Coming to NOLA is about the experience and we will be focusing on this more than ever for our table service format.”
The new trading hours will be Tue—Thu: 5pm ’til 11pm and Fri—Sat: 12pm ’til 2pm. Sunday trading will be considered after the stage 3 easing of restrictions, scheduled (but not guaranteed) for July.
Rhino Room
Level 1, 131 Pirie Street
CLOSED
The Rhino Room is currently closed and will only consider reopening with stage 3 easing of restrictions. Stage 3 is slated for July, but is subject to the wiles of the virus.
Roxie’s
188 Grenfell Street
REOPENING SOON
Roxie’s is currently closed, but the team expects to reopen the Roxie’s Deli from Monday, 1 June, offering both breakfast and lunch for takeaway and dine in, in line with government advice. On 1 June, only 10 people will be allowed to dine outdoors, and from 1 June, 20 people will be allowed to dine indoors.
The café, bar and restaurant is also looking to introduce some pantry items to the Deli, including Midnight Spaghetti pasta sauce and pickled vegetables.
Beyond the stage 2 easing of restrictions, “Breakfast and brunch bookings will be closely monitored and capped to allow appropriate spacing of tables etc within our current footprint,” says group operations manager Patrick Allan.
The Stag Public House
299 Rundle Street
HOURS
Wed—Sun: 12pm ’til 10pm
From Wednesday, 3 June, The Stag will reopen for indoor dining and drinking. Table service will be provided, and bookings are essential.
The pub will trade from Wednesday through to Sunday from 12pm ’til 10pm. These trading hours will be amended once again once the stage 3 easing of restrictions are implemented, due to happen (though not guaranteed) in July.
West
1000 Island
15 Solomon Street
CLOSED
1000 Island is closed, and will remain so up until restrictions ease on 1 June.
From 1 June, 1000 Island will open limited hours up to 20 patrons at a time. Trading hours have not been set in stone yet, but owner Ash Wilson says they are looking potentially at Friday through Sunday from 7pm ’til midnight.
55ml
33—35 Mill Street
REOPENING SOON
55ml is currently closed.
From 1 June, 55ml will reopen, with extended trading hours: 2pm ’til late Tuesday to Saturday, and 5pm ’til 12am on Sunday.
Apoteca
118 Hindley Street
REOPENING SOON
Apoteca is currently open for takeaway, offering pre-order weekly meal packs which will be delivered on Fridays or Saturdays.
From Friday, 29 May, Apoteca will reopen, operating from Tuesday through Saturday, with two sitting times: the first runs either from 5:30pm ’til 7pm or 6pm ’til 7:30pm, and the second sitting runs from either 7:30pm or 8pm with no restrictions on sitting time.
There is no minimum spend required, but Apoteca will require a $20 deposit per person for every booking.
Bank Street Social
48 Hindley Street
CLOSED
Bank Street Social is currently closed, and there are no plans at this stage to reopen. The bar is still offering its bottled cocktails, available for online order and delivery.
Bibliotheca
27 Gresham Street
HOURS
Tues—Sat: 5pm ’til late
From Friday, 29 May, Bibliotheca is offering indoor seating for 10 patrons and outdoor seating for 10 patrons. Alcohol sales must be accompanied by food.
From Tuesday, 2 June, Bibliotheca will increase its indoor capacity to 20 patrons and will no longer be required to serve food with alcohol.
The Collins Bar
233 Victoria Square
CLOSED
The entire Hilton Adelaide, including The Collins Bar, closed on Friday, 3 April and is currently scheduled to reopen in July 2020. Hilton Adelaide’s commercial director, Hayley Kimber, says the reopen date may change depending on when South Australia’s border restrictions ease.
Cry Baby
11 Solomon Street
CLOSED
Cry Baby is currently closed.
The bar has launched an online booze store, which offers delivery.
Owner Jon Di Pinto says Cry Baby is unlikely to consider reopening until there is an allowance for a capacity of 40 or more people, and the 4sqm rule is relaxed.
Gilbert Street Hotel
88 Gilbert Street
HOURS
Wed—Sun: 11am ’til 8pm
The Gilbert Street Hotel is currently open for takeaway food and booze.
As restrictions ease, the pub will consider reopening for indoor dining, but nothing is locked in as yet. They will also look to open seven days, with restricted hours.
Grace Emily Hotel
232 Waymouth Street
CLOSED
The Grace Emily is currently closed.
There are no plans yet to reopen the Grace Emily under the current restrictions.
“We will not open until you can sit at the bar and order a pint of Coopers Pale Ale,” publican Symon Jarowyj says.
“We need a capacity of minimum of 50 before it’s worth opening the doors.”
Hains & Co
23 Gilbert Place
HOURS
Mon—Sun: 4pm ’til 2am
From Friday, 29 May, Hains & Co is reopening to its usual hours.
The bar is currently able to accomodate 10 patrons indoors and 10 patrons outdoors. This number will be revised upward from Monday, 1 June to 20 indoors and 10 outdoors.
Hilton Adelaide Lobby Lounge
233 Victoria Square
CLOSED
The entire Hilton Adelaide, including the Lobby Lounge, closed on Friday, 3 April and is currently scheduled to reopen in July 2020. Hilton Adelaide’s commercial director, Hayley Kimber, says the reopen date may change depending on when South Australia’s border restrictions ease.
Hotel Metro
46 Grote Street
CLOSED
The Hotel Metro is currently closed, and undergoing significant renovations.
The pub is likely to reopen in August.
La Buvette
27 Gresham Street
What is La Buvette doing in the café list, I hear you ask? Read on.
La Buvette is currently closed, but trading as a delivery wine shop: La Buvette Delivers.
“[It’s] been a great way to stay connected with our regular clientele,” says owner Hayley Lentz.
The bar will open up for daytime trade as a café from 1 June, offering coffee, petit déjeuner and lunch from 7am ’til 3pm Monday to Friday. The café concept will be takeaway only at first.
From Friday, 5 June, La Buvette will also reopen on Friday and Saturday nights under limited trade, offering “a ‘la buvette Experience’, whereby we will offer to book a limited amount of spaces for a specific experience and will provide a couple of options to choose from,” co-owner Hayley Lentz says.
“It will very much change the way our usual business flows but we will create the same great ambience and personalised service as always.”
Later on, the bar will start its ‘hello apéro’ hour, “which will be a drink/ aperitif style food combination at a special price per person..TBC in days and nights,” Hayley says.
“We will go in stages, and gradually open more nights as restrictions ease!”
Leigh Street Wine Room
9 Leigh Street
Leigh Street Wine Room is currently closed, however the restaurant’s sister bottle shop Juice Traders is operating.
From 10 June, Leigh Street Wine Room will reopen, trading from 3pm ;til late Wednesday to Sunday.
“We will work towards offering the same fun, easy-going, relaxed service, however, putting in place a little more space between tables to ensure social distancing is being adhered to,” owner Sali Sasi says.
“We’re in full support of a cautious roll out of stages. As much as we are cracking to get our doors open, our intention is to reopen and reopen once with the hope cases within South Australia continue to be under control.
“The last thing any of us want is to potentially be forced into yet another shut down because the roll out wasn’t done so pragmatically.”
Mississippi Moon
25 Gresham Street
HOURS
Tue—Sun: 5pm ’til late
From Tuesday, 2 June, Maybe Mae will offer indoor dining for up to 20 patrons at a time.
The bar has also created a wholly South Australian drinks list.
“Gotta shut down those borders, y’know?” co-owner Ollie Margan says.
Table service will be on offer, and there will be a food offering available from Bread & Bone upstairs.
Mississippi Moon
25 Gresham Street
CLOSED
Mississippi Moon is currently closed.
The bar will reassess its options for reopening as restrictions ease, but no decision has been made as yet.
Paloma Bar & Pantry
20 Peel Street
CLOSED
Paloma is not currently trading and is waiting for alcohol service restrictions to ease.
Venue manager Luke Fleming says the bar has applied to add more outdoor seating to its licence, as have other bars along Peel Street.
Following the ease of restrictions on 1 June, Luke says “We will definitely be looking at full table service coming back as recommended by government. Trading hours will most likely stay the same.”
Peter Rabbit
234-244 Hindley Street
REOPENING SOON
Peter Rabbit is closed now but will reopen on 1 June and operate per government advice: Maximum 20 people at one time and accomodating one person per 4sqm.
One reopened, Peter Rabbit will operate as follows (though this may change):
Mon—Thu: 7:30am ’til 3pm
Friday: 7:30 am ’til 12am
Saturday: 8am ’til 12am
Sunday: 8:30am ’til 2:30pm
Proof
9 Anster Street
HOURS
Mon—Fri: 3pm ’til late
Saturday: 5pm ’til late
From Monday, 1 June, Proof will be have indoor seating available for 20 people upstairs, 10 people downstairs, and 5 people on the deck.
Red October
22 Gilbert Place
HOURS
Tue—Sat: 5pm ’til midnight
Red October is currently offering seated dining for 10 patrons indoors and 10 patrons outdoors.
From 2 June, the bar and restaurant will increase its indoor capacity to 20 patrons.
Red October will continue to offer takeaway during this time, including its cook-at-home packs of borsch, khachapuri and dumplings.
Sparkke at the Whitmore
317 Morphett Street
HOURS
Wed—Sat: 12pm ’til 9pm
Sunday: 12am ’til 5pm
From Friday, 29 May, Sparkke at the Whitmore is open dine-in. The pub’s in-house restaurant Fare can sit 10 people at any one time. Bookings are essential.
From Monday, 1 June, Fare’s capacity at each sitting will increase to 15. The pub’s capacity will also increase.
Stem
188 Hindley Street
HOURS
Mon—Sun: 11:30am ’til 9pm
Stem Bar and Restaurant is currently offering takeaway for pick up and delivery.
From Tuesday, 9 June, the venue will once again offer indoor dining, up to 20 patrons at a time. Stem will also reconsider its operating hours, but nothing has been decided yet.
“Our chefs are currently working on a new menu including some old favourites, with some new and exciting dishes to suit lunch and dinner. A new menu format, with rotating dishes giving guests something new when they dine,” says venue manager Jo Phillis.
“We also are planning regular wine events scheduled for the upcoming months, showcasing big hitters and small producers influenced by the kitchen.”
Strathmore Hotel
129 North Terrace
HOURS
Mon—Sun: 12pm ’til 10pm
From Wednesday, 27 May, the Strathmore will open its café concept, Café One 2 Nine, offering all day dining from noon onwards.
From 1 June, the pub will reopen for lunch service Monday to Friday and dinner service Monday to Saturday, while following government guidelines of no more than 20 people indoors at any one time and with each person afforded 4sqm. The restaurant will offer two dining session times per evening, and for the time being there will be no share meals on offer.
Sunny’s Pizza
17 Solomon Street
HOURS
Mon—Sun: 5pm ’til 11pm
From Friday, 29 May, Sunny’s is open for dine-in, up to a maximum of 10 patrons indoors and 5 patrons outdoors. This will be revised up to 20 patrons indoors from Monday, 1 June.
The restaurant and bar will offer three sittings, to ensure they comply with social distancing requirements: 5:30pm, 7pm, 8:30pm.
Suzie Wong
22 Gilbert Place
HOURS
Tue—Sat: 7pm ’til late
From Tuesday, 2 June, Suzie Wong will offer seating for 20 patrons at a time.
Udaberri
11—13 Leigh Street
HOURS
Udaberri is currently closed.
The bar and restaurant will reopen on 29 May, allowing indoor seating for up to 10 people, and outdoor seating for up to 10 people. However, there will be no bar seating available until restrictions are eased further.
Lucky they recently installed those plush booths, eh?
Udaberri will operate from 4pm ’til late Monday to Friday and 6pm ’til late Saturday and Sunday.
West Oak Hotel
208 Hindley Street
HOURS
Mon—Wed: 12pm ’til late
Thu—Fri: 12pm ’til late
Sat—Sun: 4pm ’til late
From Friday, 29 May, West Oak will offer seating for 10 patrons indoors and 10 patrons outdoors.
The capacity will then increase from Monday, 1 June.
Sunday trade will be reserved for bookings of between 15 people (minimum) to 20 people (maximum). The charge will be $50 per head, $10 per Aperol spritz, and all other drinks plus food is included.
Wing It
89 King William Street
HOURS
Mon—Sun: 12pm ’til 9pm
Wing it is only serving takeaway at the moment, and is cooking from within its sister North Adelaide restaurant, Piccoli Piatti. Takeaway is available for pick up or delivery.
Neither outdoor dining nor indoor dining up to 20 patrons at a time is enough to justify opening Wing It’s doors, so the bar and restaurant will remain closed to the public for the foreseeable future.
“Also having 0 sport on at the moment doesnt look good for a sports bar unfortunately,” owner Tom Smith says.
Closed for good
Not all of Adelaide’s venues have made it through the coronavirus crisis. Here is a list of Adelaide bars that will sadly be missed.
Kings Head
353-357 King William Street
Sturt Street Cellars
353-357 King William Street
Remarks
If you have a CBD bar and would like to be added to this list, email jvoneinem@solsticemedia.com.au.
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