The 3 Most Overrated Places in Adelaide
Post
Subscribe
Adelaide's a fairly quiet city – in fact, it's often called a scaled-up version of a country town. The people are generally friendly, especially on the roads, and the city centre itself receives much less attention than, say, Melbourne's CBD. One result of this is that a lot of the places to eat are franchises or shopping mall cafes – great to go to for a relaxed meal with friends, but hardly the kind of restaurant you gush to your friends about. Still, there's some hype flying around that's undeserved, such as:
**
Gaucho's**
Gaucho's proudly touts itself as 'Australia's first Argentinian Restaurant'. If this seems true – it is, after all, a fairly bold claim – then perhaps the absurd cost can be explained away as some kind of tourism price. The various meat dishes (with an emphasis on steak and seafood) are nice, but not worth paying over $35 per meal for. Vegetarian options are available, if you consider a couple of salads and a plate of roasted vegetables 'options'. You'd get more variety from a pub dinner. Unless you're absolutely desperate for a fifty dollar steak, eat somewhere else, but not…
**
Ying Chow Chinese**
Ying Chow Chinese is on 114 Gouger St, and is seemingly a local favourite. The décor and atmosphere is in the 'cheap and cheerful' tradition of Asian food: think cramped tables, raucous conversation and enough grease to refit a car. Unfortunately, there are a few things that this kind of restaurant shouldn't sacrifice, like clean plates and the quality of the food. Ying Chow food is a lucky dip – sometimes you'll get a delicious dinner, sometimes unidentifiable chunks of gristle. If for some reason you do decide to go, be aware that here reservations are like prayers – it's hard to discern their effects, if any. Prepare yourself to wait at least twenty minutes for a table, whether you called ahead or not.
**
Glenelg Beach**
Adelaide has some fantastic beaches, with great surf, quiet swimming conditions and beautiful surroundings. Unfortunately, Glenelg Beach isn't one of these. Its purpose is purely ornamental – something to look at from the Grand Hotel or the amusement parks that line the shore. As an actual beach, it's totally without character: linear shoreline, lined with houses and shops, broken by a short concrete jetty. The location means it's often overcrowded, the water hosts innumerable jellyfish and stingers, and most of the sand itself is carted in.
As an alternative, head down to Southport, about thirty kilometres south-west of Adelaide. There's the magnificent Port Noarlunga Jetty, at the end of which is great snorkelling in a National Marine Park reef. Further down is the mouth of the Onkaparinga River – whether you want to swim, paddle or fish, you can do it there.
Disagree with these picks? Know a place that's more overrated than any of these? Share it in the comments – we'd love to hear from you.
#tourist_sites
#lists
%wnadelaide
172234 - 2023-06-15 10:13:11