Let's Do Lunch in Adelaide
Food Festivals Are Great for Lunch in Adelaide
When it comes to lunch it can be a struggle deciding where to eat in Adelaide.
A food truck craze has hit town and new trucks are popping up frequently with a mouth watering range of foods from around the world. Just perfect for a lazy lunch in the park.
Cafes are responding to the competition with a tempting selection of cheap eats, and it can be hard keeping up with all of the new restaurants in Adelaide.
The old favourite pubs are also rising to the challenge by offering new specials for lunch in Adelaide that make them very attractive for cheap eats.
Our writers have been scouring the city for meals that will tantalise you without breaking the bank, let me show you some of the recent highlights that we have found.
Cafes
Earth's Kitchen Cafe
Possibly the newest cafe in town is
Earth's Kitchen a community based cafe on Pirie St providing healthy organic and fair trade food.
Their current menu has five salads (including Moroccan, Thai, and Mexican varieties) and five pizzas including vegetarian options. There is also a range of cakes and sweet things to tempt you, plus a variety of coffees, teas and other drinks. The menu changes regularly, so pop in soon and check it out.
Facebook and web pages are coming soon for Earth's Kitchen.
Cafe Troppo on Whitmore Square may not be in the city centre, but they compensate with their casual atmosphere, great coffee and modest prices. Read
this review for more details, but with nearly 1000 likes on Facebook they have to be keeping their customers happy.
Gourmet Wave Cafe on Gilles St
Another very new cafe is the
Wave Gourmet Cafe on Gilles St. In fact it is so new that none of our adventurous writers have reviewed it yet, although I have heard some good gossip about it around town.
The menus describe a broad range of foods, and their Facebook page states that local produce is sourced first. The price bracket is not likely to appeal to students on a tight budget, but I am looking forward to seeing someone review this place.
Paddy's Lantern Restaurant
Finally Paddy's Lantern on Gilbert St comes with a great reputation for their coffee, but our reviewer also found their food choices to be
simple, healthy and delicious. It's quite a modest sized place, but I find that an added attraction personally.
Food Trucks
Food Trucks in Hindmarsh Square
During the week four food trucks are in great demand -
Burger Theory is the longest running, selling a cool range of gourmet burgers. You may just have time to experience one of their
Artburgers before the menu changes.
Newer competitors
La Cantina Co have spicy tacos and quesadillas and the
Chimichurri Grill with its fantastic Chimi steak and Chimi chorizo are giving them some stiff competition. Manu from
Veggie Velo provides a healthy vegetarian alternative, and has been known to even convert the carnivorous.
Chimichurri Grill @ Victoria Square
On the weekends you can pick up some delicious Greek food like grilled lamb kefte with halloumi or stuffed sweet peaches from
Tum Tum, but they aren't out on weekdays because of other work commitments.
Kefte and Haloumi Cooking @ Tum Tum
You're looking at around $10 a serve from all of the vendors - slightly more than you might pay in a conventional shop, but a small price to pay for the adventure and premium quality food.
If you want something unusual to drink with your gourmet food, then we have some choices for you too.
Smooth Revolution offers organic and sustainable smoothies made from fresh produce, and you can work off your meal by making it yourself if you like.
Tasty Organic Smoothies from Smooth Revolution
also have smoothies, but do organic tea and coffee as well to spoil you with choices.
Pubs in the CBD
Kings Head Hotel
Our look at the
cheapest pub meals in Adelaide has been hugely popular with students and home buyers on a tight budget. It also shows that you don't have to settle for a pizza or a schnitty, there are quite a few more exotic choices around. Check out the Mansions Tavern for starters.
Do you work or shop near the Central Market? The
South West Corner pubs are friendly places that go the extra distance to please their patrons. They are not usually the cheapest, but service in these smaller establishments is often much better. Perhaps consider
the Whitmore or
the Kings Arms which to their credit only serves South Australian produce.
The Brunswick on Gilbert St
Another pub in the SW Corner that impressed our reviewer is the
Brunswick Hotel. Apart from the charming vibe and impressive food options, there is also a $10 lunch menu from Monday to Wednesday and a lovely little beer garden too.
Asian Eateries
Star House Restaurant on Gouger St
There are two very good reasons for listing Asian food places separately. Firstly there are lots of them, and secondly they are very popular, partly because they tend to be quite inexpensive.
For a Yum Cha restaurant check out the popular
Star House Restaurant on Gouger St. Our reviewer was impressed with the service and the opening hours here.
Vegetarians will prefer the cosy
Zenhouse on Bent St which also caters for vegans. They have a huge range of drinks on offer and pricing is quite modest.
Ding Hao Restaurant
Another Yum Cha restaurant on Gouger St, the Ding Hao can be found almost across the road from Star House. Our reviewer was
greatly impressed with the food quality and value that he got here.
Only a few steps from the Mall in Southern Cross arcade is a varied selection of food vendors of all cuisines. But the one that almost got our reviewer into raptures is Ricky's Kitchen and you really need to
read her delightful review which was enough to make me drool in anticipation.
Our last suggestion is the
Adelaide Pho Restaurant on Waymouth St, another eatery distinguished by its long opening hours. It's great to know that if you're working late, or visiting the city at an odd time you can always rely on places like these to treat you with their house specialty beef noodle soup.
Just be sure to take the reviewer's advice and don't wear white.
Restaurants
The Botanic Gardens Restaurant
Hidden away among lush greenery the
Botanic Gardens Restaurant is a delightful place to dine with someone special. Your boyfriend, mother, boss or toyboy will all be similarly impressed with the excellence of the food, subservient service, and beautiful setting.
If this restaurant doesn't impress your lunch partner then ditch them and find someone else.
Conveniently located on Leigh St is Rigoni's Bistro, another restaurant that our reviewers got
excited about.
Rigoni's is pretty much an Adelaide institution by now, and somewhere that you can often see politicians and captains of industry planning their next moves over a traditional Italian meal and a bottle or three of wine. Again, not somewhere to go if you are counting your pennies, but if you enjoy excellence in food then you will leave here with a smile on your face.
Dessert Bars
The Chocolate Bean on Union St
Any roundup of lunch places would be incomplete without mention of some tasty dessert to leave a sweet after-taste, and I have a couple to tempt you with
The
Chocolate Bean is just around the corner from Ebenezer Place, the location for
Summer Fridays in The East End. Check out their menu and enjoy its fruits at your leisure as a lazy afternoon slides by. Perhaps after you have finished your languorous lunch, capped by a cupcake from the Chocolate Bean you may still find the energy to do shopping here too?
If you are more adventurous and like exotica, venture over to Gouger St and explore
Dessert Storey - hand made traditional Taiwanese & Hong Kong style desserts. Think of fruits that you have never even heard of, black glutinous rice, or a snow ice dessert. You really must visit here to fully appreciate the variety on offer.
And Afterwards
Back Street Curiosities in Adelaide
Having consumed a satisfying meal (and possibly an occasional wine) you may well feel a shadow of concern about your expanding waist line.
What better way to use your new found energy reserves than to
explore hidden parts of the city, giving your brain some pleasure now that your stomach has been sated.
Another
eye opening walk takes in some buildings in the central CBD, giving you a peek into a world that has largely gone by.
Or if you enjoy peace and solitude you're sure to
find it here. Perhaps even take a seat, listen to the birds and contemplate your next gourmet luncheon adventure.
