What the Broadsheet Team Ate (and Loved) in Adelaide in 2024

When someone finds out you write for Broadsheet, their first question is always, “so, do you get to eat a bunch of really great food?” Yes, yes we do. Selflessly, our writers and editors put their waistlines and wallets on the line to make sure we’re always across the most delicious dishes in the local dining scene.

Here are the best things we ate (and drank) in 2024.

I was recently in Adelaide for 36 hours. It was a whirlwind trip, but I managed to squeeze out just enough time to head to the Botanic Garden for a solo lunch at Tom Tilbury’s breathtaking new spot. I ordered the tommy ruff sandwich (and a berry cocktail, which came in a massive koala-shaped mug). Wow. The bread is soft, the butter is creamy, the fish is impossibly crispy, and the lettuce is there so I can tell my mum I ate some greens. It’s perfect.
– Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

I never knew the humble pie could be so beautiful. This striking rendition arrived with crisp, flaky house puff pastry wrapped in beetroot leaves and topped with a conical yellow beet reminiscent of a pointy witch’s hat, filled with cultured cream. Add to that a filling of tender venison and earthy lentils and you have a pretty-as-a-picture, perfectly comforting country pie – backed by views of vineyards, heritage pines and resident geese to really seal the deal.
– Daniela Frangos, Adelaide editor-at-large

People who dine out in Adelaide four-plus nights a week know their scallops and which restaurants master their molluscs. They will argue they’ve eaten the best, but I am here to tell you they haven’t – unless they’ve eaten the scallops on the specials menu at Hey Jupiter. They are the best in Adelaide, only just outpacing Udaberri on Leigh Street. Hey Jupiter’s head chef Carlos Astudillo is back after five years away and is serving scallops from Western Australia’s Abrolhos Island in a leek fondue and topped with a lemon herb crumb.
– Kurtis Eichler, contributor

I’m not a dessert person, unless Kane Pollard and his team are on the tools. Ondeen’s signature sweet hits all the right notes. Creamy, a hint of salt, a flash of honeycomb. Exquisite. 
– Katie Spain, contributor

Gnocchi for brekkie? Why the hell not. If you’re looking for a delicious brunch feed (or a perfect hangover cure), this dish from my local favourite is a winner. Think fluffy pillows of potato with chorizo, bacon, fresh chives and poached egg in a rich, creamy combo of parmesan and pangrattato.
– Stacey Caruso, contributor

The East Side is a cocktail of gin, lime juice, simple syrup, cucumber and mint shaken and finely strained into a coupe glass. As far as classics go, this one’s relatively easy to make. But for whatever reason, getting a bad one is even easier. That’s unless you’re ordering it in a place like Proof. Here, the cocktail was made instinctively, with just the right amount of flair. It sang in the glass and gave me the second wind I sorely needed. I’d heard this place was killer. This drink was the proof.
– Daniel Cunningham, directory editor

It’s insane how good Thelma is. I mean with a trio from Loc, Noma and Summertown Aristologist, I knew it was going to be good, but it’s bloody great. The tiny restaurant in the Hills served me a fish dish so good that I had to forgo all pretence of being well-mannered and licked the plate when I was done. A perfect piece of nannygai, with its red scales still visible, sits on top of two thinly cut leeks and the whole thing swims in a chive-y butter sauce. I’m tearing up thinking about it now.
– Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

This luscious dish is a show-stopper before you even take a bite: the most vibrant and alluring puddle of grains I’ve ever seen, topped off with a nugget of salty, stretchy fried taleggio cheese. It kinda looks like a fish finger sitting on a bed of mushy peas. Or a little island floating in a grainy green sea (the vivid green hue comes from a puree of oil, green leek tops, blanched broccoli and broccoli leaf, which is folded through the rice just before serving). Either way it’s a perfectly-put-together ode to springtime that’s deliciously creamy, yet remarkably bright and fresh.
– Daniela Frangos, Adelaide editor-at-large

There’s a twinkle in chef and owner Karena Armstrong’s eye lately. The spring in her step is thanks to the new on-site garden at her iconic McLaren Vale restaurant. It makes for a vibrant, fresh, promising summer. While it’s available, try the cavatelli. It’s a soul-warming dish of intense flavour and depth: pops of lemon, garlic, tomato, fennel and sage. I don’t know who Peter is, but chef is doing those rabbits proud.
– Katie Spain, contributor

Outside the pub’s misfit devotees, nobody seems to know The Exeter Hotel has a food menu. Every time I have mentioned my Friday night ritual of a Japanese Slipper from Smokelovers paired with a curry pie, people assume it’s a Cafe De Vili’s version, fresh from a packet. The pies are the underrated stars of the Rundle Street pub’s food menu. The fillings change. There’s a lamb korma pie, a goulash pie and a chicken pie. The crust is flaky and it comes with a generous serving of mash in a deep bowl that allows for some type of reduction to sit in and add a kick of flavour at the bottom.
– Kurtis Eichler, contributor

This hidden gem serves my favourite Japanese sandos. The pork katsu version combines a crunchy deep-fried cutlet with tonkatsu sauce, kewpie mayo and shredded cabbage on soft traditional shokupan bread – served with a side of crispy fries.
– Stacey Caruso, contributor

It’s an oldie but forever a goodie. There’s undeniable comfort factor about Afghanistan’s national dish. The tumble of sella basmati rice, cumin and cardamom intermingled with matchsticks of carrot (fried until barely soft), plump sultanas and crunchy almond slivers is a winner. And the service here is as endearing as the dish. Warm fuzzies all round.
– Katie Spain, contributor

We were off to see the Australian Dance Theatre’s powerful Adelaide Festival work Marrow. But first, a powerful dinner at Arkhe down the street. The expert waitstaff said we had to get the parfait tartlet, a holdover from Jake Kellie’s tenure at the acclaimed Singaporean barbeque restaurant Burnt Ends. Months later, I’m still thinking about the bloody parfait tartlet, a palm-shaped puck of pure decadence. Unctuous, unforgettable and under $15.
– Daniel Cunningham, directory editor

This has quickly become one of my favourite restaurants, and the fried brussels sprouts are a must-order. Deep fried and tossed in sweet, fermented chilli, they’re crispy, spicy, and damn delicious.
– Stacey Caruso, contributor