Adelaide has always punched above its weight when it comes to culinary prowess, with unmatched access to exceptional fresh produce, an enviable wine culture and a brigade of young chefs unafraid to show off their creativity. And with South Australia’s inaugural Michelin Guide set to be released in October, the rest of the world is finally catching up.
From an immersive 16-course degustation in a converted church to boundary-pushing contemporary Cantonese and an art-filled modernist diner, these are the best new restaurants Adelaide has to offer in 2026.
Restaurant Aptos
One of the most anticipated Australian restaurant openings of the year, this imaginative degustation in a beautifully restored church is the immediate frontrunner for South Australia’s first Michelin star(s). Every sitting, 14 diners embark on a meticulously choreographed journey through three thoughtfully designed spaces filled with local artwork and ceramics.
Along the way, they encounter some of the most unusual ingredients from Australia’s native pantry in an epic 16-course degustation that features a surf and turf of water buffalo and tuna dipped in camel milk and river mint oil, confit crocodile tongue with Geraldton wax chimichurri and a decadent emu egg, cinnamon myrtle and smoked banana milkshake served in an emu egg.
For those who find the $495 price tag a little steep, the two onsite bars set to open soon will offer a more casual experience, including a burger to die for.
147 Mount Baker Road, Stirling
restaurantaptos.com
Esmay
After taking her acclaimed pop-up restaurant around the country, chef Alana Sapwell-Stone has finally found a permanent home in this reimagined pub on Hackney Road. Only the leadlight windows hint at the venue’s former life, but a reverence for the past flows through a menu that has already been through several iterations. Fortunately, the emu doughnut is here to stay.
The bite- sized riff on a Reuben, with deliciously tender emu pastrami and sauerkraut in a cloud of brioche
dough that’s fried to order, is a miniature masterpiece. The thread of nostalgia flowing through the menu is enhanced by vintage crockery that looks like it’s been plucked from grandma’s good set, and the service and beverage program are uniformly excellent.
Both are helmed by former winemaker Travis Tausend, who dreams up inventive pairings like organic sake and oxidative Chardonnay that mirror the complexity of the food. And for interstate visitors, the boutique hotel in the same building means it’s a short walk home after dinner.
95 Hackney Road, Hackney
esmay.com.au
Omada
The latest venue to benefit from Simon Kardachi’s Midas touch extends the Leigh Street precinct out to the corner of Currie Street. Inside, the sounds of traffic give way to an upbeat mix of Greek R&B and hip-hop that sets the tone for a taverna with a decidedly modern twist.
The playful spirit extends to a drinks menu that includes a dirty martini sharpened with feta brine and a house spritz built around retsina and homemade tonic, while classic dishes get their own contemporary spin. Moussaka arrives as a neatly compressed terrine with béchamel poured at the table, and baklava becomes a parfait sandwiched between layers of flaky pastry.
But the standout is the pork gyro with shards of crackling served in outrageously fluffy housemade pita alongside a pickled pepper that cuts through the fat. Add in a wine list featuring local expressions of Greek varieties alongside an excellent selection of imports, plus a thoughtfully curated selection of ouzo and tsipouro, and it’s easy to linger long after the plates have been cleared.
46 Currie St, Adelaide
omadabargrill.com.au
Huami
Looking out over Festival Plaza, the newest addition to the Skycity complex fills a noticeable gap in Adelaide’s dining scene with a polished menu of contemporary Cantonese cuisine. Tradition anchors dishes like the dry-aged Peking duck roasted over fruit wood, but the rockmelon and sugar offered alongside more conventional accompaniments hint at a willingness to experiment.
Seafood features heavily, with highlights including the lightly steamed Coffin Bay oysters with spring onion, soy and ginger and plump scallops topped with a crispy Chinese doughnut. The drinks list also throws up several surprises.
Cocktails like the Sichuan sour with Sichuan pepper-infused tequila, umeshu and tajin pack a serious punch, and the two feed-me menus include the option of a wine or tea pairing. Pick the latter, and you’ll progress from delicate green tea to fragrant jasmine pearls and more robust aged pu-erh that stands up against the mains.
Level 1/125 North Terrace, Adelaide
skycityadelaide.com.au
Eccoci
The ambitious redevelopment of Burnside Village that features stores like Tiffany, Paspaley and Louis Vuitton has turned the eastern suburbs hotspot into Adelaide’s premier luxury shopping destination. So it’s no surprise that the dining options land well above the usual food court fare.
Front and centre is this ground-floor Italian restaurant from Cibo founder Roberto Cardone. A fitout with plenty of dark timber, mirrored surfaces and moody lighting evokes the classic elegance of a Milanese bistro. Cardone’s celebrated taglierini al granchio, a dreamy blend of handpicked crab, garlic and chilli that was a signature at the original Cibo, is the clear standout on a menu that draws inspiration from across Italy, and the wine list is similarly unconstrained by region.
More than 30 options by the glass span everything from Sicilian Etna Bianco to Tuscan Chianti Classico, while the sgroppino for four prepared at the table adds an extra flourish to any post-shopping meal.
Shop G143/447 Portrush Rd, Glenside
eccoci.com.au
Tunki
Nikkei cuisine has been a mainstay on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for many years, and Krish Dutt’s latest venture finally brings the style to Adelaide.
Japanese precision and bright Peruvian flavours collide in dishes like the beef tartare taco that arrives in a spectacularly crunchy fried masa shell alongside a fruit-driven sparkling sake. The former chef to the Jordanian royal family hosts regular ceviche masterclasses with a whole Hiramasa kingfish, but the guacamole with passionfruit and Tajín that’s prepared at the table adds a theatrical flourish to any meal, as do the fried yucca chips with bonito flakes and piquant rocoto kewpie.
The border-hopping spirit continues on the drinks list, where creations like a passionfruit pisco sour and wasabi margarita take the cross- cultural conversation to new and unexpected places.
141 Brebner Dr, West Lakes
tunki.au
Luma
A glamorous Art Nouveau fitout that includes a small shell stage with live jazz on weekends and an 800-metre light installation that swirls above diners’ heads makes it clear that this is no average hotel restaurant. Chef Hugh Hazlewood matches the sense of theatre with a menu in which the story is as important as the ingredients.
Trimmings, offcuts and other byproducts impart texture and depth to dishes that balance technical precision with restraint, and this philosophy peaks in the five-course Earth & Ember menu that changes seasonally.
Recent highlights include wild rabbit agnolotti bathed in white wine, butter and tarragon sauce and delicate oyster ice cream with sea herbs, cucumber and a small mound of Oscietra caviar that is at once creamy, briny and deliciously refreshing.
120 North Terrace, Adelaide
lumarestaurant.com.au
Mercato
Entire generations of Adelaideans have grown up using Mercato as their Italian pantry, but the business’ biggest evolution in half a century has resulted in a new flagship store on the ground floor of North Adelaide’s $300 million Eight Eight O’Connell development.
An expansive food hall with fresh produce, a fish butcher and bakery takes care of the staples, while mirrored cabinets filled with tins of Pastiglie Leone confections evoke an old-world sweet shop. But there are now plenty of excuses to linger.
A tavola calda-style counter serves crispy Roman-style pizza al taglio, fresh panini filled with smallgoods straight from the vintage 1960s Berkeley slicer and an ever-changing selection of stuzzichini. The cafe opposite serves up espressos alongside housemade cornettos, cannoli and rum baba on a striking burgundy marble bar before pivoting to heartier lunch offerings.
The adjoining wine is a love letter to the 20 Italian wine regions (plus Champagne), and serves around 20 wines by the glass. For those after something a bit more niche, any bottles on the shelves can be opened for a modest corkage fee, and the bar offers a selection of aged grappa and amari to finish. And this is just the beginning, with the more refined restaurant Imma slated to open in September.
88 O’Connell St, North Adelaide
mercato.com.au
This curated list of the best new restaurants in Adelaide is a live list and will be updated every few months as more new restaurants continue to open. And with the Michelin Guide makings its South Australian debut in October 2026, we’re bound to see the food scene in Adelaide continue to elevate.
