Having just indulged in a beautiful dinner at ‘The Playford’ restaurant, you’re in the mood to party. We can help you start with a rundown of Adelaide’s finest new bars.
Just recently, there’s been a veritable explosion of bar interest, with over 39 small bar licence applications and 26 applications handed out, with plenty more to come. But right now, there are some natural standout bars. Here’s a selection.
At Bank St Social, you have to go underground. It’s got a great New York feel. It is very industrial, with exposed pipes and brickwork as the main features, incredibly soft Chesterfields to sink in or lounge about, and mood lighting to match. Depending on your mood, you can hit the dance floor or settle into one of the low open booths, enabling you to converse all night. If you’re after a vast beer selection, you’ll find the bar chocker block full of local varieties. You can also taste some excellent boutique wines; the spirits are free-flowing.
Down at Maybe Mae, the trick is to find it first. The front door is camouflaged with wood panelling to keep the clientele exclusive. Please give it a push, and you’re in. It’s cool, with green leather booths, and the venue knows how to get the bop going with a fifties music feel. The bar has several cocktails just right for the night, plenty of Southwark beer to go around, and some finer stuff; there’s Krug—a nice one.
Mother Vine has a simple approach to décor—clean lines with black tiles and concrete. As in the name, there’s a real wine focus. You’ll get to swill and swoon and try to guess what side of the mountain it comes from. You can also get wine straight from the keg. For lovers of fine wine, this is the place. Down at La Moka, it’s like a little bit of Bologna. What delights everyone is the Italian tradition of aperture. It’s a complimentary plate that comes with wine. It’s full of small goods: cheese, egg frittata and olives. There are plenty of Italian and South Australian wines, local beers, and an old favourite, Campari, to go with it. And if you’re just after a great coffee, it gets brewed all night.
At Kaffina, there’s a natural home feel going on. Here, you’re met with excellent Serbian hospitality. Set up shop at the exposed brick-encircled, blue-lit circular bar. The drinks menu does not have seven varieties of Serbian plum brandy and Slivovitz; there are six types of Serbian beer. At Hindley St, you can enter Ancient World, a bar of a different kind. It’s a clever combination of bar and multi-arts venue. The place has a drink menu that is locally sourced. You can dance to experimental electronic music, scribble your random thoughts and ideas on the bathroom wall, sit alongside the bar, or chill outside in the cool courtyard.
So there you have it, just a few of AAdelaide’sbest small bars, all within a short distance of ‘’the Playford.’’Go and enjoy.
