A foodie guide to Adelaide

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, has always been known by many as the city of churches. Rather ironically, these days there are more bars and pubs than churches in the CBD, largely thanks to recent changes in small bar licensing.

The food scene in Adelaide has evolved drastically over the last five years; the entire CBD is now adorned with food trucks, small bars, tuck shops, cafes, burger joints and farmers markets. Adelaide is quickly rising as the next must-visit foodie destination. Expedia’s Kiwi travellers spend 2-3 nights in the CBD, so that’s plenty of time to squeeze in 3 meals a day and about 5 snacks a day!

To really experience what this city has to offer, I pack nothing but an empty stomach. Adelaide, I am ready to chow you down.

Food on the go

Say bye bye to BLAT and the ham cheese sandwich, and hello to Vietnamese banh mi (baguette) and Taiwanese bao (steamed bun). Too busy for a sit down lunch? Grab a Soonta’s banh mi from one of their three stores across city and munch away. The crusty French-style baguette is pillowy soft on the inside, filled with fresh herbs, pickled vegetables and protein of your choice; go for the karaage chicken and roast pork with crackling.

Gua Bao is a popular Tawainese street food but made famous by chef David Chang who serves up a mean and meaty BBQ pork bun at his Momofuku restaurant in New York. Mamachau is where you can try this cheap and cheerful steamed bun that comes in four flavours – eel, Korean fried chicken, master stock braised pork belly and fried silken tofu for the vegans. They cost as little as $3.50 each (eel is $0.50 extra), you can easily smash a few of these buns in one sitting. Oh, and don’t forget the Sriracha hot sauce.

Dude food heaven

Looking for something more substantial, more meaty? No problem. Burger war is feisty here in Adelaide, with lots of to the best burger in town. The food truck pioneers from Burger Theory now have a permanent brick-and-mortar space at Union St where you can enjoy a juicy burger inside the shop instead of kerbside. Their addictive ‘truck sauce’ is a secret recipe no one knows. I amped the burger up with crispy pancetta and doused it in Adelaide Blue cheese sauce.

If you’re in the Norwood area, drop in to Nordburger. There are a lot more burger options here than at Burger Theory, but whichever you choose, you’ll come out satisfied and with a greasy grin on your face.

Unleash the carnivore within and pounce on the ribs and wings at Street ADL. in fact, anything meaty here is good. Be ready to get messy and eat with your hands – the twice cooked (braised then fried) ribs glazed with smokey BBQ sauce will have you swooning in ecstasy. The hot wings are indeed HOT, make sure to order a pint from the tap (local beer, of course) or from the extensive beer and wine lists to keep the fiery wings at bay.