Adelaide has held onto its historic pubs while making room for the contemporary and the offbeat – and the result is an embarrassment of riches.

Whether it’s a well-loved local, a pub with personality or offering an elevated dining experience, Adelaide’s pub scene has an answer for every occasion. Use our guide to the best pubs in Adelaide to find the right match.

In short

If you only visit one pub in Adelaide, make it the Gilbert Street Hotel for the full package of craft and boutique drinks, meals built around local produce and live entertainment tucked away on one of the CBD’s historic streets.

1. Wheatsheaf Hotel

Ask anyone in Adelaide where to meet for a drink and The Wheatsheaf will come up within seconds. Hidden away in Thebarton – a stone’s throw from the CBD and close to the tram, it’s a pub that instantly makes one feel like a local.

The fit-out is gloriously old-school: a classic front bar, cosy lounges, a pool table and a dartboard. Out back, a generous beer garden plays host to live music, literary readings and even pottery markets. There are no pokies and no flat-screen TVs – just good company and great beer.

Proudly ‘no cans, casks or cocktails’, the focus here is firmly on craft – including drops from their own on-site brewery, a curated mix of imported craft beers, boutique spirits and regional wines. There’s no kitchen, but food trucks park out front four nights a week to keep punters fed.

Address: 39 George St, Thebarton
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am- midnight, Sat 12pm – midnight, Sun 12pm-9pm

2. The Kentish Hotel

One of the best pubs in North Adelaide, The Kentish is easy to love. Sitting on the corner of a tree-lined street in a quiet pocket of the suburb, it nails the cosy neighbourhood pub brief without feeling tired.

There are few better ways to spend a summer’s evening than at a table out front with a share plate and a glass of South Australian wine. The menu covers plenty of ground, from barramundi and steak mains to a solid selection of vegetarian options, and the bar is well-stocked with South Australia’s finest craft beers and local wines.

Address: 3 Stanley St, North Adelaide
Opening hours: Mon – Thurs 11.30am – 11pm, Fri – Sat 11.30am – 12am, Sun 11:30am – 10pm

3. The Exeter Hotel

An institution on Rundle Street since long before the East End became cool, the Exeter Hotel has a way of drawing in everyone: students, visitors and long-time regulars who wouldn’t dream of spending a Sunday lunch anywhere else.

The green-tiled façade is instantly recognisable, while the graffiti-covered walls and doors could tell a few stories. Live music runs regularly and Wednesday nights are for curries from 6 to 9pm.

Grab a spot out front on Rundle Street and there’s no better place to people-watch over a cold Coopers Pale Ale. The drinks list is brazenly, unapologetically Australian, and the approach to pubbing is refreshingly old-fashioned. No gimmicks, no fuss – just a great pub doing what great pubs do.

Address: 246 Rundle St, Adelaide
Opening hours: 11.30am – 3am

4. Gilbert Street Hotel

The Gilbert Street Hotel punches well above its weight. With a rotating seasonal menu built around South Australian produce, the kitchen takes pub food seriously – think Fleurieu whipped labneh, yellowfin tuna, pressed lamb shoulder and squid. Weekly specials keep regulars coming back: pasta on Mondays and the much-loved wings night on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Gilbert lays claim to Adelaide’s best beer selection, with all guest taps pouring from small boutique breweries and a wide range of interesting cans from across the country. The wine list keeps pace, leaning into Clare Valley Fiano and Rieslings and McLaren Vale grenache – a love letter to South Australian viticulture.

Beyond the food and drink, the Gilbert has an easy, welcoming energy that’s hard to manufacture. Friendly staff, a great beer garden, local bands and DJs plus the big games on screen.

Address: 88 Gilbert St, Adelaide SA 5000
Opening hours: Fri to Sat – 10am – 1am, Sun – Mon 10am – 10pm, Tues – Thurs 10am – 11pm

5. The Guardsman

Taking centre stage inside the grand Adelaide Railway Station, The Guardsman is a bang-for-your-buck pub that earns its place in the CBD. It’s a natural go-to for sports fans making the walk over the footbridge to Adelaide Oval, and on game day the atmosphere here is genuinely hard to beat (make sure to book).

The fit-out leans into the classics – old-fashioned booths and tables perfect for settling in – and the beer selection does the same, with a solid lineup that includes a handful of SA craft pours.

The food is better than your average pub spread, and impressively quick even when the place is packed. Weekly specials offer solid value – Friday’s $20 pub classics and Thursday burger night – but the menu has more ambition than the price points suggest. Char-grilled lamb chops with chimichurri and flatbread, Port Lincoln flake in Coopers Pale Ale batter, and a decent lamb rogan josh all sit alongside the pub staples.

Address: 125 North Terrace, Adelaide Casino 
Opening hours: Mon – Sat until 8pm

6. Duke of Brunswick

Adelaide’s first 100% gluten-free pub is a genuine gamechanger for the gluten-intolerant who’ve long had to settle for sad side salads while everyone else tucks in.

At the Duke of Brunswick, dietary requirements are welcome. The kitchen is fully allergy-aware with zero cross-contamination risk, meaning everyone at the table gets to enjoy proper pub classics: light and crispy fish and chips, Greek lemon chicken, and bangers and mash.

Vegan and vegetarian options are well covered too, and yes, they’ve even considered the family dog when building the menu.

The drinks list is equally impressive, with an extensive range of South Australian brews, dark beers and gluten-free options to boot. The ‘dob’ is also much-loved for its warm hospitality and friendly atmosphere.

Address: 207 Gilbert St, Adelaide SA 5000
Opening hours: Sun – Thurs 11.30 – 9.30am, Fri – Sat 11.30 – 11.30pm 

7. Prospect Hotel and Cellars

A welcome addition to Prospect Road’s dining strip, the Prospect Hotel and Cellars delivers an elevated pub experience – a feature bar, stylish lounge and separate dining hall giving it a little more polish than your average local.

The menu leans Italian-inspired without losing sight of pub classics. Start with anchovy toast, house-baked focaccia or heirloom tomato salad before moving into mains: Australian salt and pepper squid, a burger built around a 150g Mayura Station Wagyu beef patty, steak, rigatoni zozzona and a porchetta and chickpea ragout.

The wine list favours boutique South Australian producers, and the adjoining cellars host a monthly Friday evening tasting from 6 to 8pm.

Address: 85 Prospect Road, Prospect
Opening hours: Sun – Wed 11am – 10pm, Thurs – Sat 11am – late

8. Earl of Leicester

In Parkside since 1886, the Earl of Leicester was once known primarily for cheap pub grub but now delivers gastropub food alongside a wide selection of craft beers and boutique wines.

The pub has also expanded, now sprawling across several distinct spaces – a bistro, a separate restaurant and courtyard, a gaming lounge and the legendary Liars’ Bar – meaning there’s a corner for every mood and occasion.

The giant schnitzels are a big drawcard as are English pub favourites like Cumberland Pork scotch eggs, the Beef Cheek and Guinness pie, and a Ploughman’s Plate. South Australian seafood also plays a main role with swordfish and mussels dishes to name a few.

The kids menu is more extensive than most, including a shepherd’s pie and a junior-sized schnitzel.

Address: 85 Leicester St, Parkside
Opening hours: 12pm to midnight

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