18 Italian Restaurants in Adelaide

Adelaide's Italian restaurant scene is thriving, and everywhere you look you'll find exciting spots to dine. There are chic Italian restaurants in Adelaide's East End, with Rundle Street at the epicentre of one of Australia's best dining hotspots, but the options go well beyond the city's stylish centre. You'll also find places in Mawson Lakes which offer al fresco dining by the water, serving up locally-sourced salami gnocchi cooked in a traditional Neapolitan style. You can tuck into ravioli filled with pumpkin, walnut and ricotta in McLaren Vale or indulge with a semifreddo on Magill Road in the east of the city. Book somewhere near you via Quandoo and discover why everyone's all about Italian.

Seasoned Neapolitan pizza chefs are starting to staff the city's pizzerias, and that's great news for foodies. Gone are the days of ham and pineapple pizzas with undercooked crusts. These chefs cook up pizzas with perfect consistency, featuring crisp crusts and a softer, almost chewy base. Using flour imported from Italy and doughs that are leavened for 72 hours, chefs pile on South Australia's gorgeous tomatoes, creating a delicious tomato sauce base that is tough to resist. If you've never tasted an authentic Neapolitan pizza, you're in for a real treat.

Adelaide's Italian restaurants are like laboratories for creative chefs looking to show off their skills, and they are coming up with some amazing dishes. To take just a couple of examples, at Goodwood's Farina 00 Pasta & Wine, you'll find pappardelle pasta served with rabbit that has been slow-cooked for eight hours, while Ruby Red Flamingo in North Adelaide uses locally caught blue swimmer crab to make a fantastic spaghetti granchio. The Italian restaurant scene in Adelaide showcases the best local produce alongside traditional Italian ingredients and the skills of chefs schooled in ancient Roman or Neapolitan traditions – with a dash of Aussie imagination sprinkled on top.

Adelaideans love a trip to the beach, and from Glenelg to Moana, there's no shortage of coastal attractions. But did you know that there are also plenty of excellent Italian restaurants in Adelaide's coastal suburbs? If you love to surf, swim or sunbathe by the ocean, book a table at a local trattoria or pizzeria and look forward to ending your day in the sun with some gourmet food. With seafront terraces and carefully curated wine lists, there aren't many better places to retire after swimming and surfing all day, soaking up the beautiful sunshine.

Dessert is one of the greatest things about dining at Italian restaurants and Adelaide is no exception. Give your palate something to remember by rounding off your meal with a fruity sorbet, creamy gelato, homemade tiramisu, plate of decadent cannoli, refreshing pannacotta or slice of vanilla and limoncello semifreddo. There are so many delicious desserts waiting for you at Adelaide's Italian restaurants, so head down to your favourite spot and explore what's on offer.

Whatever the occasion, you can find an Italian restaurant in Adelaide that will make it go off without a hitch. For instance, if you've been searching for that perfect date night location to impress your better half, look no further. Book a table at a trattoria, order a bottle of their best Chianti and let romance blossom over antipasti and dolci. If you need casual spots to meet up with friends for an espresso, there are Italian-style cafe restaurants in Adelaide too. Munch on a panini or pasta and add a freshly baked slice of cake and the finest cappuccino around, and catch up in true Italian style. From birthdays to special family celebrations, you'll be welcome at Adelaide's Italian restaurants, so make a booking today.