If you’re looking to get off the beaten track … in the city ... then there are basements and attics across the city that have been transformed after lots of hard work. By neon light, these hard-to-find venues are feeding our late-night cravings or satiating our moonlit thirsts. Paul Wood uncovers some of these hip and hidden night spots that keep the party going well after dark.

Paul Wood

Hellbound

One of the original small wine bars and still one of the best, Hellbound’s owner is an absolute Nightmare – correction, Night Mayor – of Adelaide. When you enter wine-boss Mark Reginato’s Rundle Street basement abode you’re greeted with an ode to a den of iniquity. It’s red lit for good reason, anything is bound to happen depending on the night. Firstly, Hellbound is about wine, but there’s also a well-considered small and larger snacks menu that has never missed a beat. With regular guest DJs, whiskey and chocolate pairing (thanks to The Sugarman) and themed nights, it’s always wine, dinner, a little debauchery, and a show.

Velvet Underground

They don’t serve food at this new King William Street underground live music venue, but they do have a cracking wine list and some excellent cocktails. The basement’s split upper-level is a dedicated game-zone, with pool, darts, and buckhunter. But if you’d rather hunt for snacks, head upstairs to the newly renovated King William Hotel (formerly the dim and dreary Ambassadors). The pub has been given new life and an approachable menu to boot.

Bar Peripheral

In true speakeasy fashion, you have to knock on a big black door to enter this place located at the southern end of Pulteney Street and away from the usual suspects. You don’t need a password, but you do need a booking, so make sure you slide into Bar Peripheral’s DMs before sliding into one of only 12 spots at this exclusive bar. On arrival, you don’t need to choose a drink because it will be chosen for you. Confused? Don’t be. Expert barman Vinnie will ask you a few deep and dark personal questions to determine your ultimate desires. In the meantime, you’ll sip an exceptional consommé. It’s the only dish they serve here and they’re yet to have a single complaint.

La Buvette Drinkery

Frankly, it’s the closest to “French for yum” I’ve ever encountered. An unashamedly French bistro, on Gresham Street off North Terrace, that has all of that je ne sais quoi, and then some. Make sure to go full French when here: half a dozen snails dripping in garlic, French onion soup, mussels in a dreamy, creamy sauce, creme brulee. La Buvette is nothing short of a revolution.

Proof

Akin to entering the vestibule of an old English mansion, this Anster Street small bar has a few compact booths and a side decked area. They’ll serve you great wine and better cocktails, but the real proof is in the toasties. They’re the best thing since generic, sliced, white bread, with added truffled mushroom, bolognaise, or succulent lamb with hummus.

Icarus

In Greek mythology, Icarus died by flying too close to the sun. But at this chic bar and eatery that’s hidden in plain sight on Peel Street, it’s all sun-kissed cheeks and a slightly Greek-inspired menu. After prawn ceviche stacked on a sago cracker, try the pipis, drenched in a generous, lightly spicy, zingy soup of sorts, and don’t forget to order the wood grilled flatbread to mop up the leftovers.

Makan

Prawn donuts, anyone? This new upstairs venue on Flinders Street is a southeast Asian-fusion rockstar, with a snack-fuelled menu that leans heavily into lesser-known Asian styles. From the team who brought us Paper Tiger on Rundle Street, Makan is a little harder to find. Through a nondescript doorway wedged between a couple of buildings and into a dark, neon-lit space, this is the kind of late-night drinkery that’ll leave you wanting more of those stuffed chicken wing gyoza and pork belly bao.

 

This column was first published in the June 2024 print issue of SALIFE Magazine.