When your meals arrive and there’s a collective “oooo” and “aahhhh” around the table, you know your pub grub has exceeded expectations. The pulled pork burger comes in a really soft, toasted bun, with coleslaw and chips – delicious, tender and juicy. The menu offers an extensive list of entrees, including salt and pepper crocodile, South Australian oysters, pickled octopus and sharing options like dips and a share platter.
There are some good daily deals, such as $15 schnitzels on Mondays, curry nights on Tuesdays, $18 loaded parmis on Thursdays, happy hour on Fridays and acoustic music on a Sunday. The wine list is almost completely South Australian, and if you’d prefer a beer, there are 20 taps of local, national and international brews including a good range of craft.
Choose a seat out the front, in the dining room or near the front bar which has booths with warm spotlights and an indoor fireplace. Established in 1851, this pub – affectionately known by locals as ‘The Welli’ – has been a long-time favourite of the area. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer up views of the greenery in Wellington Square. In the warmer months, the retractable doors open up which makes some lovely alfresco dining.
Just a stone’s throw from the Adelaide Oval, the place is often busy before and after the game, which has a big screen if you want to watch it there as well as a sports bar. There are also TAB facilities with ten screens and a sports bar.
The Wellington harks back to a time when this ’hood on the hill represented Adelaide’s cultural high-water mark. This pub is an appropriately noble affair, full of nattily dressed local gents stopping off for a snifter on the way home. In summer the windows of the mod lounge bar open up to face the square: there are few prettier places for a beer in Adelaide.