The 13 best cafés in Adelaide

Is this Adelaide’s best coffee? It just might be. Keeping us caffeinated with their sustainably sourced beans since 2013, Exchange has expanded from just specialty coffee to an epic food menu. Come with a group and split their one-litre carafe of filter coffee while you explore the menu. Breakfast doesn’t go harder than their bone marrow bolognese served on thick-cut brioche. Come for lunch and try their ultra crisp southern fried chicken with mac and cheese and house-made barbeque sauce. 

This Adelaide icon is always buzzing, and no, it’s not because of the electrical substation next door. Overflowing with plants and people, Peter Rabbit is a crowd-pleaser for a good reason. Their all-encompassing brunch menu will tick everyone’s boxes. Try their triple scrambled eggs with a cup of coffee, mushroom udon and a matcha latte, or Nonna’s gnocchi with a glass of red. Their cocktail menu riffs on café classics and is the perfect excuse to have a boozy brunch.

Feel right at home at Pixie and the Hawk’s eclectic little space serving big, creative brunches. With some of Adelaide’s best coffee supplied by the local legends at Five Senses Coffee, their food menu matches the standard. Sweet treats and satisfying savoury options are both taken seriously on their seasonal menu. Warm your soul with raclette cheese melted onto sourdough with buttered leeks, or try one of the best French toasts in Adelaide. The toughest decision you’ll make will be whether to top it with fried chicken or with thyme and maple-roasted apples.

You know what’s cheaper than flights to Paris? A trip to Hey Jupiter. Behind a beautifully tiled facade that recalls the Metro stations of Paris, this brasserie hits the sweet spot between tradition and innovation. The extensive menu ranges from flakey croissants, croque monsieur and cassoulet in the morning, to foie gras, steak frites and crepes Suzette past noon. Wine is a must and the bottles are proudly French, with beers, ciders, apéros and breakfast cocktails to play with too.

Having served the Richmond community for eight years in a plant-filled warehouse, Karma and Crow’s new digs in Brooklyn Park shares the same magical essence. Free pool, board games, and weekend markets and events take Karma and Crow from beyond being just a café to being the ultimate third space. Their seasonal brunch menu traverses the globe, featuring lemon ricotta hotcakes with a matcha labneh, or chilli scrambled eggs served with gojuchang butter on a flakey roti. At night time, replace your St Ali coffee with a signature pizza sando and a YM beer at their dinner concept, Yellow Matter.

Sit amongst the foliage at this breezy café at the southern end of the city and sample the best of South Australia’s producers. Every man and their dog (that reminds us, you can bring your dog) is spruiking the joys of local produce, and Café Troppo reminds us why it makes a difference. Signatures like their roo-ben bagel with kangaroo pastrami, and their Port Lincoln sardines on toast embody this. Keep your eyes out for their popular wine and music nights.

We reckon UR Caffe is slinging the best corn fritters in Adelaide, but you might just have to come see for yourself. These golden crisp stacks of goodness, like the rest of the UR Caffe menu, is classic Aussie brunch fare at its finest. Coming on the scene when “brunch” was the hottest new thing in 2011, they’ve had time to nail their generous, homely menu. No matter what you order, you won’t regret adding their spicy coconut sauce.

Life at this airy, smart café revolves around its custom-made woodfire grill. Everything from humble fruit bread from Lost Loaf to southern rock lobster gets a kiss of fire, and it makes for an irreplicable brunch experience. No matter if you come for just a coffee and a sweet treat (we’re eyeing up their apple fritters with Davidson plum sugar), a serious feast with their two-course ‘Bloomin’ Banquet’ menu, or to get hitched (this café doubles as a gorgeous wedding venue), you will be left bloomin’ impressed.

Cotto is the café for you if you’re looking to go all out for brunch. Their generous and inventive menu will have you rolling out the door down the streets of Prospect, no matter what you order (work up an appetite with Prospect Run Club, who go there for their post-run caffeine needs). Cotto has convinced us that all burgers need hollandaise sauce with their Burgerdict, a hybrid between a beef burger and eggs benny.

This popular bakery has been around since 1910, but its offerings are anything but stuck in the past. Jenny’s has built up a cult following from their innovative treats. These days, the family-owned bakery excels in riffs on bakery classics, like black sesame croissants, pistachio maritozzi (cream-filled brioche buns), and tooth-breaking toffee apple bombolone (filled doughnuts). They were one of the first bakeries to bring the international craze, the crookie, to Australian shores, too. Jenny’s is also carrying Adelaide’s focaccia game, with beautifully open-crumbed focaccia supporting their seasonal Italian sandwich menu. 

Step under The Flying Fig’s red-striped awnings into a slice of New York in Adelaide. Inspired by the Jewish delis of The Big Apple, dining here will have you running to the counter to buy all their house-made goods to take home, from bagels to lox to kvass. On their brunch menu, find Jewish twists on brunch classics, like their challah French toast with maple tahini syrup and pistachio halwa. 

It’s all smiles at this turmeric (or should we say daisy) yellow café in Forestville. Dear Daisy serve all the comforting classics, like chilli fried eggs and their glorious banoffee pancakes, but you can also expect bountiful specials, like masala chai panna cotta or a nourishing roast cauliflower and tahini salad. They have a dedicated vegan menu to match most of their menu items, so plant-based brunchers won’t be missing out on any of the fun.