Maybe Mae
Speakeasy cocktail bar
An art deco speakeasy beneath Bread & Bone on Peel Street, with cocktails inspired by South Australia.
📍 15 Peel St, Adelaide SA 5000
Our top 10 Adelaide bars
If you only have one night, start here.
- Maybe Mae
Adelaide's best-known speakeasy, under a Peel Street bakery.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - Clever Little Tailor
The bar that made Peel Street.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - Hains & Co
Rum, whisky and cigars with a nautical twist.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - Pink Moon Saloon
A tiny bar wedged into a gap on Leigh Street.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - trap.
A basement bar with an always-changing menu.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - Udaberri
Pintxos, wine and a good drink on Leigh Street.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - NOLA
New Orleans food, whisky and live music.
The East End - The Bibliotheca Bar
Cocktails among the bookshelves.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - Prohibition Liquor Co
More than 100 gins and a tasting room.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End - The Collins Bar
A smart hotel bar on Victoria Square.
Peel Street, Leigh Street and the West End
Map of Adelaide bars
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Bars in the West End and around Peel Street
The heart of Adelaide's small bar scene: Peel Street, Leigh Street, Gilbert Place and the laneways off Hindley Street, plus a few bars around Victoria Square and North Terrace.
Swipe to see all 17 bars →
Clever Little Tailor
Cocktail bar
A warm brick-and-stone bar on Peel Street with high ceilings, a mezzanine and tables out on the lane.
📍 19 Peel St, Adelaide SA 5000
Hains & Co
Cocktail bar
A nautical-themed bar on Gilbert Place for cocktails, spirits and cigars, with outdoor seating.
📍 23 Gilbert Pl, Adelaide SA 5000
Pink Moon Saloon
Cocktail bar
A tiny, Nordic-inspired bar squeezed into a laneway gap on Leigh Street.
📍 21 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
trap.
Basement cocktail bar
A small basement bar off Cold Chisel Lane with a menu that keeps changing.
📍 Basement, Cold Chisel La, Adelaide SA 5000
The Bibliotheca Bar
Cocktail bar
A cosy bar and book exchange on Gresham Street, lined with books you can swap.
📍 1/27 Gresham St, Adelaide SA 5000
Prohibition Liquor Co
Gin bar
A gin bar and tasting room on Gilbert Street pouring more than 100 craft gins in flights and cocktails.
📍 22 Gilbert St, Adelaide SA 5000
The Collins Bar
Hotel cocktail bar
A moody hotel bar on Victoria Square with creative cocktails, a big spirits list and tapas.
📍 233 Victoria Sq, Adelaide SA 5000
Nevermind
Cocktail bar
A late-night, red-lit bar tucked away on Leigh Street.
📍 22A Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
Bank Street Social
Cocktail bar
An underground bar on Hindley Street with exposed brick, curved booths, local craft beer and cocktails.
📍 48 Hindley St, Adelaide SA 5000
Proof
Cocktail bar
A small laneway bar on Anster Street for cocktails and spirits.
📍 9 Anster St, Adelaide SA 5000
2KW
Rooftop bar and restaurant
A rooftop bar and restaurant at the top of King William Street, with a terrace and city views.
📍 2 King William St, Adelaide SA 5000
Udaberri
Pintxos and wine bar
A Basque-style pintxos and wine bar on Leigh Street, under timber beams with a mezzanine.
📍 11-13 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
Leigh Street Wine Room
Wine bar
A small wine bar on Leigh Street, a good start to a night on the lane.
📍 9 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
Cry Baby
Bar
An old-school bar on Solomon Street with billiards, whiskey, beer and a jukebox.
📍 11 Solomon St, Adelaide SA 5000
The Grace Emily
Historic pub
Opened in 1839 as the Launceston and later named after a regular, a laid-back, grungy West End pub with live music most nights.
📍 232 Waymouth Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Jennie Wine Bar
Wine bar
A Peel Street wine bar.
📍 7 Peel Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Bars in the East End
Rundle Street, Union Street and the lanes around them, with Hutt Street a short walk south.
Swipe to see all 7 bars →
Mr Goodbar
Cocktail bar
A neon-lit bar in an archway on Union Street, with timber ceilings and a warm feel.
📍 12 Union St, Adelaide SA 5000
The Howling Owl
Cocktail bar
A small bar on Vaughan Place, just off Rundle Street.
📍 10 Vaughan Pl, Adelaide SA 5000
Bar Torino
Cocktail bar
A bar on Hutt Street with banquettes and exposed brick, for cocktails and European food.
📍 158 Hutt St, Adelaide SA 5000
NOLA
Bar and restaurant
A New Orleans-style bar on Vardon Avenue with a big whisky and beer list, Cajun and Creole food and live music.
📍 28 Vardon Ave, Adelaide SA 5000
The Exeter
Historic pub
An East End pub that has barely been updated since 1929, with its original wooden fridges and bars, cold Coopers, live music and a Wednesday curry night.
📍 246 Rundle Street, Adelaide SA 5000
The Stag Public House
Pub
An iconic East End pub with a kitsch sports bar, an old-school poolroom and a kitchen run by a chef from Orana, Noma and Attica.
📍 Rundle Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Mother Vine
Wine bar
An East End wine bar with one of the most impressive lists in the area, 25 pages long.
📍 22 to 26 Vardon Avenue, Adelaide SA 5000
Adelaide cocktail trails
Three routes in walking order, with the time between each bar. See them all on a map.
Peel Street and Leigh Street
6 bars · about 5 minutes on foot in total
- 1Maybe Mae15 Peel St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 1 min to the next bar
- 2Clever Little Tailor19 Peel St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 1 min to the next bar
- 3Udaberri11-13 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 1 min to the next bar
- 4Leigh Street Wine Room9 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 1 min to the next bar
- 5Pink Moon Saloon21 Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 1 min to the next bar
- 6Nevermind22A Leigh St, Adelaide SA 5000
The West End laneways
4 bars · about 10 minutes on foot in total
- 1Cry Baby11 Solomon St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 3 min to the next bar
- 2Bank Street Social48 Hindley St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 3 min to the next bar
- 3trap.Basement, Cold Chisel La, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 4 min to the next bar
- 4Hains & Co23 Gilbert Pl, Adelaide SA 5000
The East End
3 bars · about 5 minutes on foot in total
- 1The Howling Owl10 Vaughan Pl, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 2 min to the next bar
- 2Mr Goodbar12 Union St, Adelaide SA 5000
- 🚶 about 3 min to the next bar
- 3NOLA28 Vardon Ave, Adelaide SA 5000
More Adelaide bar guides
- Cocktail barsEvery cocktail bar in our Adelaide guide in one place: speakeasies, hotel bars, award winn
- Date nightRomantic cocktail bars in Adelaide for a night for two: Maybe Mae, Pink Moon Saloon, Udabe
- Hidden barsAdelaide's hidden bars and speakeasies: Maybe Mae, trap., Nevermind and Bank Street Social
- Fun bars for groupsLively Adelaide bars for birthdays and nights out: Cry Baby, NOLA, Prohibition Liquor Co a
- Whisky, rum and ginAdelaide's specialist spirit bars: Hains & Co, Prohibition Liquor Co, NOLA and Cry Baby.
- Pubs and beer barsThe best pubs in Adelaide: historic boozers, real ale pubs and craft beer bars.
- Wine barsThe best wine bars in Adelaide: natural wine, long lists by the glass and candlelit rooms.
- Cocktail trailsReady-made Adelaide cocktail trails on foot: Peel Street and Leigh Street, the West End la
Know before you go
- 🗓️ Go early at the weekendThe tiny laneway bars fill up fast on Friday and Saturday nights.
- 🚶 All on footPeel Street, Leigh Street and Gilbert Place are a minute or two apart. The East End is about fifteen minutes' walk.
- 🚋 Free city buses and tramsAdelaide's free city loop buses and the tram along King William Street make getting around the centre easy.
- 🆔 Bring IDYou must be 18 to drink in Australia and bars often ask for ID. Tipping isn't expected, though it's welcome for good service.
Your questions
What is the best cocktail bar in Adelaide?
Start with Maybe Mae and Clever Little Tailor on Peel Street, then Hains & Co on Gilbert Place. Our top ten above covers the rest.
Where is the best area for cocktail bars in Adelaide?
Peel Street and Leigh Street, a minute apart in the West End, have more good bars per metre than anywhere else in the city.
Is there an Adelaide Cocktail Week?
Not yet. Cocktail Week runs ten-day cocktail festivals across the UK and Ireland and is coming to Adelaide. Sign up on the Adelaide Cocktail Week page to hear first when dates and venues are announced.
Do I need to book Adelaide cocktail bars?
The small laneway bars fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, so go early or book where you can.
What is the best pub in Adelaide?
The Exeter on Rundle Street and the Grace Emily on Waymouth Street are the two names that come up most. The Exeter has barely changed since 1929. The Grace Emily has live music most nights.
Who wrote this guide
This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run Cocktail Week, the ten-day cocktail festival held town by town across the UK and Ireland. Now we're bringing it to Australia. Since 2022 we have taken it to more than 20 towns and cities and worked with hundreds of bars. We put this guide together from our own research, Google Maps and trusted local guides, ahead of bringing Cocktail Week to Adelaide.
No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.
Cocktail Week in Australia
Want your bar in this guide?
Run a bar in Adelaide that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.