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Food tours in Adelaide: what to eat and which tour to book
Adelaide eats close to its source. The Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare and Adelaide Hills wine regions are all within about an hour, Spencer Gulf and Kangaroo Island supply seafood, and the Central Market sits in the middle of the city grid next to Chinatown. Post-war Greek, Italian and later Vietnamese migration shaped everyday eating: yiros shops, Italian delis and pho counters are as local as the pie floater or a carton of Farmers Union Iced Coffee. The city is small, so you can walk from the market to Gouger Street, Rundle Street and the laneway bars in an afternoon.
Use this page to work out what to order and where to go. The dishes and areas below tell you what each part of town does well and when the markets trade. The tours listed are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; confirm the current price and details on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Adelaide
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pie floater | A meat pie sitting upside down in a bowl of thick green pea soup, topped with tomato sauce. An old late-night Adelaide snack, now more of a curiosity than an everyday meal. | A few bakeries and pie shops around the city and suburbs still serve it; ask before assuming it's on the menu. | roughly A$10–14 (about €6–8) |
| Yiros | Adelaide's word for a Greek gyros wrap: lamb, chicken or mixed meat in pita with tomato, onion and garlic sauce. A standard late-night meal. | Yiros shops on Hindley Street, Gouger Street and Glenelg's Jetty Road, plus suburban Greek takeaways. | roughly A$14–20 (about €8–12) |
| King George whiting | South Australia's prized white fish, sweet and delicate, usually lightly battered or grilled and served with chips. | Fish and chip shops in Glenelg, Henley Beach and Semaphore, and seafood restaurants on Gouger Street. | roughly A$20–32 for fish and chips (about €12–19) |
| Spencer Gulf prawns and local oysters Spencer Gulf king prawns / Coffin Bay oysters | Wild-caught king prawns and Eyre Peninsula oysters, often eaten simply with lemon. | Seafood stalls at the Central Market and seafood restaurants around the city. | oysters roughly A$3–5 each in a restaurant (about €2–3); less by the dozen at market stalls |
| Farmers Union Iced Coffee FUIC | A sweet, milky iced coffee sold in cartons that outsells cola in South Australia. Locals have strong feelings about it. | Any service station, supermarket or deli. | about A$3–5 a carton (about €2–3) |
| Fruchocs | Apricot and peach paste balls coated in milk chocolate, made in Adelaide by Robern Menz. | Supermarkets, newsagents and the Central Market. | about A$4–7 a bag (about €2.50–4) |
| Pho and Vietnamese rolls phở / bánh mì | Beef or chicken noodle soup and baguette rolls from the city's large Vietnamese community. | Chinatown (Moonta Street and Gouger Street), and the western suburbs around Woodville and Findon. | roughly A$16–22 for pho, A$9–13 for a roll (about €9–13 / €5–8) |
| Barossa and McLaren Vale wine shiraz, grenache, riesling | Barossa shiraz, McLaren Vale grenache and Clare Valley riesling are the region's best known wines; many city bars pour them by the glass. | Wine bars around Peel Street, Leigh Street and the East End; cellar doors in the valleys. | roughly A$12–20 a glass in a city bar (about €7–12) |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Adelaide Central Market
Covered market with more than 70 stalls: produce, cheese, smallgoods, seafood, bakeries and cafés, right in the city centre on Grote Street. The best single stop for picnic food and local produce.
Chinatown (Moonta Street)
Directly next to the Central Market: Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Korean restaurants and food courts at low prices.
Gouger Street
Long-standing restaurant strip running past the market with seafood, Chinese, Greek and Italian places side by side.
Rundle Street East End
Cafés, gelato, pubs and Italian and Greek restaurants at the eastern end of Rundle Street, near the Botanic Garden. Good for a long lunch or after-dinner drinks.
Peel Street and Leigh Street laneways
Small bars and wine bars off Hindley Street and King William Street, many pouring South Australian wine by the glass.
Glenelg (Jetty Road)
Beachside suburb reached by tram from the city, with fish and chips, gelato and Greek takeaways along Jetty Road.
Food tours in Adelaide compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Adelaide: Barossa Valley Food and Wine Tour | 8 hours | from €111 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| From Adelaide: Hahndorf and Barossa Day Tour with Lunch | 8 hours | from €108 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Adelaide: Central Market Morning Tour | 1.5 hours | from €61 per person | max 10 | Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source. | Check dates |
| Adelaide: A Taste of the Central Markets | 1 hour | from €36 per person | max 10 | Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source. | Check dates |
| Adelaide: Local Food Tour and Tastings with Guide | 2 hours | from €61 per person | max 10 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Adelaide Central Markets: Food Walking Tour | 1 - 1.5 hours | from €43 per person | max 10 | Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source. | Check dates |
From Adelaide: Barossa Valley Food and Wine Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Bums on Seats
- Length
- 8 hours
- Price
- from €111 per person
- Rating
- 4.6 ★ from 190 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
From Adelaide: Hahndorf and Barossa Day Tour with Lunch
On GetYourGuide · run by Benders Bus Tours
- Length
- 8 hours
- Price
- from €108 per person
- Rating
- 4.6 ★ from 91 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Stamford Plaza Adelaide
Adelaide: Central Market Morning Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Adelaide Central Market Tours
- Length
- 1.5 hours
- Price
- from €61 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 55 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Small group sizes with a local market guide Delicious tastings and coffee Alcohol Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Suits
- Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source.
- Starts
- 44-60 Gouger St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
Adelaide: A Taste of the Central Markets
On GetYourGuide · run by Radelaide Tours
- Length
- 1 hour
- Price
- from €36 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 17 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Suits
- Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source.
- Starts
- 45 Grote St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
Adelaide: Local Food Tour and Tastings with Guide
On GetYourGuide · run by Flamboyance Tours
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- from €61 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 13 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Walking food tour Guide Food samples Goody bag with extra samples Bakery lunch
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Your guide will be waiting just inside Adelaide Arcade itself, where there is an indoor entrance to Haigh's Chocolates.
Adelaide Central Markets: Food Walking Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Flamboyance Tours
- Length
- 1 - 1.5 hours
- Price
- from €43 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 11 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Local guide with commentary Visit the iconic Adelaide Central Market Samples include: cheese, boiled lolly, South American empanada Discounts for further purchases
- Suits
- Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source.
- Starts
- Central Market 33, 44-60 Gouger St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Adelaide has little street food in the stall sense. Cheap eating means market stalls, Chinatown food courts, bakeries and yiros shops. Pop-up night markets and food truck events run at times, especially during the February–March festival season, but check current listings.
Sit-down meals
This is where Adelaide is strongest: produce-driven restaurants, Gouger Street seafood and Italian and Greek family places. Many restaurants close on Monday and sometimes Tuesday, and kitchens can close by 21:00 on weeknights, so book and eat earlier than you would in Europe.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes are fewer than in big tourist cities; they tend to be market-based or tied to wine regions. Wine-region day trips that include tastings and lunch are more common and more characteristic of the area than city cooking classes.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | A$50–70 (about €30–40): bakery breakfast, market or Chinatown lunch, yiros or pho dinner |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | A$100–150 (about €60–90): café breakfast and one sit-down dinner with a glass of wine |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | A$250+ (about €150+): tasting menu with wine pairing |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Easy. Menus are usually labelled, vegetarian and vegan cafés are common, and Asian restaurants in Chinatown have plenty of tofu and vegetable dishes. Pies and yiros are mostly meat, though many shops now offer a vegetable or falafel version.
Halal: Available but not universal. Halal yiros and kebab shops, Malaysian and Middle Eastern restaurants are found in the city and suburbs; ask, as certification is not always displayed. Pork and alcohol are common elsewhere.
Gluten-free: Good awareness: most cafés and restaurants mark gluten-free options and many bakeries sell gluten-free pies. Fryers are often shared, so ask about cross-contamination if you are coeliac.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Weekend and public holiday surcharges (often around 10–15%) added to the bill at cafés and restaurants. These are legal if shown on the menu. Read the menu notice before ordering, or eat on weekdays.
- Card payment surcharges of 1–2% added at the till. Ask if there is a surcharge, or carry a little cash for small purchases.
- Seafood priced 'market price' or per kilo, which can produce a large bill for crayfish or whole fish. Ask for the price of the actual portion before ordering.
Top tours & activities in Adelaide
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Adelaide?
No. Australian staff are paid a minimum wage, and tipping is not expected. In sit-down restaurants, leaving about 10% for good service is appreciated but optional, and many people just round up. You will not be judged for not tipping in cafés or takeaway shops. A small tip for a food-tour guide you enjoyed is a kind gesture, not an obligation.
When is the Adelaide Central Market open?
The market usually trades Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Sunday and Monday. Friday normally has the longest hours, into the evening, and Saturday is the busiest morning. Individual stall hours vary and public holidays change the schedule, so check current hours on the market's official website before planning around it.
Which food tour is best for a first visit?
A Central Market tour is the most practical start: it covers local produce, cheese, seafood and the nearby Chinatown in a few hours, and you can go back afterwards to buy what you liked. If you are more interested in wine, a half- or full-day trip to the Barossa or McLaren Vale gives a better picture of South Australian food than a city walk.
How much should I budget for food per day?
Adelaide is cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne but not cheap by European standards. About A$50–70 (€30–40) covers bakery breakfast, a market or Chinatown lunch and a yiros or noodle dinner. A comfortable day with one sit-down dinner and wine is about A$100–150 (€60–90). Wine and alcohol are taxed heavily and add up fast.
Do restaurants close early?
Many do. On weeknights kitchens often close around 20:30–21:00, and plenty of restaurants close on Monday or Tuesday. Chinatown and yiros shops stay open later. Friday and Saturday are busy, so book a table for those nights, especially during the Fringe and Adelaide Festival season in February and March.
Is it worth visiting a wine region for food?
Yes. The Barossa, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills are each roughly 45–75 minutes from the city and many wineries have restaurants serving regional produce at lunch. Without a car, a guided day trip is the simplest option, since public transport to cellar doors is limited and drink-driving laws are strictly enforced.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.