Going out to eat is all fun and games, that’s until you get into the serious business of degustation menus. If you haven’t experienced such a thing in your time, a ‘degustation’ or ‘tasting’ menu is a set selection of around five or more dishes, often rated as the restaurant’s best offerings. Usually on the fancier side, the plates are often crafted with care and utilise seasonal produce to ensure that you will be devouring the most sensational fare possible.
As for vegan degustations in Adelaide, there are a number of eateries both in the city and in the suburbs that put forward the experience. From five-course sittings to 26-course affairs, feast your eyes on 14 of the best restaurants with vegan degustation menus in Adelaide.
1. Aurora Restaurant, Adelaide
As seen in our guide to the best vegan-friendly restaurants in Adelaide’s West End, Aurora Restaurant brings the heat. The dapper dining room houses an open kitchen, where seasonal and local produce are front and centre. With the aim to ‘create memorable dining experiences that nourish and engage’, Aurora presents a five-course set menu with plates that sound like: mushroom with whiskey, leek, potato, and lemongrass.
Price: $130
Where: 63 Light Square, Adelaide
2. Golden Boy, Adelaide
With a feature in our guide to the best vegan-friendly restaurants in Adelaide’s East End, Golden Boy is a hit time and time again within our city’s vegan community. The contemporary restaurant and bar serve up Thai cuisine with plenty of modern plating. Golden Boy’s ‘tuk tuk’ degustation menu includes five or six courses with the likes of: tofu larp with toasted sticky rice and lettuce cups; as well as yellow vegetable curry with apple, eggplant, tofu, sweet potato, and mushroom.
Price: $68
Where: 309 North Terrace, Adelaide
3. Arkhe, Norwood
Wander into Arkhe’s award-winning, minimalist dining room where all the attention is set on the local fare. Wood-roasted and grilled dishes are at the forefront of Arkhe’s specialty, and it’s truly incredible what they can do with a couple of eggplants. Watch the sparks fly as you await your 10-course tasting menu which sees inventive plates entailing: piquillo peppers on toast with adobo emulsion; and chickpea taco with grilled eggplant, macadamia, and sumac onion.
Price: Not disclosed
Where: 127 The Parade, Norwood
4. Topiary, Tee Tree Gully
Another brilliant eatery highlighted in our guide to divine restaurants in Adelaide to visit during Christmas, Topiary takes up residence in a 140-year-old home and encapsulates everything earthy. Boasting locally sourced produce, a sunlit dining room, and lush garden surrounds in the Tea Tree Gully foothills, Topiary is in it to win it.
Rustic plates are decorated with the Gully’s plants, and the ‘forager’s’ menu sees 11-courses with the likes of: sun root with sour tomato, and crispy pickled onions; along with lions mane nugget with fermented capsicum mayo.
Price: $120
Where: 1361 North East Road, Tea Tree Gully
5. Allegra Dining Room, Adelaide
Making an appearance in our guide to Adelaide’s 100 per cent vegan cafes and restaurants, Allegra Dining Room is South Australia’s only vegan fine dining restaurant, and boy does it hit the spot. You won’t find a myriad of salad, but instead an 11-course degustation menu of the most intricate creations that move with the seasons.
Dine intimately at Allegra with a capacity of 28 guests, all experiencing the same morsels which on previous menus included: mushroom larb with tamarind; schnitzel with gravy (but not as you know it); and fermented roots with sesame butter.
Price: $135
Where: L1/125 Gilles St, Adelaide
6. Herringbone, Adelaide
‘Elegant, rustic dining, focused on serving seasonal South Australian produce in an unpretentious atmosphere’, is how Herringbone fancy themselves. And with a real as can be tree stretching through Herringbone’s aglow restaurant, vegans should feel right at home. With a degustation menu of approximately six courses set for your indulgence, expect a selection of fare with the likes of: gnocchi alla puttanesca with roasted tomato sugo, fried garlic, and herbs.
Price: Not disclosed
Where: 72 Halifax Street, Adelaide
7. Africola, Adelaide
Recommended in our guide to the best vegan-friendly restaurants in Adelaide’s East End, Africola never misses with their African-inspired cuisine. Again, seasonality and locality are in the spotlight, and celebrities like Olivia Coleman and Eric Andre have caught on to Africola’s big flavours and eccentric dining quarters. Swing in for Africola’s vegan degustation menu that will be catered for you then and there – hope you like surprises.
Price: $85
Where: 4 East Terrace, Adelaide
8. Lucky Ducks, Aldinga
Lucky Ducks keep it real in their patio-style restaurant in the southern suburb of Aldinga. And while not considered a ‘fancy’ restaurant, Lucky Ducks is a crowd-favourite amongst the vegan community of Adelaide, being 100 per cent vegan and all that. Head down for a five-course tasting menu with a focus on Asian and Middle Eastern ingredients. Think: spiced Turkish dumplings with garlic yogh*rt, and harissa butt*r; as well as chocolate truffle with miso pecan crumble, and togarashi chocolate.
Price: $75
Where: 206 Port Rd, Aldinga
9. Restaurant Botanic, Adelaide
Named as one of the top restaurants by The Worlds 50 Best, and claiming a slew of other awards including: Three Hats by Good Food, Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year 2023, and The Advertiser’s Number One Restaurant in South Australia in 2022 – you’re in safe hands at Restaurant Botanic.
Come hungry – Restaurant Botanic dish out a set menu of 26 combinations for your taste buds, inspired by the surrounding 51 hectares of the Adelaide Botanic Garden and its micro-seasons. The experience spans at least four hours, and sounds a little like: peas with garden roses, rainforest cherry, and mountain pepper granita; along with shiitake fudge.
Price: $365
Where: Adelaide Botanic Garden, Plane Tree Dr, Adelaide
10. Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant, Magill
Located within the grounds of world-renowned Penfolds vineyard and winery, Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant is nothing short of remarkable. Again, boasting awards aplenty, the dining room knows a thing or two about flavour, texture, smell, and maybe even sound. With 16 courses awaiting, expect to devour: ratatouille-stuffed zucchini flower; tomato tea; as well as cauliflower with nuts, and daikon.
Price: $265
Where: 78 Penfold Rd, Magill
11. Stem, Adelaide
Another winner in our guide to the best vegan-friendly restaurants in Adelaide’s West End, Stem hits and doesn’t miss. The leafy, sun-drenched dining room brings a touch of sophistication to Hindley Street, and a handful of refinement to their degustation menu of six dishes. The ever-changing options are akin to: charred broccoli with pepita cream, and salsa verde; along with wood-fired sugarloaf cabbage with mushroom XO.
Price: $90
Where: 188 Hindley St, Adelaide
12. The Little Rickshaw, Aldinga
An unassuming tin shed or an Australian Good Food Guide 2024 winner? That’s The Little Rickshaw for you. Modern South-East Asian fare graces the plates at this cosy Aldinga eatery, with a weekly-rotating set menu.
Feast upon eight courses with the likes of: thai basil and green pepper fried rice with red kosho oil; as well as green papaya and mint salad with cherry tomato, spiced pepita, and nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce). No promises though, The Little Rickshaw cook accordingly to the produce that is available at the markets – farm fresh!
Price: $87
Where: 24 Old Coach Rd, Aldinga
13. Apoteca, Adelaide
Big on New York-style brasserie elegance – again, Apoteca bring a hint of finesse to Hindley Street. Escape the chaos and whisk your brain off to flavourtown with Apoteca’s tasting menu of four or five courses. Tuck into: pumpkin with macadamia and curry leaf; or perhaps Pedro Ximenez peppers with capers.
Price: $75 – $90
Where: 118 Hindley St, Adelaide
14. Windy Point Restaurant, Belair
Windy Point Restaurant means business. The upscale eatery flaunt sweeping, panoramic views across Adelaide from Windy Point lookout. 11 courses are to be relished, think: confit kohlrabi with quince, pickles, Adelaide Hills fig, and f*ta; risotto with watercress, zucchini, and romesco; along with coconut panna cotta with rhubarb, and blood orange sorbet. Everything tastes better at a higher altitude, right?
Price: $135
Where: 339 Belair Rd, Belair
Latest Posts:
- Adelaide’s Vegan Bubble Tea Shop To Close Its Doors, Effective Pretty Much Immediately
- 5 Of The Tastiest Vegan Reuben Sandwiches In Adelaide
- 9 Of The Best Italianesque Vegan Sandwiches In Adelaide
- 9 Of The Best Eateries For A Soul-Soothing Vegan Laksa In Adelaide
- 6 Spots That Whip Up A Vegan Vietnamese Iced Coffee In Adelaide
- 8 Of Our Top Picks For Vegan Products In Australia This Month
Latest Instagram Posts:
Adelaide Vegan Review 
Leave a comment