My kind of pub. Dingy but not dirty. Quirky, without being too 'quirky'. Live music most nights of…read morethe week. Decently priced beer. Spacious and cool. Sticky carpet and colorful characters. Not a pokie in sight (or sound). Regular BBQs out in the beer garden. Cool sense of community from musos, hipsters, artists, and just anyone who likes a beer in one of Adelaide's most laid back pubs. Walking into the Grace is like putting on an old jumper you've found at the bottom of your wardrobe- might have an interesting whiff about it, but damn is it comfortable.

I recently visited the Grace Emily Hotel in Adelaide, a favourite Monday night hangout of mine…read morelocated at the south end of Waymouth in the inner west of the city. Monday night is open mike night, better known as Billy Bob's BBQ jam, an attraction for locals and tourists alike. Although quiet until about 9pm, the bar quickly fills and by 10 is packed with eccentrics, hipsters, aspiring musicians backpackers and international students. It is a quaint looking place, staunchly anti poker machine and one of the strongest supporters of Adelaide's local music scene. The walls are littered with 60's paraphernalia and objets d'art. During the winter time an open fire roars in the front bar, whilst during the summer people congregate outside in the beer garden out the back whilst waiting for the music to start. The cause of attraction is Billy Bob and his BBQ band. Performing perfect renditions of rock epics such as Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" (including the choreographed guitar thrusts) and moody blues numbers Billy Bob and his band set the bar for subsequent performances, and return to the stage intermittently to support other acts. Subsequent performances vary markedly from week to week but are always entertaining. From aged local singer song writers to sprightly young punkers, 10 piece reggae bands to a travelling magician the line up is always full, different and invigorating. During the Chinese New Year I have even seen a full Dragon Dance performance. For those who wish to perform, it is advisable to bring your own instrument (with the exception of drums of course which are provided by the venue), although, on occasion, Billy Bob and his band have allowed use of their guitars to young and underprepared punters. You will need to approach Billy Bob (he's the guy with the cowboy hat) and get your name written down on the list. Everyone is welcome, so if you can play, give it a go. The sound is great and taken care of by an experienced professional, there are also a number of mics for multiple vocalists, horns etc. For those who prefer to relax, the front bar is a less hectic way to take in the vibe and have a chat. With friendly bar staff and a counterculture atmosphere the Grace Emily is a unique and wonderful gem in the city of Adelaide. Aside from the regular Monday night open mike night for which the Grace Emily is so well known, it hosts numerous gigs for local, interstate and international acts during the week and on weekends. And they have the full range of coopers on tap! What more could one ask for in a venue.

I once went to the Promethean for a friend's 21st. I'd never even noticed that it was there next to…read morethe enormous Asian grocery next door, but I was surprised at how large it was upon entering. I can understand why my friend chose the Promethean for her milestone event, as it makes the perfect party venue. The building used to be a church, a meeting hall, and a theatre before it became a live music venue. Some history, right? It's reinvented, yet old-world look is bold yet easy on the eyes, with rich colours and soft lighting. The bar is an obvious push towards the modern, with sleek white counters stylish decorative lighting. The large variety of beers and wines are relatively cheap, and the bartenders are capable of making some mean cocktails if so requested. I'm not sure how often live shows are held at the Promethean, but it's definitely a place worth checking out if you get the chance.

The Prom is a hidden yet wonderful live music venue and event space whose shiny fluoro green bar…read morewill be an image imprinted onto my brain forever. This venue has a tiny capacity but as a result you barely need to mic up the acts on stage. It is also an old converted church with a carpeted upstairs balcony that can fit 20 people and a half carpet, half wooden dance floor downstairs infront of the stage. For a converted church everything seems to feel cosy with carpeted floors, couches and fairy lighting on the stage. However the place also maintains an element of nightclub with their long fluoro bar. It must look like an odd mismatched space during the daytime! I have seen some wonderful acts here including The Audreys and Pimpin' Horus and the venue both suited dancing having people cosy up on the floor. Never have I seen a whole group of people in a live music venue sit on the floor in front of the stage! They also host wine tasting events, poetry nights and other spectacles during the week so check out their website for upcoming events. One final bit of awesomeness about The Prom...No matter who is performing or what the venue is being hired out for they will always offer up a themed cocktail for the evening based on who is performing. Simple touches that make this place feel comfortable and almost holy!

This is another one of those popular pubs, but then again that probably has a lot to do with the…read morefact that we ended up here during the Christmas break, and it was evening as well, so I guess that is also something to consider. Look, the pub wasn't really all that bad, and it certainly did have some charm, and a nice beer on tap as well, but in my mind it really wasn't anything all that special. Then again, it really wasn't all that bad either. Yeah, I liked it. Oh, and there was live music as well, but it was only a cover band.

The Old Bush Inn, or "the top pub" as it is known to locals, is a true country pub whilst not being…read moreall that far from metropolitan Adelaide and only 20 minutes on the Southern Expressway. On my last visit to almond country (Willunga) I made a bee line straight for this pub, located on the top of the main road. Packed with locals during dinner, to avoid the cold my friends and I chose to sit at one of the only remaining indoor tables--bar tables near the pool table and juke box. Service was good and fast and the traditional pub fare that I and one of my mates chose, Salt and Pepper Squid and Surf and Turf were hearty and tasty. My other friend chose the salad however and was punished as all health conscious vegetarians should be in a place like this, and her food was gross. The salad was covered in a grey gruel that looked like the weird nutrient food people eat in the Matrix, and half of an Avocado sat on her plate as if to say "cut it yourself you hippie". What we had really come to see was the open mic night where anyone can just get up and perform. This starts from about 9pm on a Thursday and for the most part was awesome. On the night I was there, there were several solo artists of varying degrees of talent, and a bagpiper. Of those I got to see, the best performer was one young local called Aiden who played an awesome mellow indy version of the theme song of Fresh Prince of Belair. It was a mate of mine's birthday and the bagpiper struck up the whole "Happy Birthday" and the entire bar serenaded my mate. The place also stocks my favourite cider, South Australia's own Aussie Cider.

Fowler's is home to Adelaide's live music scene, hosting local, interstate and international…read moretalent. This place is the epitome of what a music gig should be; loud, sweaty, plastic beer filled cups in hand, and music lovers standing, moshing, or doing their interpretive boxing dance moves apparently known as "throwing down". I'm usually here for the metal gigs, which are always great. The stage isn't out of reach of the audience so you can get right up and personal to the bands, at your own risk though, it can be a bit rough up front. Although not as large as some other music theatres, Fowler's offers a reasonably big area and a more intimate experience. Merch areas are easily accessible in the bar room, as are a small array of beverages. Toilets are down a ramp like area, which even without alcohol in your system can be a hot spot for stacks. Girls, don't wear heels here, you'll fall down the ramp to the toilets and you will also generally look like a twat. Casual and relaxed is the dress code here; band tee's, jeans, flannies and caps. This is definitely one of my favourite places to go watch a band.

Fowler's Live is undisputedly the best place for live music in Adelaide. After having played shows…read morein venues all over Adelaide, I've concluded that you won't get a better sound anywhere else (unless you up the ranks to Thebarton Theatre or the Entertainment Centre). Fowler's holds live shows weekly, ranging from international artists to local acts. They're consistent in providing one of the most intimate and sonically impressive live music experiences in the State, and it's no wonder acts from all over the world choose to play here. The drinks are cheap and the venue is nice and spacious, allowing a lot of movement. There are stools and tables in the front room, but the action is in the second room with the stage. The staff is friendly and helpful, but you don't want to get on their bad side. Be nice to them, and they'll be nice to you. Treat them like shit, and, well.....something bad will happen.

Came here for a friend's birthday lunch. And if the occasion…read morearises I'd be glad to come back here again. We started with the Selection of dips (4 in all) and they were very well made, served with Pita Bread and chargrill toasted French stick, that worked very well. Then we had some mains. The menu is not large by any means. but there is something to suit almost all tastes. It's one of those a few WELL Made dishes rather than a mass of average. I had the Pork Belly and Scallop dish.. it was so tasty. light, fresh, meaty

Not only is this an idyllic spot to visit for a cheeky cellar door tasting, they offer a plethora…read moreof other services which will have you frothing to hold your next festivity there. I have been to Woodstock on several occasions and the most recent was for the wedding of two very good friends. I have spent a great deal of my professional life organising functions - weddings being the most high pressure of these events (even the meekest girl has the ability to turn into a raging bridezilla) and I was absolutely floored with the organisation, affability and professionalism of Zak the restaurant manager and the woodstock crew. We had an alternate drop menu, chosen by the bride and groom. Every dish was delicious and maintained a very good standard (not quite as good as their unique, rustic a la carte menu, but it's impossible to acheive the same level of finish en masse). The restaurant at woodstock is called Coterie and is in the unique semi circular building where the reception was held. The space features an open fire in the middle of the inner wall. On Friday evenings they do a pizza night, nom, nom, sundays they have live jazz and there are Llamas over the back fence! Great novelty factor. I would not hesitate to recommend woodstock as a must-do Mclaren Vale destination. If you're into rose - the Grenache rose is one of the best Reds - The stocks Shiraz is a boys fave my pick may be the Octogenarian, grenache tempranillo

Good dining experience with friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Their curries are quite nice…read more(they don't do them at the moment during the Summer months). In this particular outing, I had the tandoori chicken pizza which was rather nice. There was a good balance of flavors accompanied with an even balance of chickpeas, lamb and tomatoes. They were a little heavy handed with the coriander however the base was crisp, dough was nice and it was cooked well.

I'm not as familiar with Port Eliot as I am with Victor Harbor, but that is probably because Port…read moreElliot is Victor's little sister. Anyway, I noticed this pub when I was on the tourist train that runs along the coast and decided to come in and check it out afterwards. Well, as it turns out coming here a dinner time during the holidays is probably not recommended because this place was absolutely packed. In fact it was impossible to move through the front bar. However, we eventually found ourselves a seat out the back. Like many of the pubs this place as a nice restaurant out the back, and also has some decent craft beers on tap as well, but then again this pub is a lot more touristy than others I've been to. It's nice, but you need to watch out when you go there as it does get packed.

Stopped in at The Holdy for a lunch with the family and extended family. Made a booking for noon…read morebecause of our party size. Service was excellent and friendly. Drinks were ordered from the bar while we waiting on everyone to arrive, and then the food orders were placed. I went with the chicken schnitzel, which was about the size of a football. Huge, but amazing flavor. Our party ended up staying for several hours. Eating and drinking the whole time. Very happy with the location, service, and food.

Possibly the worst dining experience we have ever had (and we have had some doozys)…read more Food/wait staff/atmosphere all terrible. Overpriced. Massive wine list if that interests you. Came for a birthday celebration. We had tried to call earlier in the day as we had 3 celiacs in the party. The place smelt like chlorine and vanilla/biscotti air freshener. Staff/food. one good staff member, a young man who ran between the bar and helping with food stuff. The rest were literally the most useless staff we have ever dealt with (even the floor manager was crap and avoidant). Just useless and frankly rubbish is the best way to describe them. Our female server had no idea what she was doing and didn't understand that serious food allergies can land people in hospital. We had two celiacs and one person with various allergies. Trying to order from this girl was like squeezing blood from a stone. She had no desire to offer any help or walk 2 meters to the kitchen behind us to ask questions. We had to get her to write the allergies down. Then we get our meals and our meals have literally the stuff we can't have in them. Hint: When someone has a food allergy of onion, don't put onion on their salad, when someone is a vegetarian, don't put a giant slab of grey soggy meat on their plate. We had to send the meal back 3 times before they realised that Spanish onion was ONION' and even then there must have been residue or something in the salad dressing because afterwards we felt so incredibly sick. The two celiacs both got poisoned by something in their meal even through we triple checked the wait staff and kitchen knew the allergies. The other food? The rest of the tables food was bland and overpriced. The pavlova came with half a strawberry diced up so small you could suck it through a straw. Atmosphere. When we walked in no one offered to help us or seat us. The place stunk like chlorine and air freshener (biscotti scented?). We also had a mild anaphylactic reaction to something in the restaurant as our throats started tickling before we had even ordered and by the time our meals came out we had headaches, a dizzy feeling and our throats were swollen. Truly a horrible experience with the most rubbish, disgusting, overpriced food, the most useless staff imaginable and a gross atmosphere of potentially leaking gas that meant us leaving felt incredible for the first time that night with the fresh air.

A great family event. Lots of market stalls, good trucks. Amazing bands. Loved the cinema from…read moresunset. So many giant games to play with. The silent disco was cool! All for FREE. Can't wait to see what they do next.

A typical "local" outer suburbs pub…read more But it's your grandpas local and him and all of his friends like to have a pot or two while trying their luck in the weekly meat raffle. I visited on a Friday night as part of a bridal party rehearsal dinner - the wedding was very close by the following day. We booked well in advance for a table of 15 and we really need not have bothered, the rest of the dining room had maybe 3 other occupied tables. Food was as you'd expect after taking a look around the empty dining room. My steak was over cooked and drowned in an overly sweet smoky bbq sauce even though sauce was requested on the side. This gets a 3 because the cover band playing in the front bar were actually pretty awesome and entertaining. Our group was by far the youngest clientele this local had seen in a long time, we had an oldie come up and ask us to pose in a photo with him that's how novel we were. Can't say I'll be back in a hurry.

One Tree Hill is a small hamlet just outside of Adelaide, so image my surprise when I came here to…read morediscover that this pub was jam packed full of people. In fact, I was wondering if the entire town had suddenly, all at once, decided to come down here for a meal. Maybe that I was case, I guess that is one of those mysteries that I will never solve. However, despite having to weave my way through countless people to get the the bar, I still really liked this place, especially the rural setting just ten minutes drive out from Salisbury. The beer garden is especially nice, as is the view over the vineyards out the back.