South Australia Pubs

Adelaide has an excellent pub and live music scene, so take advantage of it while you can. There are plenty of nightclubs in town, such as Zhivago, Mojo, Electric Circus, HQ, and Mars Bar (the premier gay nightclub in town); however, to truly taste the flavor of Adelaide nightlife, the pubs are where you need to be.

Dress To Impress. Bouncers at most of the city’s dance clubs are very mindful of dress code. This usually means no sneakers, T-shirts, tank tops, flip flops, or hats, but can be extended to include no jeans.

The East End, which includes Rundle St. east of the mall, Pulteney St., and Pirie St., is the center of Adelaide’s nightlife scene and teems with Uni students and twenty-something professionals on the weekends. The pub scene dominates this area, as students and others drink schooners, people-watch, and chat on the sidewalk. Rundle Mall is renamed Hindley Street in the West End, and is home to many X-rated venues and numerous fly-by-night dance clubs abutting stylish bars and bistros. Beyond the CBD, North Adelaide has swank hotels with pricey cocktails, while the beach suburbs, most notably Glenelg , have a few watering holes right on the ocean.

The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, 59 Port Rd., Hindmarsh (☎08 8340 0744; www.thegov.com.au). North of town on Port Rd. From up-and-coming to big-name acts, the Gov is always grooving. Tu $5 pizza. W open mic, Th and Sa local bands in front bar, F Irish folk. If the music makes your mouth water, go for an excellent wood-oven pizza ($8.50-14.50), such as the lamb and rosemary pizza. Happy hour M-W 5-7pm: 2-for-1 sparkling white, red, and rose wine. Open M-F 11am-latenight, Sa noon-latenight; open Su only for events 2pm-late. Cover usually $2-5, more for well-known acts.
Grace Emily, 232 Waymouth St. (☎08 8231 5500). For great local, interstate, and international live music, join the chill crowd by the stage or around the pool tables. The Grace is the place on M nights for BBQ/Open Mic night. Open daily 4pm-late.
The Botanic, 309 North Terr. (☎08 8227 0799), on the corner of East Terr. right across from the Botanic Gardens. Dark and sleek, this chic bar caters to twenty-something professionals looking to wind down with a fine wine or cocktail. Th-Su live DJs, mostly R&B. Open Tu-Th 5pm-2am, F 4pm-3am, Sa 2pm-3am, Su 4pm-midnight.
Exeter Hotel, 246 Rundle St. (☎08 8223 2623). Live music club and curry bistro with eclectic, dreadlocked crowd. Live music is mostly local and always original. W and Th 6:30-9pm Curry Nights ($13) have a cult following. Open daily 11:30am-late.
Tap Inn, 76 Rundle St., Kent Town (☎08 8362 2116; www.tapinn.com.au). Bar/pub/restaurant/gambling lounge/driving range, the Tap Inn has it all. Really. Check out the tap fountain in the entrance hall and the glass floor in the pub. Visit the unique unisex bathroom in the restaurant. And, if nothing else, order a bag of chips for a good laugh. Pub happy hour Tu and F 5-7pm. Live music Sa. Buy 1 bucket of 100 golf balls, get one free daily 5:30-6:30pm. Driving range open M-Th and Su 9am-11:30pm, F-Sa 9am-midnight. Pub open M-Th noon-midnight, F-Sa noon-2am.
Austral, 205 Rundle St. (☎08 8223 4660). An unmistakable landmark, this old hotel draws a young crowd. If there’s no night life happening here, there’s probably not much going on anywhere in town. Open daily 11am-3am.