Words: Dylan Starczak & Lara Pacillo // Photos: Dylan Starczak & Talis Heggart
The perfect venue, according to Sean Howard and Raf Thomson, is one that treats both music and drinks with equal respect, neither coming at the expense of the other.
It’s this concept that underpins their new two-level high-fidelity bar Honeydripper in East End — one of the city’s most anticipated venues of the past year.
The soft launch of the ground floor this Friday, 8 August, gives patrons a first taste of the sweetness inside, before both levels come to life with the grand opening soon.
“The cocktails are ready, the sound system is warm, and the team is prepped to pour, shake and stir everything we’ve been dreaming up while building the venue,” Raf says.
Honeydripper offers a carefully tuned balance of house, disco, soul, funk, blues and jazz, paired with a back bar that reflects the same spirit of variety — fun, creative house cocktails, a tightly curated wine list, and all the familiar classics expected from a bar that takes its drinks seriously.
“The general ethos is creating the ultimate sensory experience,” Raf explains. “Everything’s meant to feel like the perfect version of itself across all five senses. It all focuses around sound; it all comes back to sound.”
Honeydripper began as Sean’s brainchild back in 2019, following a trip to Osaka. He saw HiFi immersive spaces that didn’t exist in Adelaide, and an opportunity to bring a new kind of experience to the city. From there, the idea grew through stoking trips to Tokyo, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York and more.
“I went into every trip searching for more of that inspiration,” Sean says, reflecting on those travels.
“Overseas, particularly in Japan and the U.S., there are venues where listening to vinyl on a world-class sound system doesn’t require shouting to be heard. That balance is what we wanted to bring home.”
Along the way, they began bouncing ideas around with visual designer Claire Markwick-Smith whose past work includes Africola Canteen, Thelma and Thousand Island. It didn’t take long before they landed on a shared reference point: 1970s Laurel Canyon, California — a nexus for American music and counterculture in the ’60s.
“That set the tone for what we wanted to do,” Sean explains.
“It was really important for us from then onwards to also make the space feel somewhat like a house gathering at your trendiest friend’s house. Like you just had dinner in someone’s living room, you’ve had a couple of bottles of wine, and they’re throwing on some records while everyone’s getting carried away hanging out.”
Each level of Honeydripper has its own personality, with a particular focus on detail. Downstairs is spacious and high-energy, with oversized booths, street-facing tables for people-watching on Frome Street, and cocktail stations. Upstairs on the mezzanine offers something more intimate — softer lighting, smaller booths, turntables, and a 3000-strong vinyl library lining the walls.
“The design process was long and tedious, purely because of how particular we were,” Raf reflects. “There are custom bar shelves, custom light boxes, custom furniture.”
The sound system has been installed by Lenin Paunovic of Inside Out, including the upstairs jewel in the audio crown: Klipsch La Scala speakers powered by a McIntosh MC312 amplifier.
“Honeydripper kind of feels like you’re walking into a big sensory hug — an experience built on sound, atmosphere, comfort, and drinks that go down just a little too easily,” Raf says.
The space is brought to life with the help of a multitude of Adelaide names: woodworking and joinery by Sam Weckert; furniture by Remington Matters and Soda Objects; lighting by Amy Vidler and David Musch. The list goes on, and will continue to grow as more local artists have their work integrated into the venue.
Raf talks us through Honeydripper’s in-house vinyl library — a crate-digging goldmine.
“From the start, we knew that if we were going to call ourselves a HiFi bar, the sound and the records had to live up to the name. That meant going beyond surface-level aesthetics and investing in something truly special,” he says.
“After some very long, very speculative lines of enquiry, we struck gold: a record collection curated over decades by none other than Chicago house legend Gene Farris.
“It’s the cherry on top of our audio offering — a deep, global, genre-spanning library shaped by years of residencies and touring across the world, dating back to the ’90s.”
Raf explains that getting the records to Australia was a logistical marathon in itself, but it was too incredible an opportunity to pass up.
“Now that they’re here, set to line the walls of the mezzanine, they’ll form the heart of the Honeydripper sound. It’s a physical, living archive that feeds both the vibe and the creativity of the space,” he says.
“The collection brings something special not only for the listeners, but for the DJs who’ll be playing upstairs every night. It’s a real opportunity to explore and rediscover rare grooves, deep cuts and forgotten gems.”
All things mixed and shaken bar-side come from the minds of part-owners and cocktail aficionados Josh McElhinney and Alex Johnston, who’ve poured a lot of love into building a cocktail-led drinks list that’s both fun and seriously well-crafted. It’s heavy on inventive house signatures, with a few re-engineered classics.
Raf and Sean’s personal favourites include “The Dante”, a fluffy, refreshing blend of mango, orange, peach and feta; “The Sansui”, a stiffer, more complex mix of white chocolate, bergamot, strawberry and tomato; and “The Eavesdrop”, made with guava, passionfruit, fig-leaf and fizz.
“The wine list is short, sharp, and designed for fun,” Raf says.
“It includes sixty bottles, most available by the glass, with an emphasis on drinkability over deep, technical exploration — though there are still a few more decadent bottles tucked in for those chasing something special.”
Foodwise, Honeydripper will serve a small, snacky menu for in-between meals, launching with the grand opening.
“Think croque fromage with our special sauce the Honeydipper, warm spiced olives, handmade roast brassica, petite pithiviers,” Raff says.“
Honeydripper is built for an evolving day-to-night experience, shifting gears with the daylight without ever losing the energy.
Also coming with the grand opening will be a daytime café offering. Opening from 7am (and licensed from 8am), they’ll be pouring coffee from local roaster Dawn Patrol, while bagels, strong Wi-Fi and plenty of power outlets encourage people to stay (and there’s word of student specials, too).
“This isn’t your typical in-and-out coffee stop,” Raf says.
“We want people to come in, order a coffee, and make it their office for the day. Sit in a warm, comfy environment with some background music. Then when four o’clock rolls around, get yourself a glass of wine. You’ve earned it.”
From the soft launch, Honeydripper will be open Wednesday to Sunday; once the mezzanine opens, it will welcome patrons seven days a week.
“The plan is simple: if it’s night-time and we’re open, there’ll be a DJ spinning vinyl upstairs,” Sean says.
“Midweek, we’re handing the decks over to a single selector each night, giving them the space to dig deep and stretch out with five- to seven-hour sets.
“It’s about the long game: subtle builds, unexpected gems, and a proper journey through the incredible collections these DJs have spent years curating.”
Come the weekend, the program shifts where Honeydripper will be rotating through multiple DJs each night to keep the energy fresh and the vibe dynamic.
“Honeydripper is a space for music lovers of all stripes. Whether you’re a seasoned audiophile or just someone who enjoys a good groove with great company, you’ll feel right at home here,” Raf says.
“I hope they get a glimpse of a different culture, and hopefully want to be part of it themselves.”
Honeydripper: 11 Frome Street, Adelaide 5000
