Main photo: Tarantino’s
From candlelit French affairs to northern Italian long lunches, here are 14 spots to take your boo or your besties.
Italian-American diner Tarantino’s is celebrating San Valentino with bold indulgence in East End. Stepping into 70s and 80s New York nostalgia, the Valentine’s offering centres on a shared set-menu experience, with two banquet options designed for couples.
The San Valentino Banquet features a curated selection of snacks, signature pastas, a grilled main and dessert to finish. The San Valentino Premium Banquet turns things up a notch with added caviar, extra snacks, lobster pasta, Black Opal Wagyu Sirloin steak and dessert. Pre-order a bottle of Roederer Champagne to enrich the night further.
Often named one of Adelaide’s most romantic restaurants, La Louisiane leans all the way in with a candlelit French affair. Down the stairs to the moody basement brasserie, expect indulgent dishes, Champagne flowing and live jazz by Mike Bevan, as a shared set menu for two rolls out across three options.
Classic brings a generous spread of snacks, entrées, a shared main and sides, while Premium turns things up with extra courses, including La Louisiane’s much-loved steak frites and crème brûlée. Premium Luxe elevates the experience with dishes like lobster with yuzu butter and steak au poivre. Optional finishing touches include oysters, caviar, Champagne upgrades and a rose waiting at the table.
Hyde Park’s ShoSho, inspired by the Japanese izakaya way of dining, brings a bright, balanced spread for the occasion. The five-course menu moves through raw dishes, tempura, dumplings, crab udon and chargrilled porterhouse before finishing on a matcha dessert, while the six-course builds on this with extra luxe seafood and a wagyu upgrade. Make Valentine’s Day extra special with Pol Roger Champagne on arrival, a tin of Kavari caviar or a simple sake to sip along the way.
In Adelaide’s eastern suburbs, Orso offers a considered take on Valentine’s Day with a four-course set menu by head chef Joel Tisato, built around contemporary European flavours and seasonal produce.
Set within heritage bluestone and leafy suburbia, the shared menu moves from light, briny starters of zeppole with salmon roe and scallop crudo, through to comforting house-made pasta, wagyu steak and a gianduja finish. Perfect for a long lunch or luxurious dinner.
Unley trattoria and wine bar Bandit Pizza & Wine keeps Valentine’s Day relaxed, generous and built for sharing, with Neapolitan favourites at the core.
Lovers or friends can choose from three share-style set menus. Pizza Pie delivers a cosy spread of starters, pizzas and sides, while Just Like Pasta e Fasule adds rigatoni with burrata, extra sides and a house-made tiramisu. In Napoli, Where Love Is King sets the mood with half a lobster and a truffle prosciutto pizza. Level things up with roses at the table, caviar-crowned dishes and, in true Napoli style, a round of aperitifs.
Kent Town’s contemporary Italian eatery Mensa hosts a long lunch inspired by the food, wine and quiet romance of Piedmont in north-west Italy, guided by Riccardo Bera of Bera Wines.
Set within Mensa’s light-filled, minimalist, terrazzo-lined space, the experience unfolds with a four-hour, four-course menu paired with wines. Dishes are designed to be shared and savoured across the table.
With Valentine’s Day falling during Lunar New Year week, East End favourite Ông is playing cupid, bringing the two together through a modern Vietnamese banquet made for sharing and celebration.
The set menu moves through refined starters including corn and chive tartlets, beef tartare, cured kingfish, duck parfait and baked scallop, before landing on mains of wagyu steak, Morton Bay bugs and squid ink noodles with crisp leaf salad. Ông’s signature layered cake seals the match, ending the night on a sweet note.
Herringbone welcomes sweethearts with its earth-to-table approach, offering a relaxed, seasonal shared dining experience built around South Australian produce. Available for both lunch and dinner, the Valentine’s offering takes shape as a four-course shared menu with dessert included, balancing elegant, rustic plates with the venue’s warm, unpretentious Halifax Street setting.
Prospect’s cult pizzeria and pasta bar Anchovy Bandit hits the sweet spot between hearty Italian comfort and easy date-night energy. Leather-lined booths, curved oak and low lighting set the mood for a Valentine’s menu built around wood-fired pizzas, handmade pasta and decadent sides.
Couples can choose from three Valentine’s set menus, ranging from a classic entrée and main with shared sides, through to a more indulgent option with signature dishes and dessert. For those going all out, the premium menu includes the full spread, complete with their much-loved lobster pasta. Pre-order a rose for the table, then settle in over a bottle of wine.
In the buzz of the CBD, Peel St Restaurant is marking Valentine’s Day with a set menu of exclusive new dishes created just for the occasion. Between the warmth of the open kitchen and original brick walls, settle in for lunch or dinner with bold, fresh flavours blending Middle Eastern, Asian and modern Australian influences. Once plates are cleared, venture through Peel Street’s small bars to continue the night hand in hand.
If a scandalous town fling were a meal, this would be it. Tucked down a sneaky CBD laneway, Part Time Lover plates up a flirty, indulgent and unapologetically fun Valentine’s menu.
The night kicks off with fizz on the house before rolling through share-style snacks like SA prawn diavola buns and kingfish tartare, dialling things up with fried chicken crowned with caviar and wagyu rump cap, then ending on a high with a giant lemon meringue pie.
Rooftop bar 2KW is for the bougiest of dates. Doll up for a glamorous evening overlooking the city, as you work your way through a set menu of modern Australian, produce-driven dishes, backed by a very very large drinks list. For something extra, pre-order a floral bouquet from Adelaide Flower House to greet you on arrival.
Once a West End laundromat, Leigh Street Wine Room is ideal for those after a low-lit, lean-in-close date. Beneath the iconic arched ceiling, share a bottle from the wall of 400-odd minimal-intervention wines as a Valentine’s Day tasting menu of snacks, pasta, mains and dessert rolls out from the tiny two-person kitchen.
Milan-inspired aperitivo bar on Hutt Street, Latteria brings a night of relentless ‘San Valentino’ love. Be serenaded by DJs spinning soul, jazz and romantic vinyl selections with guests’ choice between a four-course or five-course menu, complemented by a special Valentine’s cocktail and a surprise dessert.
