The Adelaide hospitality scene just cannot catch a break. More and more venue operators have been forced to shut up shop, citing economic downturn, the rising cost of goods, burnout after years of early morning deliveries and late nights behind the bar, as well as rent increases.
Here – in alphabetical order – are 10 Adelaide venues that have recently closed (or will be closing soon).
On Christmas Day 2023, Duncan Reid announced that his sourdough-centric bakery wouldn’t reopen again in 2024, even after doing a roaring trade over two-and-a-half years. “We’re done for the year! And, sadly, we’re done for good,” he shared on Instagram at the time.
Reid wanted to focus on his growing family and have some much-needed rest and relaxation. His statement read: “Brid has been all consuming for me, in mostly rewarding ways. I love baking, I love being busy and I love this community … [but] starting work at 1am and finishing at 4pm, 60-70 hour work weeks, the stress and pressure of having a busy spot … takes a toll.”
Beach Organics – Plant 4
At the end of March, the owners of Beach Organics announced they were looking to sell their Plant 4 location. Their statement said, “The time has come to attend to our organic farm, new coffee roastery and other projects we’ve had on the backburner for some years.”
Caro Club, Little Banksia Tree & Shirni Parwana – Plant 3
Plant 3 has seen a trio of closures recently in triplicate. Caro Club (which was located inside Bowden Cellars) left the location called it a day in June this year. Little Banksia Tree closed shuttered at the end of February, citing hard times in hospitality for their its premature closure. Afghan sweet shop Shirni Parwana also left the sitepacked up at the end of June, choosing to move itstheir business online.
Confession
In April, bar operator and disability advocate Shane Hryhorec closed his accessible Port Adelaide nightclub. Hryhorec cited rising costs, taxes and utility bills as the reason he was forced to shut doors. The venue had received a government grant earlier in the same month, but it was not enough to keep the venue operational.
The Ed Castle
Just two months after an extensive renovation, Adelaide’s oldest licensed pub was forced to appoint liquidators earlier this year. The venue had been plagued with problems since 2018, when a 17-storey student housing development was built next door.
Enzo’s Ristorante
After 25 years of operation, the Hindmarsh restaurant closed at the beginning of May. Owner Enzo Fazzari had been operating the venue alongside his wife and children. He said closing the venue will allow them to enjoy time as a family. Fazzari has plans to move into the ready-made food business.
Folklore Cafe
In February this year, Port Adelaide’s beloved Folklore Café announced its closure on Instagram after nine years.
Gang Gang co-founders Morgen Wynn-Hadinata and Nina Hadinata announced they would close their Parkside venue on June 16 after “a large rent hike”. “We have loved every minute of our journey and the community we have built but like many we are feeling the pinch.”
By June the team hope to have brought “everything you love” to CBD venue 99 Gang Social, which is being renovated to accommodate daytime trade. Wynn-Hadinata also told Broadsheet that they were considering another bricks-and-mortar offering but would be looking closer to home, near Bellevue Heights or Blackwood.
After opening in 2017, the three-location-strong pizza chain quietly closed its doors in July 2024. Francesca’s will soon be opening in Hey Bianca’s former Brighton space, filling the pizza-sized hole in locals’ hearts.
Kim Wang Supermarket
Sure, you couldn’t order a cocktail or sit down for dinner at this popular Adelaide Central Market store, but after 28 years the impact of this Asian grocer was deeply felt. The family-run stall was part of the fabric of the markets and, when it closed in April, there was an outpouring of support from the local community and media.
Co-owner Charlie Lawrence, who opened the venue alongside the late, great Taras Ochota, took to Instagram to say: “The stories these walls could tell will forever be cherished by all that visited, worked and played here. [It was a] place that I’m proud to have been a part of.”
Lawrence is now serving Detroit-style pizza at Crafty Robot Brewing.
Earlier this month the team behind the much-loved inclusive, accessible queer bar My Lover Cindi announced it would close after a two-day “funeral” on May 31 and June 1. The venue shared a statement to its Instagram to say: “we are filled with mixed emotions as we let you know that My Lover Cindi is closing its doors … concern at the hole this leaves in accessible queer options left on Kaurna Land … frustration at the crushing demands of this capitalist hellscape, and pride at the resilience, the joy and the solidarity that the Cindi’s community has showed over the last three years.”
Summing up the reason behind its closure, the team cited “maintaining the exorbitant costs of a night-time venue has been near impossible ... and at this point we can no longer continue… we are joining an ever-growing list of venues that just cannot function with the ‘post’-covid cost of living crisis.”
The CBD coffee shop announced its closure with a mix of “sadness and relief”. Owner Jimmy Barry shared in the same statement that the pressures of running a small business was stopping him from being present in his personal life.
This article was originally published on May 28, 2024 but was updated on July 26, 2024 to include mention of Hey Bianca, and Folklore Cafe closures as well as closures in Plant 3 and Plant 4 in Bowden.
