NOW EXPERIENCING:Pastel Wine Bar
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Pastel Wine Bar

Tuesday: 5:00 – 11:00 PM
47 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide, Adelaide, 5006
Phone
(08) 8361 8714
Website
pastel.bar
Instagram
@pastel_wine_bar

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 05 Apr 2024

By
Kate Richards

With heaps of local wines by the glass and bottle, smart cocktails and excellent small plates, there’s plenty to love about Pastel Wine Bar in leafy North Adelaide.

Ambience at Pastel Wine Bar
Why you goIt’s home to some of the oldest, grandest and most beautiful heritage homes in the city, but leafy North Adelaide doesn’t have a particularly trendy reputation. That said, as the opening of the city’s suburban bars marches on, underserviced suburbs are coming into good fortune. Pastel Wine Bar is the newest venue to join O’Connell Street’s old-fashioned Italian cafes and neighbourhood pubs – and its palpably young vibe has been a sleeper hit with the locals. The decor, ’70s disco meets urban gallery, is undeniably stylish – think chestnut timber, cool marble and kind lighting. The wine list is considered without being showy, and the service combines enthusiasm with nonchalance in a way that seems impossible to replicate.
Why you stayYou’ve got all the fun of a city-based bar without the hassle of jostling for drinks. And everything is slightly fancier, like the table service and wafer-thin stemware. The best thing, though, is that on any given night the mood can switch between taco pop-ups with local chefs, excellent DJs or a casual Sunday sesh. There’s always something to please most people. And that’s by design. Pastel’s owners wanted to forge a young community hub in an area that seemed to lack one. It worked, so bookings are recommended.
Pastel Wine Bar fun of a city-based bar without the hassle of jostling for drinks
Drinks at Pastel Wine Bar
What drink to orderSure, it’s a wine bar, and you’d be remiss not to at least look at the list, but we really like Pastel’s cocktails. Most are clever little spins on old faves – a Peach Negroni, for instance, ups the ante with the addition of Rinquinquin, a French peach apéritif. It should be cloying, but isn’t  – the plush hum of the fruit lifting a typically bittersweet drink into something extra rounded and fleshy.
What to pair it withThe snacks here are next level. The menu changes often, but we’ve loved dumplings bobbing in a moat of chilli-ginger broth, so perfectly balanced you’ll find yourself feverishly mopping up the juices. We’ve perched at the bar with a dainty ramekin of olives warm from the oven. They’re soft, citrus-infused and far superior to the fridge-cold bullets many of us have become accustomed to. There are pudgy, house-made falafels, chargrilled octopus and cheese plates. Better yet, try a bit of everything on a Pastel tasting menu – lunch or dinner, it’s excellent value.
Food at Pastel wine Bar
Pastel Wine Bar the slogan “heaven can wait”.
Why we love itTo put it plainly, this is easily the best offering in the area. North Adelaide is a charming walk-around with its gnarly trees, stunning heritage mansions, and cute dogs, but until recently there was nowhere particularly spesh to grab a drink. Many bars say they’re breathing new life into forgotten parts of town; Pastel actually delivers. The delicate glasses, etched with the slogan “heaven can wait”, feel as though they’re egging you on. Fair warning: Pastel sometimes closes early, so if you peep through the glass and the chairs are up, we happily recommend its sibling venue, 1000 Island, just a hop, skip and jump away down the hill.
Regular’s tipIf the night’s pushing on, and the chefs have packed up their knife rolls, Pastel’s close proximity to Adelaide’s locally famous 24-hour Bakery on O'Connell is a real drawcard. Follow the red neon sign towards the harsh glow of fluorescent lighting and janky formica tables, where an eager and eclectic mix of midnight diners assemble, all drawn to the promise of superior baked goods at odd hours. All the usual suspects are here – cheese kranskies, sausage rolls, cream buns – but it’s difficult to overstate the hold the brisket, jalapeño chilli and cheese pie has over us. Once a special, popularity has made this spicy, crumbly, saucy beast a permanent fixture on the menu. Not to be missed, but often sold out; the classic potato top is a worthy second place.
Don’t leave withoutAdelaide is awash with outdoor drinking spaces, many of them merely a bunch of rickety old tables next to some wheelie bins and a single gas heater that has long since carked it. Pastel’s is different. Decorated with giant monstera plants, disco ball and (hurrah!) clean seats, it’s a nice place to while away a weekend arvo.
Who to takeYour backstreet knowledge – Pastel is still well off many people’s radar – will just as soon impress a date as it would your not-hospo friend. But there’s something about the low lights and slinky nooks that scream romance. Bring a date for an early bev, mosey down to the newly refurbished Wallis Cinema to catch an arthouse flick, and cap the night off with steaming bowls of tom yum soup and crunchy som tum green-papaya salad at the very tasty Regent Thai, just a stone’s throw away from both.
Pastel Wine bar impress a date
Authour image
Kate RichardsWhen she’s not slinging plates, Kate Richards writes for some of Australia and New Zealand’s best titles including Broadsheet and Kia Ora magazine.
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Drinks DirectoryCasual catch-upParty vibesAdelaideTop notch wine listGreat tunesSpecialty BarDate nightAfter work drinksRecently opened
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