The lowdown
A super-cool newcomer with clever produce-driven cooking, plenty of it off a wood-fired grill, Bar Lune is bang on the zeitgeist for casual share-plate dining, clever cocktails and small-batch wines.
The nuts & bolts
Opened 2021
Another of Adelaide’s new breed of suburban wine bars that is a step further from the surrounds of the city itself, Bar Lune is a busy place to be on The Parade in Norwood. It has tapped into a genre of simple, easy-going and modern food with a collection of dishes that speak to good things done right.
In reality, it is less bar and more restaurant, with a simple, pared-back fit out that has functionality at its heart. By day it is bright and breezy, and by night it exudes the aura of warmth and welcome that every good neighbourhood joint needs to shine.
The wine offering name-checks many of South Australia’s newer and smaller producers with a safety net of more established local names of a more established generation. When Adelaide’s eastern suburban families stop by, and they do in droves, both the parents and the kids are well-catered for. If you like grenache, for example, you’ll find producers like Ox Hardy and Riley Harrison side by side.
If you’re grazing and drinking by the glass, you’ll be happy here, as the selections are made with an eye to drinkability and freshness. And if you wish to cast your eye further afield, the list is peppered with a well-chosen collection of wines from well-known producers in the major styles of countries like France and Italy.
The handful of owners collectively bring valuable experience to this project, and it shows in every aspect of the place. The way that chef Sam Worrall-Thompson and partners Toby Porter, Tony Bales, Josh De Haas and Brett Hicks-Maitland have parlayed their past to create a venue that strikes the chord of what’s current is impressive.
