Adelaide’s New Nightlife Scene Reviewed

Words by Maddie McShane.

With our rules loosened a bit but not enough to permanently open the sweat city of Super California, the list of places to go and get shitfaced has been a little slimmer. Here’s a review of some hotspots since we’ve been allowed outside in terms of their compatibility with young professionals.

The Crown and Anchor

Always a crowd favourite with anyone doing a law and arts double, the Cranker’s return has been a huge relief to the city’s young small-scale graffiti artists. Almost as sad as the death of the 3-hour-happyhour with $3 drinks has been the death of the competitive sport of chair-stealing, a cornerstone practise known for birthing a good majority of friendships founded in the East End. Still, the venue hosts many professionals in the sport of dart-stealing, a practise retaining stability in its stealth.

Roxie’s

Isolation may have has brought down the mingleability of the lovable beer garden, but it has brought a substantive influx in expensively dressed girls whose primary personality trait is drinking cocktails. Perfect for law students seeking to express to the world via Instagram that they are not only outside but outside and WITH THE GIRLS, these warm booths amongst the greenery make for good background to a picture on their new film camera that they snagged from Depop for only like, $200.

Crybaby

With music so loud you can’t hear how expensive the drinks are, Crybaby remains among the city’s top-rated locations for getting shitfaced. The bathrooms have received 4/5 stars on TripAdvisor for their Instagrammability, one star only being lost because the chances of catching COVID from washing your hands are comparable to a trip to Victoria, but you can’t win them all.

The Casino

I’m not saying restrictions are directly responsible for the recent growth of gambling culture amongst Ligertwood goers, I’m just saying, it’s not every day you see this many Polo Ralph Lauren rugby knits around a poker table. A great place to donate all of your savings made over isolation in the company of the lads.

The West Oak

You can take the law student out of the West Oak, for a couple of months at least, but it seems you can’t take the West Oak out of the law student. The moment those pub doors opened there was very little God himself could do to stand between first-years and their $5 vodka raspberry sodas. The death of the dancefloor was relatively inconsequential in the venue’s overarching narrative, for all is well as long as the house DJ’s remain available for viewing pleasure.

Lion Arts Factory

Admittedly, the novel excitement of sitting down to watch a band play did wear off with a bit of haste, but that hasn’t stopped the factory from hosting some major head-boppers of gigs. For that reason, the beer garden has kept its spot on the podium as one of the best places to swindle up that bass player that was totally giving you the eye on set, or chain smoke with your fellow Doc-Marten/corduroy uniformed pals.