Al Fresco

Good quality food. I went on a busy night and ended up waiting over an hour. The chips are a little salty though but the chicken burger I had tasted nice with a range of fresh salad. For the price, the portions are very decent. The taste is good and the chicken was reasonably well seasoned. Icecream here is pretty decent too. Staff are reasonably friendly and the atmosphere is nice.

Alfresco’s has been around forever. Recently changed management & had a really modern face lift, reminds me of the café’s in Italy. Good food, Service, Great fit out, what else could you ask for.

This place doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s a little gem.
Everything tastes so fresh because it is, and the portions are generous.
The pasta is freshly made and the spinach and ricotta cannelloni is particularly good. The salad is the perfect accompaniment to the two large cannelloni tubes. It is a typical Italian salad with mixed lettuce Spanish onion, tomato and cucumber and is drizzled with a light dressing.
GARLIC BREAD
The crusty garlic bread is particularly good because it is freshly made and seasoned with fresh herbs. The generous portion also comes with a generous helping of butter on it.
DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
There is a good range of dishes for most dietary requirements, although vegans may struggle. There is a vegetable risotto with seasonal vegetables in a Napolitana sauce.
PAY UP FRONT
The only annoying thing is you have to go back to the till if you want another drink because you have to pay up front — and there are some tasty wines on the list so this can happen.
SPECIALS BOARD
There’s a black board with specials of all sorts of Italian delights on the wall.
SERVICE
The staff are really nice and the service is generally prompt, even on busy nights.

I had always avoided Alfrescos. There are so many other food options on Rundle Street that you shouldn’t need to go to a slightly dodgy Italian restaurant. However, the other day I saw myself quite hungover, short in cash and desperately seeking food. It was about 3pm, so most lunch places had stopped serving food and dinner service hadn’t quite started. It seemed that Alfrescos was my only option.
I warily walked in and was met with a friendly greeting from the guy behind the counter. I browsed the menu, but nothing really caught my eye and they had run out of foccaccias in the cabinet. The guy working offered to get the kitchen to make me up a sandwich and I got some hot chips.
The sandwich was very average, but I couldn’t complain as they made it especially for me. The chips; mehhh, they helped my hangover!
Overall, the food was average, service was great and it didn’t take them too long to bring out the food. The coffee was ok and everything was reasonably priced. I wouldn’t go hurrying back there, but if your stuck for somewhere to go its not too bad either.

Alfresco in Rundle Street is a veritable institution in Adelaide. Once upon a time it was THE place to be seen in Rundle Street and was frequented by many a celeb and wanna be celeb. These days though Alfreso has a thousand and one other coffee shops, cafes and restaurants to compete with and while its sad to admit, in a lot of ways it has lost its reputation in the sea of competition. Other than its history there really isn’t a lot that separates it from all the other eateries in Rundle Street.
The coffee is still good and gelati is top shelf. While I’ve never ordered a meal here, I have had their coffee and indulged in the odd sweet treat at times and you can’t really go wrong. Its still a great place to sit at one of the outside tables and watch the world go by. The best (and the busiest) times to visit Al Fresco are late nights and Sunday mornings.
On weekends there’s usually a group of cyclists taking a break for coffee at Alfresco and trust me, cyclists know good coffee. If you see a group of lycra clad men and women sipping long blacks and lattes, take it as a sure sign there’s good coffee to be had.

Memories… I have been frequenting Alfresco’s for as long as, well, since I was in high school. I don’t go there quite as often now as there is a much wider choice of cafes, but way back then it was the only Alfresco, (meaning outdoors), Italian style café. This is back in the days when the average Australian thought latte was a fashion colour. It was my place to go, before the beach, before the nightclub and also in between lectures at Adelaide University, pretty much like Brunelli’s is for today’s students. Alfresco’s was started by the father of Max who owns it today, I believe. It catered for all the Italian migrants that worked at the markets which were then in Rundle Street. We owe a great deal to this institution as it was the forerunner of café society in Adelaide.
As well as coffee, which we thought was amazing back then because there was no comparison; Alfresco has good quality gelati which is still made fresh on the premises. The vibe at Alfresco today is totally different, it caters to a much wider market and isn’t as trendy and glamorous as it used to be but it is still worth a visit for their food. I have had really good pizza and pasta here of late.

Al Fresco has long been one of my favourite coffee shops in the Adelaide CBD. Back when I was a night owl, this place would always keep me caffeinated until the early hours of morning. These guys are open until very late (or early), and they’re kitchen continues to serve out spectacular dishes until the patronage comes to a slow stop.
The menu is a wide range of Italian dishes, and they cater to meals for anytime of the day. One of my favourite dishes here is their Big Beef Burger, which is really big enough for two and will leave even those with the bravest of appetites stuffed to the brim. Pricing is also quite reasonable, so you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank.
As the name suggests, it’s much nicer dining al fresco than it is inside. They do have a nice lounge area and a large television close by, but watching television at a café defeats the purpose of leaving the house! Definitely secure a table outside if you can, it’s particularly relaxing and cosy during the day.
Service is exceptionally good, and the staff is always smiling and energetic. One of the best things about going to Al Fresco is experiencing the warm and friendly people, and it’s an aspect that continually brings me back (in addition to the brilliant coffee).

Al Fresco has been here on Rundle Street a very, very long time. To have stood this long, one assumes it must have something going for it. Were one to assume this, one would be assuming correctly.
Al Fresco is fit for the Italian and for the layman. You’ll find some places in the city favoured by either or. It has an authentic feel about it. They haven’t draped Italian flags all over the walls, like some businesses like to do, but the Italian staff and menu really help to make you feel as if you’re in good hands. One of my favourite things to do after waltzing around the City with a group of friends or after having just seen a movie at Palace Nova is to make a stop at Al Fresco for some gelati or coffee. Both are fantastic.
If you ever find yourself there, do yourself a favour and ask for an Italian hot chocolate. It’s very different to the type of hot chocolate you’re used to, I’ll wager. It’s not for everyone, mind, but if you want something very strong and very dark, take the plunge. This is one of the only places in Adelaide that can make it right.

Al Fresco has been around for eons down the way of Rundle Street. The sign pops into the vision rapidly. The outdoor setting has a real hustle being the at the east end epicentre.
I went up and ordered the beef burger for $ 14. The service was quick and amiable however I waited quite a while for the food to come out. Not a good burger, nor a bad burger. I guess the taste was dampened by the long wait.
Although it was reasonable priced, the experience left something to be had.

Al Fresco Gelateria & Pasticceria offers a range of food, coffee, and dessert. It is conveniently situated on the east end of Rundle St, however somewhat blends in a little bit too much with its surroundings to the point of being hard to spot. My first impression was: wow. This place needs a serious lighting do-​over; I want to be able to actually see my food; I’m not that co-​ordinately gifted that I can eat in the dark.
Nevertheless, I ordered a Caesar Salad. Harmless, right? What appeared before me was a deconstructed bacon and eggs. Don’t get me wrong, I love bacon and eggs. This, however, had oily dressing dripping from each salad leaf, overcooked bacon, and a generous helping of oil-​soaked croutons. If I were drunk, this would be heaven.
The service was a bit slow, but for the pricing I’d say overall, the place was alright. Perhaps next time I’ll order bacon and eggs, and I might just get that salad.