Andre’s Cucina & Polenta Bar

So good. I loved the whole atmosphere and the food was simply amazing!

This is a lovely little gem! I haven’t met one person who doesn’t like Andre’s. It’s really dark and cosy on the inside, a little bit squashy but well worth the squishy-​ness. The set menu is great because you don’t have to think and you get a wide variety of dishes throughout your sitting. You won’t leave hungry that’s for sure.
Don’t leave without trying the beef or octopus carpaccio! It will change your life.

Always happy after a meal here. Love all their dishes. I love their set menu. Lots of food and you certainly won’t be leaving hungry

We stumbled upon this place as we turned off of Rundle St. looking for something (anything!) with seating available on a Friday night. Luckily, Andre’s wasn’t too far from where we were ambling and had some outdoor seating for us. The waitress recommended the per-​person chef’s multi-​course menu, but we were a bit jet-​lagged and picked out 4 plates for the 5 of. It ended up being better portioned and better priced.
Everything was fantastic and with a nice touch of creativity.
The veggie plate, the sausage polenta, the steak. We shared it all and every option was great.

Wow after going to andres more than a couple of times within a year (which is unusual for a creature of no habits) i can say without a pause of thought brilliant. Food is to die for prices are good. You get what is hoped for and service you cannot fault. The waitress we had tonight would be one in a million. Old school values on customer service yet young and dare i say hipster. …ish…im not sure of genres anymore. .she was just incredible. Yes yes and yes. The only thing i could say on a negative is too many tables for such a small place but the compacted tables and echoed noise was no surprise as i have been here before… well worth the positives that well and truly supersede this. Love! Love! Love!

OK. Next time you feel like drinking that good bottle (s) of wine this is what you will do.
Book a table for 4 at this joint (to avoid complications — it is a small venue, and can get packed). Don’t snack on your way here — avoid those fritos. Wear comfortable clothing, and make sure the other 3 in your party have a discerning taste for food and wine.
Get the fixed price menu.
Close your eyes, be merry and relax. But do eat and drink the wine — and mingle with your posse.
Food is good — the five courses go from fantastic to good in this order. The carpaccio was delicious, the gnocchi fantastic, the desert and fish not so much. We polished the plates, and if we can do it, so can you. Worth the money (but not every day)
The wine list wasn’t inspiring, but fortunately we dusted off a few old bottles and brought them with us.
Will definitely return, maybe in a month or so when I find another good old bottle of wine in the cellar.

I get it now — the «menu fisso» (translation: set menu), which is what Andre’s known for is definitely the way to go when first dining here. Four to six people is a good size for this feast and bring in a few special wines to complement the meal. Kerry W had raved about this place and Pablo M oranised the group of us to finally dine there, so I have to thank them both for the memorable dinner.
The four of us had the menu fisso last night ($ 62/​pp) which is basically a chef’s choice degustation to delight your taste buds — four savoury courses plus dessert. Every savoury course was outstanding! There was so much depth and distinctive flavours in each dish. The stand out dishes for me were: both the scallops and beef carpaccio, the house made cavatelli with lamb, and the quail with black lentils. I could’ve mopped up the sauces with bread if they hadn’t taken it away. Oh and how can I forget to mention the soft baked polenta topped with osso bucco ragu, horseradish gremolata, parmigiano and deep fried cavolo nero? The dolci course made up of an apple cake with some fancy elements and a modern take on tiramisu. The apple cake was much better than the tiramisu (which was quite dry). This feast really didn’t need that fifth course, so I didn’t mind that the dolci was not as spectacular as the other courses.
Ambiance was warm and noise level was moderate. We could hear every one on the table for four.
The service was friendly and generally attentive, e.g. each dish was explained clearly, and we were offered fresh wine glasses for each wine that we brought ($ 20/​bottle corkage). Wine list is average, hence we brought our own.
Overall, it was really good value for the quality and quantity of food we had, and lovely ambiance and service.

Wow. We had an outstanding dinner here. We were four people, we all had different things, and each dish was fantastic. I had a dessert, a selection plate of mini Italian pastries, and each one was absolutely delicious. Two of us ordered vegetarian dishes, and even the vegetarian dishes were mouth-​watering (I eat my vegetables, but it’s hard to make them interesting, so good job there).
There’s a pretty extensive menu and the specials seem to change all the time. This is a place I would bring people from out of town if I wanted to show them what Adelaide has to offer.

Love love love love love this place.
Do the «feed me» option where they just bring you what feels like endless courses of deliciousness. A little on the expensive side but you get fantastic value for money.
It’s not a super quiet restaurant so probably not the best place for any serious kind of chat.
You need to book. So go on, book!

Went here on a Thursday evening and had the menu Frisso, for $ 59 per person the chef serves you what he fancies, just checking with you for allergies.
I had been told to go in the second part of the week, as the gnocchi was made on Wednesdays. It was to die for!!!
Our 5 courses were tuna, mascarpone on shortbread with sausage, rabbit gnocchi, mains were beefsteak with polenta, roast potatoes and salad, and for dessert there were banana chocolate donut balls. Absolutely stuffed, but amazing.

Had a great meal with friends, went for the degustation which was great choice everyone had something they wouldn’t normally order and liked it.
The main course included polenta with mushrooms and was alert down as it was the least liked dish, just to stodgy. I had been looking forward to a really good polenta dish. If they still have the slow cooked lamb order it though great flavours.
Interesting wine list with a fair range and with some good value Italian wines to match against the dishes.
I would like to go back and hopefully get a more interesting polenta.

Best meal I have ever eaten, period. Visited for the first time recently with my significant other to celebrate our anniversary. He is very fussy, so it is rare indeed for him to enjoy every part of a meal, but we both savoured every single mouthful, and resolved to visit again as soon as we can.
We enjoyed the 5 course «Menu Fisso» for $ 59 per head, which included a delicious range of seasonal foods (and the quantity is generous — no chance we could finish it all, sadly). I highly recommend it, although you can also order A La Carte if you are feeling less adventurous.
Table service was exceptional, food outstanding, atmosphere vibrant and inviting.
Don’t hesitate to try Andre’s, you won’t be disappointed!

Amazing food. Went there tonight with friends and had the menu fisso. Every course was great (the gnocchi and polenta chips were my fave) and we were very full by the end. Great value for $ 59. The waiter was brilliant too; great sense of humour and accommodated for our dietary needs (1person needed gluten-​free) without any fuss. Absolutely loved it and will definitely be back again soon!

Holy cow. Just ordered soft baked polenta with venison and pork ragu in latte, beetroot, bitter cocoa and peppered pecorino. Now, the meat was minced meat — not what you expect from what we have come to know as ragu. I’m no chef but the majority of people have an idea of what a ragu is. Aside from the meat, it was incredibly oily and very salty. A bit of mushy, oily, salty bog in a dish. Just not very appealing overall.
Sent it back in a very nice way just explaining it wasn’t what I’d consider to be a ragu and ordered a pasta.
An incredibly lovely and embarrassed waitress returned explaining that the manager expected me to pay for both meals.
I explained I wouldn’t be paying for both meals since it was mince meat. She explained the cooking technique, fine, like I said, I’m not a chef however, I wanted mince meat I’d have ordered bolognaise.
It was suggested that I could eat the old
meal that was still sitting under a eat lamp… Really?
I said no, and I wanted to talk to the manager. She wasn’t here. Can we get her on the phone? I suggested.
«Well it’s just that it’s her day off and she’s
Not rostered on.»
«So, I have to pay for a meal I don’t like and the manager is forcing me to do so but is in available to talk about it? «
The waitress leaves and returns a few minutes later to let me know that it’s all sorted (I feel bad for her).
I thank her and ask her to thank the chef.
I am now eating Cavatelli with gamberi, calamari, crudo and limone… And wondering if I have any «secret ingredients» as a result of my complaint.
Waitress was lovely. Lovely set up and nice wine list. I have to seriously question the manager’s approach to customer service though. You can never relax and enjoy a meal after you’ve given not so positive feedback. :-/​
Food — 3 stars
Service (from the one lone waitress) — 5 stars for having to be the meat in the middle!
Overall experience sadly at a 2.5

Andre’s may just be a little too popular for its own good — our table of eight had a 6 – 8 pm sitting on a Saturday night, and it felt a little rushed. It was a full house and also was a bit on the noisy side of things. Our split bill came to $ 65 each, so it is not a cheap night out — for that price, and for the double shift arrangement on a Saturday night which means they get two lots of customers, I reckon there could be a few tables less. It probably didn’t help that we were in the middle of the restaurant, but I had to do a pacman type side shuffle all the way to exit to get to the ladies room, so yes, a few tables less would be good.
We chose to share some platters to start, and as a vego I left the carniverous one alone but had an instant love relationship with the sweet potato chips. The bread was superb too (although a drizzle of oil or pat of butter wouldn’t have gone astray). That said, I probably didn’t need the butter. I had a simple main, polenta with spinach, and there must have been plenty of butter in the polenta because it was sooo tasty and creamy and smooth and I wouldn’t even bother trying to replicate such polenta perfection at home :-) My friends all enjoyed their pasta dishes and they claimed they were mostly too full for dessert. But I had heard good things about the bomboloni (Italian banana donuts) and they guarantee my return to this place (perhaps it should be renamed Andre’s Bomboloni Bar?). There were five of these bite sized pieces of deep fried goodness (cinnamon, chocolate, banana, and fluffy, crispy dough) and I managed to only eat one, making friends for life as I shared them around the table. I think the trick may be to avoid the busyness that is Saturday night, because food this good shouldn’t be rushed.

I loved everything here. Fresh food, delicious, appropriate serving sizes, good customer service, and a buzzing atmosphere!
I could’ve been *somewhat* influenced by the free flowing bubbles as I visited Andre’s as part of a Good Food Society event (we each paid for a drinks package as part of our meal) but the consensus around the table of approximately 20 was unanimous — we’ll all be back!
My pick is the salmon carpaccio — I could eat it all day long. :-)
PS. If you love food or are in/​visit Adelaide, you can find the Good Food Society on Facebook — just search!

Andre’s is a great little place with a share plate vibe, a great wine list and amazing staff. The food is good, heavy but good. We nibbled away on the polenta chips, beef carpaccio (goooood), salmon carpaccio, fried seafood and salad. We also indulged in an amazing chocolate fondant dessert.
If you’re in rad-​elaide looking for a good feed then you should hunt this little gem down!

«FEED ME,» we yelled… and so they did. No need for menus here if you’re willing to let them feed you whatever they want to.
The handmade noodles with mushroom ragu and prawns was delicious! Even my prawn-​hating husband ate it. I will safely say that the balsamic steak was one of the best steaks I’ve had, so good we ordered another one for the table. The beef carpaccio was tasty and tender, not sinewy, the parmesan giving it a punch which was needed. The Polenta ‘pizza’ was a bit odd, perhaps a touch more feta needed? This is the only reason for the 4 stars not 5. The three year old at the table demolished the salumi platter with olives and barely left any for us!
Great service, poor Sebastion was harried hither and thither by our international guest, but he was full of smiles and jokes. Apparently we’re taking him to the Barossa the next time our guest comes down… I think she took a shine to him! Or she wants to get him drunk, one or the other. A great wine list too… I have a headache today.
Go here. And get them to feed you!

Andre’s menu is designed to encourage a sharing family-​at-​the-​dinner-​table type of eating. All dishes are brought out one after another and placed betwixt diners for all to take from.
Though the food is irresistibly good, fight your gluttonous desires off rather than your fellow dinner guests as selfishness will not get you to the end. As yet another dish Sorcerer’s Apprentices from the kitchen, too often have I heard the lament «I just can’t eat anymore» from someone who dared cross forks with a friend. Even if you just eat your share, unless famished you still may not make it, the next pleasure platter will arrive and then another, but all you’ll have is a helping of bitter regret.
Due to popularity the place is a tad pokey but not as pretentious to patrons as the food warrants. If your mother was a gourmet chef, this is what she’d make; it’s the finest home cooking and experience you’ll ever have outside the home.

Andre (of Masterchef fame) opened this restaurant in his name a couple of years ago. It is located just off the main eating streets of Adelaide so you won’t just walk past it and decide to go in, you need to make the effort.
But its a very unique dining experience, away from your typical Italian restaurants serving pizza, pasta, veal etc.
Polenta is their main ingredient, whether it be soft, hard, grilled, flavoured, they use it for anything. They mostly serve share platters, more like an antipasto, with a vareity of items which are suprisingly filling.
They do breakfast, lunch and tea and have an extensive wine list, with lots from Italy.
They also offer catering for small events, which I am sure is far from your usual Subway Platter or crackers and cheese.
When I visited Andre’s it was lunch time and very quiet, which allowed for a more intimate dining experience in which the waitor took time to talk and explain things to us.