These Christmas holidays, I travelled with my family on a week long trip to Adelaide via The Overland train from Melbourne, which was around an 11 hour journey. The trip there was a bit longer than expected due to some issues on the tracks, as we had to take a bus first from Southern Cross Station to North Shore in Geelong, and then the Overland ended up departing from Geelong.

The last time I was in Adelaide was in 2021 on one of my first solo trips and it definitely left an impression of being a calm and relaxed place to visit.

Keep reading to find out more about:

• Barossa Valley
• Adelaide Central Market
• Chinatown + Asian Eats
• Strawberry Picking
• What I Ate On Christmas Day

Barossa Valley

We headed to Barossa Valley, which is a famous wine region around 1 hour drive from Adelaide. I don’t drink and my family don’t really either so we didn’t do any tastings however the scenery was really pretty with vast vineyards spread out every direction. 

Platters At Lambert Estate

After being recommended by a lovely lady from the information centre who said she has two vegetarian children, we went to a place called Lambert Estate for something to eat. There was a vegetarian platter which could be made vegan, which we ordered along with another non-vegan platter. The lady that served us seemed quite new and didn’t seem very confident answering our curiosities about the food and wine but she was quite accommodating by going back to ask the chef a few times.

The platters took more than 30 minutes to arrive and were just enough for two people. I recommend it if you want something light. It included some pickled veggies, a bread roll each, some crackers and some spreads. Overall it was nice but the flavours were quite strong and had a general bitter vibe. The setting amongst the vineyard created a refreshing atmosphere though and the weather was lovely!

Taking A Trip Down Memory Lane

Vietnam Village is the restaurant where my parents had their wedding reception 30 something years ago. We had a chat to the owner, who continues to help out at the restaurant although he is now retired. It was really busy and quite lively inside with families, being a couple of days before Christmas.

There are quite a number of vegetarian options here that can be made vegan. I got Singapore noodles and vegetarian spring rolls. The servings of the main meals were quite generous. If you like that umami rich Asian cuisine, and lots of options, this is a great one to visit.

Christmas Day

We went to Victor Harbor on Christmas Day, having prepared some sandwiches the morning of. However, it was actually really packed with big families, as my dad predicted.

It was also really windy and cold near the tides so we ended up going to a nearby local park to have lunch. This was a lot better weather wise and there were a couple of families there as well with the same idea. Definitely less overwhelming!

For dinner, we kept it simple and it was almost like a deconstructed sandwich situation with many of the leftover lunch ingredients. It was like a crackers and dip – pick and choose what you want kind of dinner, with some garlic bread, olives and sundried tomatoes, paired with some sparkling grape juice.

Beerenberg Farm Hanhdorf

On Boxing Day, we took a trip to Hanhdorf which is a cute German themed town. A bit further from the centre is a strawberry farm where we did some strawberry picking and we enjoyed eating the strawberries while we were picking them. These were the BEST tasting strawberries I’ve ever had, and put the supermarket strawberries to shame. The flavour was deeply sweet and rich. The texture was luxurious and melted in your mouth with flavour.

Adelaide Central Market

I really loved checking out all the vegan treats at Adelaide Central Market. It was closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but was back in business and bustling again on the 27th. Near the entrance was a cafe called Atlas Continental Cafe where I got a vegan slice of pizza that was packed with veggies and a coffee. Each slice of pizza cost $9 and they were quite a good size too.

Afterwards I walked around the market to find so many vegan treats, like this whole cabinet that was vegan friendly.

There were also familiar shops like OMG! Decadent Donuts that cater for many dietary requirements. Gluten free, nut free, vegan and more.

Chinatown (Next to Adelaide Central Market)

Right next to Adelaide Central Market is Chinatown, where you can expect many of the Asian eateries to be open during public holidays. I got the Vegan Soup ($17) at Bay’s Vietnamese Cuisine. It was quite savoury and packed with veggies and tofu. It was tasty, and very filling! This area also happened to be where my mum worked during her university days collecting dishes and trays.

Overall, it was not too hard to find vegan options with my non-vegan family and there was not too much planning that needed to be involved. Adelaide is a vegan friendly city for sure, with several other restaurants being fully vegan.

Have you been to Adelaide? What did you think?

Follow @cookwithpez on Instagram for more vegan food inspiration and travel tips!

Find Indonesian travel vegan food tips here:

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