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With three more national awards to its name, one Adelaide restaurant is proving that mismatched chairs, market trinkets and a firm grasp on tradition, can add up to one of the country’s most celebrated dining experiences.
Est Ovest has been named Dining Experience of the Year, Best Restaurant and Best Pizza at the 2026 Australian Dining Awards, after diners across the country had their say.
Just days after the national results were announced, Est Ovest was also named South Australia’s best Pizza Restaurant at the 2026 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, marking the third consecutive year of victory in the category.
Tucked along Angas Street in the CBD, the venue has built a reputation for doing things its own way, with warmth, culture and personality apparent from the moment you walk through the door.
“I do believe this is what makes a difference, it’s not just food … food is possibly one of the least important things in an experience,” said co-owner and chef Fabio Di Verio.
“The vibes, service and welcoming feel comes first and the food comes after.”
Rather than creating a polished, perfectly curated Italian restaurant, the team has filled the space with character. A timber wall displays knick-knacks including coffee cups, puppets and objects you’d find at an Italian market, while slightly mismatched furniture adds to the lived-in feel.
“It doesn’t make any sense at the beginning, but it melts into the vibes of the restaurant.”
Fabio said much of Est Ovest’s award-winning experience comes down to its young and motivated team, with the restaurant placing importance on teaching staff not only how dishes are prepared, but what Italian food and hospitality are meant to represent.
Of course, pizza remains a major part of Est Ovest’s identity.
Its signature and best-selling Est Ovest pizza is topped with prosciutto, truffle, ricotta cream, mushrooms and fresh cheese, while diners will also find fried calzone on the menu, something Fabio said remains relatively uncommon around Adelaide.
The restaurant’s pizza credentials have been building for some time. Beyond their three consecutive South Australian Restaurant & Catering wins for Best Pizza Restaurent, Est Ovest was also ranked among the 50 best pizzerias in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025.
But behind the awards and accolades, the restaurant began as a tribute to Italian migrants, with that story reflected in its name.
Est Ovest directly translates to “east” and “west” in Italian.
Fabio said the original idea for the restaurant drew inspiration from the years following World War II, when Italians left the economic hardship of home and built new lives overseas. The name honours those migrants and the traditional cooking, memories and culture they carried with them.
And while three national titles in one year may not have been what the team expected, the results suggest diners have connected with exactly what they set out to create.
The Australian Dining Awards are determined through public voting, beginning with state rounds before successful venues have a chance at a national title. Est Ovest ultimately took out three national categories, including the awards’ premier Dining Experience of the Year title.
For Fabio, that recognition of everything surrounding the meal, the staff, service, atmosphere and feeling of being welcomed in, may be the biggest win of all.
Est Ovest
Where: Shop 1/111 Angas St, Adelaide SA 5000
For more info visit the Est Ovest website.
Check out the full list of winners and finalists here.
