Image: Naomi Jellicoe
When the Adelaide Festival Centre first opened in the 1970s, it cemented the riverbank as the city’s cultural heart. A place where ambitious ideas and creative new voices were given room to thrive. The goal was to put Adelaide and what was a “fledgling festival at the time,” on the global arts map. The rest, they say, is history.
And now, half a century on, history is getting a new dining chapter. Opening this February inside Festival Theatre, Angry Penguin is set to become the new pre-show ritual or the night out in its own right. Mood, theatre, anticipation is already building.
The name honours the avant-garde literary and art movement led by South Australian poet Max Harris, whose magazine Angry Penguins helped launch a generation of modernists. Among them Joy Hester, John and Sunday Reed, Albert Tucker, Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan. Their work challenged Australia’s conservative creative establishment during the mid-20th century, and ultimately transformed Australian art. Angry Penguin aims to continue that legacy, and there’s no better place than in the heart of the arts precinct.
The kitchen will be led by Executive Chef Alex Katsman, whose experience spans Marriott Adelaide, Sofitel Adelaide and The Henry Jones Art Hotel. He’s crafting a menu around South Australian produce that feels connected to place, and artfully pairs with the extensive wine list.
“I am delighted to join the iconic Adelaide Festival Centre, which is at the very heart of the arts here in South Australia,” Katsman says.
“Work is currently underway building an exciting new menu that will bring Angry Penguin to life. Whether lunch by the river or pre-show dining, we can’t wait to welcome everyone to join us at Angry Penguin in February 2026.”
While the restaurant sits within Festival Theatre’s footprint, it’s designed to feel like a destination all its own. Studio Nine Architects – known for Station Road, Coopers Brewery’s Good Design Award–winning redevelopment, Lot 100 and Olive – has been engaged to create a space that nods to the building’s original geometric bliss and ‘70s optimism while embracing a new era. They’re partnering with South Australian makers Andrew Carvolth and Jon Goulder on custom furniture and tactile design details throughout. A terrace spilling onto Karrawirra Pari / River Torrens sets the scene for long lunches by the water or a drink before curtain-up.
For Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Kate Gould, Angry Penguin is a cornerstone of the precinct’s major redevelopment, which includes new seating, refreshed foyers and improved accessibility throughout the theatres.
“Angry Penguin heralds a new and exciting era of dining for Adelaide Festival Centre,” she says. “With Alex Katsman crafting the menu, and Studio Nine’s design team working together with South Australian furniture artisans Andrew Carvolth and Jon Goulder, it will be a place where history and culinary artistry meet.”
The ambition goes beyond providing a meal before the next big show. This is the Festival Centre reclaiming its spot as Australia’s first multi-purpose arts hub and a celebration of our cultural identity. A little provocative, a little theatrical, and impeccably tasteful. Dust off your best because, come February, you’ll be dining at the heart of it.
Angry Penguin is slated to open February 2026
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