Food Drink

New Cafe! There’s Nothing Low Key about Lo. Ki

Initially, the team behind Lo. Ki didn’t want the hullabaloo that comes with opening an exciting new venue, they wanted to remain, well, low key. But we’re sure that this new cafe is going to be anything but!

Initially, the team behind Lo. Ki didn’t want the hullabaloo that comes with opening an exciting new venue, they wanted to remain, well, low key. But we’re sure that this new cafe is going to be anything but!

The faces behind this intriguing new location is Ian Callahan, owner of Bar 9, Dan Milburn, former head honcho at Auge, Rhys Woods, coffee nerd and connoisseur, and an additional two individuals who will remain nameless for the foreseeable future, but will be providing additional background support. There will be a variety of healthy options available, freshly made pastas, and just all things “yum”.


I sat down with Ian Callahan over a couple of long blacks, and discussed just what makes this place different from the rest of Adelaide’s bars and cafes. “For us it’s just about creating a space that is literally just low key delicious, low key yum, and just keeping it approachable for everyone.” Supplying their light roast coffee will be ONA Coffee, who also currently supplies Bar 9 with their beans. As the majority of cafes around Adelaide offer dark roasted beans, Callahan says that he’s excited to offer a lighter roast from an Australian producer located in Canberra, “To go in with the award winning ONA coffee, who provide good and directly traded beans, supporting Australian famers, is just really positive,”. You’ll be in capable hands with head barista, Rhys Woods, who has such an intense passion for all things coffee – he’s just returned home from a whirlwind coffee competition held in China. If you’re curious about the coffee industry, start up a conversation with Woods, he’ll answer any and all queries you have.

At 118 square meters, the venue will host up to approximately 40 people, with an additional space for 6 customers on the alfresco. The tables will be big and comfortable, so visitors don’t need to stress about cramming into a small booth and sitting shoulder to shoulder with others. The interior will have tons of natural light, which makes it perfect for those Instagram foody shots. “One of the big clinches that I’m super excited for is the handmade pasta, think handmade gnocchi and lobster mac and cheese, all at an affordable price of about $18.00.” Milburn is a master in crafting the perfect piece of pasta, and will ensure his customer’s are left happy and satisfied.

They’ll be offering a variety of craft beers sourced from local breweries, as well as a unique and exciting drink on tap that I’m not yet allowed to write the name of. But I can guarantee that if it goes ahead, Adelaideans will absolutely love it! Lo. Ki will have an extensive and inexpensive wine list, “We want to keep the wine list really affordable and really approachable,” says Callahan, “We’ll offer a variety of South Australian wines from local producers, but will also be extending through that Italian heritage and having some really lovely Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines too.” Lo. Ki will also allow BYO at an estimate of $15.00 p/bottle.

For those difficult Monday mornings when you just need a pick-me-up or an Irish coffee, Lo. Ki will be providing all the necessities to get you through the week, “We’ll be doing brunch cocktails, which will be a really fun and different direction to anything I’ve previously done,” smiles an excited Callahan.

“I just want to 100% get back to basics and having the right people in play, get really grounded with the community around there and play to the strengths of the location,” says Callahan. In a nutshell, Lo. Ki aims to provide a place that offers excellent pasta, a quality produce driven menu, with coffee, wine, brunch cocktails, and an additional few craft tinnys in the fridge.

The licensed venue will be situated on the corner of Unley Road and Wattle Street, at number 227 and it is set to open in mid-July, Lo. Ki is sure to be a favourite for locals who just want to sit back and relax with a glass of vino.

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