Tucked away on Gresham Street, behind a low-key frontage away from the brighter, louder corners of Adelaide’s nightlife, there’s a bar that feels a little bit different, in the best kind of way. It’s curious, confident, and has a special kind of buzz.
Hidden in plain sight, this bar is full of oddities and boasts an epic cocktail list. The drinks here are strong and the atmosphere is relaxed.
Enter A Social Undertaking, an unusual bar in Gresham Street that is equal parts speakeasy, art gallery and place to meet an old mate.
At A Social Undertaking, on any given night, somewhere in the playlist is a certain song that, when it lands, sends a ripple through the room. You won’t find it written up on the wall, and it’s not the kind of thing given away too quickly. But pull up a stool, order a cocktail, chat with the bartender and hang around long enough, and you might just be let in on it. When the song hits, you’ll know soon enough, as regulars make a beeline for the bar to get their half-price drinks before the final notes fade.
None of the decor here feels accidental. The UK trail map on the wall, the oversized teddy bear security guard keeping watch from his shelf, the tidy stacks of board games, the art, or the low-lit corners. Each piece adds its own charm, like you’ve wandered into someone’s wonderfully eclectic private world.
It’s its own kind of cocktail bar with a relaxed vibe, serving beer, wine and spirits together with over 70 cocktails on the menu.
If you’re bold enough to spark up a conversation with bar staff on their extensive drinks list, you’ll enter into a world of cocktail possibilities. Ever evolving, the menu contains the classics mixed to perfection and some more unusual and out there picks as well. All you have to do is ask.
As you enter, you’ll find yourself in a cosy little bar, complete with low, high and couch seating. Here, you can grab a drink at the bar and head to spot that suits with more than enough oddities to fascinate over.
It’s intimate without feeling exclusive and eccentric without trying too hard. The kind of place where you can sink into a couch or perch on a barstool, nurse something smoky, and spend half the night noticing new details in the room.
Though the digs are indeed something different, owner Col wanted friendly service to be just as integral to the experience as the drinks. “While the drinks are special, people won’t come back to a place if they don’t feel welcome or valued,” he says.
Now approaching three and a half years serving a wild range of cocktails, the Undertakers as many regulars call it, is going strong with a new revamped menu of traditional and unique drinks. Plus, for the whisky drinkers, it’s got the largest range of Laphroaig peated smoky whisky in Adelaide and a growing selection of Absinthe.
With card and board games aplenty, and happy hours during weekdays, A Social Undertaking knows how to have fun.
A Social Undertaking
Where: 25 Gresham St, Adelaide
When: Tuesday – Thursday 5 – 9pm
Friday & Saturday 5pm – 2am
For more information, click here.
