The last five years for Luigi’s Delicatessen have been eventful. The cosy Flinders Street eatery was opened by Luigi and his mother, Anna Di Costanzo, to bring their particular style of Italian dining to Adelaide’s corporate breakfast and lunch crowd.
The coffee, food and service delivered has seen the popular cafe score a long-term #1 spot on Trip Advisor for Adelaide’s Best Breakfast and Lunch in the CBD, as well as a nod for Adelaide’s Best Breakfast from the Restaurant and Catering Association.
If you were ever lucky enough to grab a table for brunch, you’d be surrounded by travellers from around the world, who, guided by the Trip Advisor reviews, made sure they didn’t miss Lui’s hospitality while they were in town.
With the limited venue capacity and his sights set on delivering more to the Adelaide market, Luigi has closed the doors on his Flinders Street location (which is now occupied by The Messy Tomato cafe), and works have begun on a new, much bigger venue.
The brand new space that Luigi Delicatessen is moving into, is under construction and slated to finish in late July/early August, when the rest of the building is also completed. Located on the ground floor of the gorgeous new United Communities building at 43 Franklin Street, Luigi’s will have a much-larger, 120 person capacity.
The indoor space will feature a large, full-service bar, which will be serving up tap beers, cocktails and more, adding a new element to Luigi’s, which previously only operated as a cafe. It will also be serving up smoothies and health drinks to the morning crowd.
The dining experience which Adelaide knows and loves, will be back, with cosy booths sitting alongside plenty of tables and chairs, for those who want to settle in for the day, have a long lunch, or just duck in for Luigi’s famous coffee.
Bar seating will be plenty, and will run along the windows, giving diners a great view of the action out on the street.
Another new element for Luigi’s is the addition of a large outdoor dining area. The laneway which runs alongside the building will be dedicated to Lui’s diners, and a retractable roof will keep everyone sheltered during more extreme weather, while they can enjoy the sunshine on calmer days.
A large scale street art mural will complement the long planter bed, which will double as permanent seating in the laneway, and give indoor diners a great outlook to enjoy.
Luigi, who picks up the keys this Friday, says the new venue “finally allows me to do all the things I’ve dreamt of doing.
“The new chef is really good at inventing and creating. That’s why I’ve been chasing him for years. He likes to be different which suits me, and my business.
“There will be chargrill, food sharing, amazing options with seafood, vegan and vegetarian options, and antipasto taken to another level. Just wait until you see the platters!”
Catering for corporates and events is another area that Luigi hopes to grow, with the custom-built kitchen allowing Lui’s team to service large functions. The on-site capacity to host events will also expand his previous opportunities in catering and functions.
Luigi says the new space is perfect because it gives them the opportunity to grow, and the location is fantastic because it not only allows them to access Franklin Street’s busy footpath traffic, and the corporate brunch/lunch crowd, but the 200 Uniting Communities staff who will also be moving into the building in late July/early August.
Luigi’s Delicatessen will be located at 43 Franklin Street, Adelaide. Keep updated with the venue’s progress on Lui’s Facebook page here.
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