Adelaide, known as the “city of churches,” has hundreds of gorgeous religious spaces––active, revamped, and abandoned––peppering the CBD, suburbs, and state.
South Australians have long taken advantage of this title and the historic buildings associated with it by renovating, reimagining, and repurposing former church buildings. From an LGBTQIA+ bar, to a quirky pizza restaurant, to an aesthetic homewares and plant shop, here’s our roundup of South Australia’s revamped religious venues.
Anna’s Bar
Anna’s, a Bible house-turned-cocktail-bar on Grenfell Street, has three things that don’t always go hand-in-hand: a confessional room, religious stained-glass windows, and a sex-driven drink list. We confess: We love the concept.
The bar champions inclusion, offering discounts to sex workers and featuring drag queen flash mobs. The cocktail list exemplifies the bar’s LGBTQIA+ pride as well, featuring names such as “Forgive Me, RuPaul”––a drink with Galliano and orange juice––and sexx worker––which will have gin and lemon. It also hosts Italian dinners.
Although some may view the theme as a tongue-in-cheek nod to religious history, Cannizzaro argues that is not the case.
“A Bible house and an LGBTQ space go hand-in-hand: The Bible is all about loving each other,” she says.
Find Anna’s on 73 Grenfell Street.
Lost In A Forest
The Adelaide Hills’ Lost In A Forest is a quirky pizza bar housed in a former church.
The space does an impressive job blending the old––a traditional mezzanine, a arched windows and doors––with the new––a clapboard bar with multicoloured panels, fairy lights, and modern pizzas. Funky pizza flavours of the past include a Big Mac pizza with pickles, a South Aussie classic pie floater pizza, and really any dish topped with their famous Hot Honey.
Find Lost In A Forest is in the Adelaide Hills, at 1203 Greenhill Road, Uraidla.
Stonecrop
Boutique plant shop Stonecrop’s Hackney location is housed in a gorgeous stone church adorned with fairy lights.
With a catalogue to satisfy any plant-lovers deepest desires, Stonecrop also features a number of homewares, jewellery, interior styling accessories and men’s and women’s fashion with a focus on local producers. The space also hosts a host of local artists, allowing them to share their craft and develop a strong South Australian support network for creatives.
You can find Stonecrop Hackney at 36 Richmond Street.
Rise Artisan Bakery
Meet Rise, the church-turned-bakery in Nairne serving up delicious coffee and quick eats that are perfect for a wintery Adelaide Hills morning.
The cosy, rustic oasis has been fueling the heart of Nairne since November last year and the gorgeous bakery provides sourdough breads, bespoke pastries, pies, sausage rolls, and pasties along with a daily selection of cakes, salads, and wraps.
The previously vacant building originally operated as the first licensed school in Nairne in 1851, but has since been transformed by local Adelaide Hills owners Katherine and James Katsarelias into the stunning venue that has now quickly become a Nairne favourite.
Find Rise Artisan Bakery at 54 Old Princes Highway, Nairne SA.
Sabella Vineyards
Nestled in the heart of McLaren Vale is Sabella Vineyards, a property spanning 110 acres and boasting 30 years of history.
Owners Giuseppe and Michael Petrucci purchased an old church in McLaren Vale, which is now the vineyard’s cellar door. Once a congregational church, then a unique performance space for acoustic music, and now a cellar door, the Fleurieu Peninsula building has lived many a life.
To check out the space and taste some McLaren Vale wine, head to Sabella Vineyards.
Find Sabella Vineyards at 133 Main Road, McLaren Vale.
Oddio
Suburban bar Oddio is housed in a heritage former church in Bowden, making it one of the area’s many quirky bars.
The state of the 150-year-old church has mostly been left as it was, with a few reinforcements for safety, so you can definitely see the history of the church in the exposed brick walls and the old stone work.
The church is also what we have to thank for the name Oddio, which translates to ‘oh my God’ in Italian. The owners have a history of using Italian grape varieties and have spent an extensive time there, so it’s the perfect name for the methodist church.
Find Oddio at 31 Drayton Street, Bowden.
Robert Johnson Vineyards
Robert Johnson Vineyards has opened a quirky cellar door in a rehabbed Adelaide Hills church. Complete with stained glass windows and high lofted ceilings, this just might be the wine spot of your dreams.
Guests are invited to feast on charcuterie platters filled with Adelaide Hills Section 28 cheeses and drink the wines, which are made from fruit grown in Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills. Johnson decided to put the cellar door in Adelaide Hills because he had a specific location in mind.
“I’ve had my eye on this red-brick, Methodist church for years,” Johnson says.
“The church is largely untouched since it was built in the 1930s.”
Find Robert Johnson Vineyards at 33 Onkaparinga Valley Rd, Verdun.
Berg Herring Wines
McLaren Vale favourites Berg Herring first swung open the doors to their cellar door on Boxing Day in 2020 at the Vale’s Sellicks Beach. Owners Chloe Fitzgerald and Sam Dunlevy purchased the sandstone 1862 church back in 2015 and have put in many hours in slowly restoring and renovating the building into what is now their stunning, and popular cellar door space.
Guests can enjoy a tasting of the Berg Herring range, which showcases some exciting alternative varieties in McLaren Vale.
Berg Herring Wines are just coming off the back of a major win after scoring Best Small Cellar Door in McLaren Vale at the 2021 Australia’s Best Cellar Door Awards.
Berg Herring Wines is open on Saturdays and Sundays at Lot 21 Sellicks Beach Rd, Sellicks Beach.
Have we missed a good one? Email [email protected].
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