New kids in town: Interstate hospo group eyes SA scene
A hospitality group with roots interstate hopes to stake its claim in the competitive Adelaide dining scene, with a new Italian restaurant just the beginning.
For Gareth Howard, managing director of Sydney-based hospitality company Blue Coral Concepts, Adelaide is a special place.
On his arrival in the country from the UK in 2014, he was tasked with helping the Jamie’s Italian franchise gain legs in Australia, and the Adelaide restaurant, on the corner of North Terrace, was one of his projects.
“Not only is it one of the most beautiful buildings in Adelaide, it’s such an incredible space to build a restaurant in,” he said.
“Whatever you put in there is going to work, because Adelaide’s got a market where people will pay for good food as long as there’s this synergy of value perception.
“That store was incredibly busy there for the three or four years it was open before the company went into administration.”
The first week Howard was in Adelaide to help Jamie’s Italian, Kanye West and then-girlfriend Kim Kardashian visited the restaurant “completely unannounced”.
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More than ten years on from arriving in Australia, Adelaide is back on Howard’s mind.
Blue Coral Concepts just opened Italian Street Kitchen in the heritage-listed Elder House on Currie Street.
Listed as one of SALIFE’s top restaurant openings of 2026 (so far), the restaurant promises generous serves of well-loved Italian dishes like slow-cooked lamb ragu with casarecce pasta and an Aussie twist on an Italian classic: lamington tiramisu.
Italian Street Kitchen is a chain restaurant, and one of three brands Blue Coral Concepts owns alongside Ribs & Burgers Grillhouse and the local arm of cult US burger chain Five Guys.
And while the concept has worked interstate, Howard was aware the push into Adelaide would be difficult.
“You have to be very observant and respectful to local Adelaide produce, that’s a big thing,” he said.
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“I don’t think I’m on my own to say that Adelaide is the best wine region in the country, if not the world, so you have to have an awful lot of those wines on your list.
“And where we can we use local produce. We do that in other states where we are. That’s something we definitely have to do and we’ll continue to do so. Adelaide’s no exception to that rule.”
He was also up against the high standards Adelaideans have for Italian food: “You do it better than most,” he said.
“You do high-end Italian very well, and there’s a lot of mama and papa shops that are very good as well,” he said.
“Where we sit is probably in the middle of that. Our restaurant will look and feel like a premium restaurant, but our food has the authenticity of a mama and papa restaurant.”
At the same time, Howard was aware of the cost-of-living pressures on consumers nationwide.
“There is a lot of strain on the hospitality industry at the moment,” he said.
“There’s a strain through a lack of a skilled workforce, that’s been a big challenge.
“Finding quality people to be in your business is hard. The trend that we’re seeing is that all across the world is that fast food is in a bit of decline… but the super premium offerings of high-end steakhouses are still doing very well.”
The new Italian Street Kitchen was just the beginning for Blue Coral’s entrance into SA, he said.
“The landlords in Currie Street have got a few other properties,” he said.
“I’ve got no doubt in my mind that Italian Street Kitchen will do well there.”
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