Mensa
Chic design meets elevated cooking at this eastern suburbs restaurant, which has fast become a local favourite.
Adelaide isn’t shy of Italian restaurants: Fugazzi. Chianti. Osteria Oggi. One could almost fill these pages by listing them all.
But there’s something about Mensa – people are talking about it, sharing photos of it, returning to it (repeatedly). It’s become so popular, it took me three tries to get a booking on a date that’d suit.
So, what is it? Its location in Adelaide’s very own Upper East Side of Kent Town? The sophisticated aesthetic? The food, the drinks, the service? Perhaps it’s the hospitality heavyweight behind it, including Eugenio Maiale (Citrus, Auge and Sydney’s A Tavola), his mate and Cibo co-founder Claudio Ferraro, and seasoned restaurant pro Zoran Pavlovic. With Gelato Messina next door, the venue has a lot going for it – though, parking isn’t one of them (allow a few extra minutes for that).
This brings us to the design, by local studio Sans-Arc, which blends timber panelling, terrazzo surfaces and exposed brick to evoke a kind of nonna’s-house-had-a-glow-up feel. It’s minimalist but warm, light-filled and considered in detail – pops of art, accordion lamp shades, vases of billy buttons – all coming together to create a sense of effortless beauty.
There’s a mix of sage green banquette seating, booths and freestanding tables, as well as a high/share table, which is where we’re perched today and leans into the Latin word, mensa, meaning ‘table’. There’s an energy in the air – a backdrop of Quincy Jones and The Pointer Sisters helping set the mood – but it’s not loud, so conversation can flow freely. Also flowing is the bottle of bubbles we’ve ordered, which serves as a nice segue into snacky starters.
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Dishes on the menu progress in size, from bite-sized scallops to pasta plates, to the mighty one-kilogram wagyu Bistecca alla Fiorentina, sliced to share. You’ll spot common contenders – burrata, crab pasta – but also fresh and brave takes on traditional fare that’s so needed in a dining landscape saturated by “Italian food”.
Wide ribbons of garlic-and-herb-spiked zucchini and eggplant are curled together and threaded onto a skewer, along with a tender Cantabrian anchovy. Inspired by the Neapolitan zucchini alla scapece – which sees slices of the marinated veg piled onto a plate – it’s snacking at its best: simple but flavour-packed.
Similarly, the “pasta fritta” – a disc of fried dough – topped with nduja, honey and a delicate piping of mascarpone brings all the hot honey vibes with a refined touch (while the crisp white doily it’s served on is a welcome nod to “nonna chic”). Buttery scallops are well-loved and would benefit from a spritz of lemon, while hefty green olives stuffed with meat and fried (“all’ascolana”) brings a savouriness best washed down with a beer.
They’re the kind of nibbles that are available at the restaurant from 3pm to 5pm Thursday to Saturday – catering for a window of time when many other restaurants shut their doors.
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Pastas are well-sized and great for sharing if that’s how you like to eat. For those keen to veer away from the common ragu, do try the orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) with chicken livers – an ode to Maiale’s popular dish at his A Tavola restaurant in Sydney. Those livers are flash fried in marsala so that they’re still pink inside, while guanciale brings a hint of smokiness. Tossed with chicory and soft herbs, it’s balanced and satisfying.
Cult-loved vodka sauce also makes an appearance here, this time with rigatoni, a nice chilli kick and shreds of blue swimmer crab I’d love a little more of.
Specials options are lengthy, so keep your ears peeled. We opt for the saltimbocca – but instead of the usual prosciutto-and-sage-topped-veal, it’s poussin, spatchcocked and seared before it’s portioned on a platter and decorated with crisp pancetta and sage.
Glossy with a reduced chicken jus, the pieces sit atop a velvety corn velouté that, with that crisp pancetta, is giving “popcorn” in the best possible way. Delicious.
At this point we realise it’s been a while since we finished our glass of bubbles, and haven’t been offered another drink. Alas, we’ve been enjoying ourselves too much to notice. With full bellies, we agree we’ll return – and save room for the dessert I saw my friend post about …
Chef: Eugenio Maiale
Cuisine: Italian
Drinks: Emphasis on SA and Italian wines
Cost: Snacks from $6, most mains $28-$45. Three course shared menu $80pp
Must try: Spatchcock saltimbocca
Hot take: Bring your friends
Open: Tue-Wed drinks 3-5.30pm, dinner 5.30pm-late, Thurs-Sat lunch 11.30am-3pm, drinks and snacks 3pm-5.30pm, dinner 5.30pm-late
44 The Parade West, Kent Town
This article first appeared in the October 2025 issue of SALIFE magazine.
