Restaurant Botanic

Restaurant Botanic is the gastronomic flagship at the Adelaide Botanic Garden. A contemporary glass-and-stone pavilion built into the historic 1857 botanic garden complex, opened in 2020. And is Adelaide's most internationally recognised dining room. The restaurant runs under chef Justin James (a former Eleven Madison Park alumnus) and has retained three hats in the Australian Good Food Guide.

James's cooking is contemporary South Australian with deep regional sourcing. The eight-course tasting rotates seasonally; signatures rotate but typically include a hand-cut SA-coast tuna tartare with finger lime; a slow-cooked Adelaide Hills lamb shoulder with native-pepper-leaf; a hand-rolled tagliolino with SA black truffle; a wood-fired Murray cod with samphire; the famous 'Botanic vegetable course'. A multi-vegetable plate showcasing the Adelaide Botanic Garden's heritage produce.

The wine list runs to 1,200 references with deep South Australian smallholder coverage (Barossa Valley Shiraz, Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir, McLaren Vale Grenache) and a respectable comparative-Australian section.

The dining room is built into the Botanic Garden. The western dining-room window has a direct view of the historic 1857 garden's heritage trees. Service is precision-Eleven-Madison-Park-influenced.

Restaurant Botanic is the proposal-grade table in Adelaide. The three-hatted institutional pedigree settles the credibility question, the Adelaide Botanic Garden setting is the conversation, and the eight-course pacing accommodates a slow-moving evening.