23 Adelaide First Date Ideas That'll Make You Seem Cool

Love is here, there, and everywhere in the City of Churches.

1. Listen to smooth acoustic tunes at The Porch Sessions.

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Picture this: it's Sunday afternoon, you're nestled side-by-side on bean bags with a glass of red, and are simultaneously being seduced by live acoustic tunes. Dreamy, right? The Porch Sessions is a backyard festival that tours around SA and is the perfect setting to suss if there's a spark with your latest squeeze.

2. Drink your way through Adelaide's city laneways.

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There's nothing like a little bit of liquid courage to break down the barriers on a first date, so what better place to drink up than in the city's quirky laneways? From underground bars, to Scandinavian huts, to gin distilleries; Adelaide's west end guarantees a tipsy night out with your potential suitor.

3. Learn to paddleboard along the state's south coast.

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Adelaide boasts some of the prettiest coastline in the world, so why not get your sweat on and attempt to stand up straight on a super-wobbly board in the choppy ocean? If all else fails, it'll at least be fun. Plus, if the date is not working out, you can just paddle away. Bye!

4. Experience one of the city's most acclaimed taste sensations at Africola.

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If someone's stomach isn't the way to their heart, then they're surely not worth going on a date with in the first place. Put this theory to the test at Africola, one of Adelaide's most highly acclaimed restaurants where a complex variety of African food will be dished up for you to dissect and discuss. You'll go from licking your lips to locking lips in no time.

5. Snuggle up for an outdoor film at the Moonlight Cinema.

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Watching movies at the cinema is SO last century. Head to the Moonlight Cinema in Adelaide's botanic gardens and you'll both be wooed by the balmy night, picnic rugs, and pastel sunset. Be strategic – pick something scary and give yourself a surefire excuse to tuck your head under your date's arm.

6. Satisfy your late night dessert cravings at St Louis.

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If you can't bond over thick, melted chocolate, can you bond over anything? Put your sweet side on show by indulging in some of South Australia's best sugary treats at St Louis. The super shakes are so rich, you'll simply HAVE to share.

7. Awaken your senses at the d'Arenberg Cube.

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The McLaren Vale wine region's latest addition is sure to tantalise each and every one of your senses. Sniff through a variety of scents in the ground floor's smelling room, then climb the art-filled stairwells to the top floor for a deliciously decadent wine tasting. You and your date will be tingling from top to toe when you leave the cube (and probably be a bit drunk, too).

8. Put your putting skills to the test at Holey Moley.

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Adelaide now plays host to one of the nation's favourite watering holes – indoor mini-golf mecca, Holey Moley. It's the perfect location to sink some colourful cocktails and impress your potential lover by putting your best swing on show. If the date is going terribly, simply claim you'd rather stop talking and invest your energy in getting a hole-in-one.

9. Work your way through the cocktail list at Electra House.

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An investment banker once told me that choosing a place for a first date should be the same as picking a place to meet with potential investors. The food and drink list must be impressive, it has to be busy, and somewhere you can leave easily. So, why Electra House? The cocktail list is substantial, it's great for people watching... and it has three exits.

10. Binge on dumplings in Chinatown.

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The more dumplings someone can eat in one sitting, the more they prove they're marriage material. Put your chopstick skills and stomachs to the test by indulging in an Asian feast at one of Chinatown's many eateries.

11. Grab some street food and see a show at the Adelaide Fringe.

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If you're lucky enough to embark on a first date during the Adelaide Fringe season, you're set for a saucy night out. Why not indulge in a feast at one of the festival's many food trucks and then catch a performance. Bonus points if it's some spicy burlesque.

12. Make friends with critters great and small at Adelaide Zoo.

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You can truly get in touch touch with your animal instinct by spending your first date at the zoo. Everybody loves animals (if your date doesn't – run), so you won't be short of things to talk about whilst perusing the giant pandas, feeding the giraffes, and snapping pictures of the baby meerkats.

13. Taste a plethora of local gins at Applewood Distillery.

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You've been wine tasting, you've been cheese tasting – but have you ever gone gin tasting? Head to Applewood Distillery in the Adelaide Hills and check out some of the state's finest liquor with your new romantic interest. Gin is renowned for triggering some serious emotions, so you'll be getting sentimental whilst talking death and despair in no time.

14. Pull out a picnic rug and park yourself among the greenery at Mount Lofty Botanic Garden.

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You can't go past the classic park picnic. Whether it be in the icy depths of winter or on a blazing hot summer's day, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is the perfect natural backdrop to your romantic rendezvous.

15. Chow down on a seedy Sunday brunch at Mister Sunshine's.

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As far as easygoing dates are concerned, Sunday brunch is certainly up there. Best case scenario, you get to know your new best friend over a plate of delicious smashed avo. Worst case scenario, you make awkward conversation over a plate of delicious smashed avo. Mister Sunshine's in Adelaide's inner west is a sure-fire hit for you and your chosen one... especially if your Saturday night date went so well, you need it to continue a little longer into the weekend.

16. Indulge in a foreign film with a glass of wine at the Palace Nova.

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Here's your chance to seem cultured and refined in front of your latest squeeze. Pick a foreign film, grab a bottle of wine, and settle in for a funky flick in the city's east-end cinema. Be sure to keep up with the subtitles so you have something to chat about afterwards.

17. Share fish and chips by the seaside at Horseshoe Bay.

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Known for its icy-blue water, pristine stretch of sand, and laid-back restaurant, The Flying Fish, Horseshoe Bay is a mighty fine destination for fish and chips on the sea shore. Only an hour's drive from the city, you'll have the car ride to get to know one another before treating yourself to some top-notch South Australian seafood.

18. Put your fitness skills on show and hike up Mount Lofty.

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If decadent food and fine wine aren't your idea of a great first date, perhaps hiking through nature is more up your alley. Head to Waterfall Gully as the sun rises, and climb your way to the top of what is arguably Adelaide's toughest trek. Who knows what venomous snakes, hayfever-inducing flowers, and damn impossible uphill paths you and your love interest may encounter along the way.

19. Stuff your face with cheese at Udder Delights.

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Some of the world's greatest romances started over a good brie. Okay, I made that up, but let's be honest – if you can connect over a cheese board in the Adelaide Hills, you're off to a fantastic start.

20. Suss out each other's coffee order at Ebenezer Place.

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The way a person takes their coffee TOTALLY reflects on their personality, and Ebenezer Place's funky little cafés are the perfect places to put this to the test. Chatting over a hot beverage makes for a relatively quick date – which can prove handy if their order is far too complex and you want out.

21. Gaze across the city's skyline at the Mayfair Hotel.

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There's something especially seductive about sipping old-school cocktails on a rooftop bar. At the Mayfair Hotel, you can get to know one another over a Negroni or two whilst pointing out all the places you love that rest below your sky-high eye line.

22. Watch a famous Adelaide sunset at Glenelg beach.

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Try and fight off the romantic lure of a flaming-pink South Australian sunset – go on, I dare you. Head down to the bay with your human of choice and there's a very good chance you'll be greeted by a roaring sky.

23. Or scoff down a fat bowl of pasta on Rundle Street.

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Everybody low-key wants a Lady and the Tramp-style date. Ya know, when they're sharing the big bowl of pasta and both start slurping on the same string (sexy, right?!). Rundle Street hosts a bunch of brilliant Italian restaurants where you can feast on some of Europe's best offerings, and have that highly sought-after doggy moment, too.