Adelaide’s newest watering hole, Pink Moon Saloon, proves that good things really do come in small packages. Matiya Marović, of local design studio Sans Arc, was presented with a tight brief: create a bar in a disused laneway that's a mere 3.6m wide.
His response is three linked spaces, in three types of Australian timber, which draws inspiration from Tadao Ando's revered Azuma House in Osaka, and borrows the idea of its central courtyard, which lets the sun bathe the covered front and rear sections. ‘The layered approach accentuates the movement of walking through the space,’ explains Marović. ‘Crossing multiple thresholds and experiencing the different spaces.’
The name comes from Nick Drake's pastoral-influenced final album, Pink Moon, and the bar, with its natural materials and hermetical, mountain cabin design, would surely have won the singer and songwriter’s approval.
Up front is what Marović terms the ‘drinkers' hut’, where you could easily quaff your way around Australia, with the cream of the nation's wine regions and boutique breweries on offer. Treat your tastebuds to a rare brew - spelt ale by Tasmanian brewers Two Metre Tall - or the pinot gris by local vignerons The Other Wine Co.
Calypso stools by Melbourne's Beeline Design, hand-painted by Marović, welcome visitors into the courtyard. Take a perch then try the signature Pink Moon Clover Club (gin, raspberry, lemon and egg white).
Tucked at the rear is a romantic log-cabin diner – a quiet place to indulge in slow-cooked meaty treats with a glass of Barossa Valley red.
It's small but a rewarding place that satisfies all of the senses.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
21 Leigh St
-
Four under-the-radar travel destinations to book in 2026 – before everyone else doesYou'd be forgiven if none of these locations are on your travel bingo card – yet
-
Estudio Ome on how the goal of its landscapes ‘is to provoke, even through a subtle detail, an experience’The Mexico City-based practice explores landscape architecture in Mexico, France and beyond, seeking to unite ‘art and ecology’
-
Charlotte Chesnais brings her distinctive sensuality to sculptural new jewelleryDefined by curving shapes and luscious pearls, the jewellery designer's new collection, 'Joaillerie', has sculptural allure
-
The Calile Hotel is an urban resort reframing BrisbaneA seven-storey refuge in Fortitude Valley, The Calile Hotel bridges tropical retro with urban polish, elevating Brisbane’s hospitality landscape
-
Mondrian makes waves at Burleigh Heads with a striking Australian debutMondrian Gold Coast emerges as a sculptural new anchor for Burleigh Heads, pairing surf-side glamour with global polish
-
Rediscover a classic midcentury hotel in SydneyFK leads a major renovation of the landmark Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel, pairing 1960s modernism with an elevated, Australian-minded reset
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter: ‘a lush restaurant with rooms’In Sydney’s Paddington, chef Josh Niland opens the 14-bedroom luxury hotel alongside his pioneering restaurant
-
Book a brutalist one-room wonder Down Under, the Vipp Tunnel in TasmaniaThe Danish design brand's bookable showcases arrive in the southern hemisphere, thanks to the vision of Tasmanian architectural firm Room 11
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Eve Hotel Sydney: a lush urban escapeA new Sydney hotel makes a bold and biophilic addition to a buzzing neighbourhood that’s on the up
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principlesTucked away in Byron Bay’s hinterland, an Italian-style farmhouse presents a sustainable approach to luxury
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
