Dragonfly Bar, Adelaide

Dragonfly opened in the winter of 2007 and is located in the true heart of Adelaide; Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga.

Jody Brennan, Leah Klemm, Mark Ewan and Michael Diakomichalis are the owners and they share a mutual obsession with good food, wine, art and music. Inspired by years of experience and fun in the hospitality, design and music industries, coupled with overseas journeys of discovery, they are reflecting their passions through dragonfly.

There are two key elements to dragonfly; a licensed bar and a dining experience. As a licensed space, dragonfly takes on a bar atmosphere, offering boutique beers, wines and spirits from Australia as well as selected imported varieties. There’s an impressive range of international and local bottled beers on offer, including long necks, complemented by Asahi and Bohemian Pilsner on tap. The wine list features a considered selection of 20 wines, most of which are available by the glass. The cocktail list is striking and features some custom creations including the “Cherry Bomb”, modelled on the traditional ‘Spider’ drink. Fruit juices, mocktails, fair trade coffee, hot chocolate and an extensive range of loose-leaf teas round off a comprehensive list of beverage options.

Executive Chef Mark (Botanic Cafe, Crown & Sceptre, Royal Oak, Tin Cat Cafe, Jolley’s Boathouse) presents an exciting menu which focuses on healthy, delicious food, drawing inspiration from Japanese, Spanish and Italian cuisine. “We’re taking advantage of the excellent local produce, particularly from the Adelaide Central Markets, one of the finest food markets in the world”, says Mark, whose concept centres around the creation of tapas style treats, inspired regional dishes and Japanese street food. The menu caters for individual dining, but also encourages a shared group experience. Particularly noteworthy is Mark’s attention to detail in designing a menu which offers numerous options for vegetarians and vegans. Lunch menu specials include a glass of beer or wine and prove excellent value to those on the run or on a budget.

The main interior space, licensed for 70 people, presents a raw base of polished concrete floors and white walls integrated with a peculiar contrasting language of delicate fabrics, elegant furniture (both old and new), unique objects, banquet seating, cushions, hand-patterned walls, theatre spotlights and a massive air-conditioning duct painted fire engine red. “ We all contributed our ideas so dragonfly contains little pieces of all of us,” says Leah, who is an interior designer and coordinated the fit-out work. “I like to think we have melted the barriers between design, art and theatre a little bit”.

"We have achieved an exceedingly robust, hand-crafted aesthetic which is easy to add to or change with a bit of thought, handy-person skill, lighting and theatrics." says Michael, an architect. "We already have patrons who get excited when they see something new in dragonfly, whether it’s a new feature curtain, or wine list on the wall, or the pink arrows on the floor. It feels more personal and we like to think that’s part of what keeps people coming back.”

The outdoor space, licensed for 30 people, is arguably Adelaide’s finest beer garden. Overlooking the majestic “3 Rivers” water sculpture, it is a place away from prying eyes, despite being located on Adelaide’s largest public square.

“During the day, dragonfly is a little urban hiding place, similar to the unique, special utopias of yesteryear, like The Coffee Pot, Ruby’s Café and the old State Library Café; places in which you could ‘disappear’,” says Michael. “You can meet with friends, sit alone reading a good book or making use of the free wireless internet, order some delicious treats and have a drink or two. In the evening, the space takes on an ethereal beauty as the lights dim, the candles are lit and the DJs step up.”

On Friday nights, DJs Derek Lang, Eric Falcon and guests host the perfect musical segue from weeknight to weekend. dragonfly also hosts monthly Saturday nights including local techno/house/electro whiz kids, Martin and Jayde, ‘The Parlour’ (Adelaide’s only “old school” goth night), ‘4/4’ (an evening of techno with DJ HMC and guests) and ‘Modern Love’, (dedicated to lovers of indie, post-punk and synthpop, featuring the owners of dragonfly and guests on the decks).

An important community focus of dragonfly is to encourage local artists and musicians (both upcoming and established) to get out there and “expose” themselves, by providing a space to exhibit and perform their works. “As well as the state-of-the-art sound system available to musicians, we have a data/video projector available to media/film artists and a 16 metre long wall dedicated to hosting art exhibitions” says Jody. “We enjoy seeing the effect our showing/performing artists’ works have on the space and in a way, these artists and their work play an important role in developing and evolving dragonfly’s own identity”. 

There’s something intangibly charismatic about dragonfly; it just feels instinctively special.

Dragonfly is open Tuesday to Saturday from midday til late.
Dragonfly Bar + Dining, 193 Victoria Square, Adelaide 5000. Phone: 08 8212 5661