Mietta's Review
This is Adelaide's version of the cafe in a wine cellar. Pick any bottle from the full range and it's opened for $9 corkage. A fantastic way to enjoy a vast array of wines at bargain (restaurant) prices. The excellent food from ex-Melting Pot chef Zach Curnow is French with some Algerian excursions and very reasonably priced. The ambience is as underground as the name suggests.

Other published opinions

The Australian John Lethlean, 11-06-2010 "WU is a basement business in Adelaide's CBD that promises quite a lot. It's got one of those menus that pique interest: scallops with bacon salt; oysters with smoked anchovy and salsa verde; globe artichoke and taleggio agnolotti with chanterelles, mushroom consomme and 'parmesan air'. Moreover, WU's shtick is wine; not just a strong selection but retail offers and flexibility with purchasing at the table, such as bottles under $100 available as a 'half' (price and quantity), a really sound idea. The decor of the bunker, with its long, L-shaped marble bar, zebra-pattern carpet and widely set tables, is dominated by wine and associated stuff. ... But in the end, Wine Underground is an odd beast that seems a little too complex for business guys mid-week and doesn't provide the kind of ambience I'd look for at night on a date. I doubt the dignitary would have approved."
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Gourmet Traveller 2011 Australian Restaurant Guide "The 2009 departure of chef Adam Liston propelled a rethink at The Wine Underground; it has since recast itself as a wine-industry clubhouse. Michael Fullgrabe's list has grown and diversified, and is available across the Bin One21 wine shop, cafe and bar on street level, and the elegant formal restaurant in the basement"

John Lethlean, 11-06-2010 Score: 2.5/5 "WU is a basement business in Adelaide's CBD that promises quite a lot. It's got one of those menus that pique interest: scallops with bacon salt; oysters with smoked anchovy and salsa verde; globe artichoke and taleggio agnolotti with chanterelles, mushroom consomme and 'parmesan air'. Moreover, WU's shtick is wine; not just a strong selection but retail offers and flexibility with purchasing at the table, such as bottles under $100 available as a 'half' (price and quantity), a really sound idea. The decor of the bunker, with its long, L-shaped marble bar, zebra-pattern carpet and widely set tables, is dominated by wine and associated stuff. ... in the end, Wine Underground is an odd beast that seems a little too complex for business guys mid-week and doesn't provide the kind of ambience I'd look for at night on a date."

Gourmet Traveller 2010 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Since reopening in late 2007 with a cool, modern interior of whiteleather banquettes, embossed wallpaper and zebra-print carpet. The Wine Underground has pulled back from fine-dining extravagance"

Adelaide Advertiser Tony Love, 22-07-2009 Score: 17/20 "A contemporary approach to fine dining with inventive cooking, exciting ingredients and bold flavours that steer clear of derivative and molecular trends. Well informed, modern service, and an interesting wine list add to a very satsifying experience."

Age Good Food Guide 2009

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: ** "The Wine Underground has resurfaced in grand style. A building redevelopment demanded a rethink of the operation, and the new enterprise features a spacious bistro/bar with outdoor dining, and an underground formal dining room - spacious, predominantly white, zebraprint carpet, starched tablecloths"

Adelaide Advertiser Tony Love, 12-12-2007 Score: 17/20 "Rebuilt from the ground up with modern classic design touches, elite yet natural service, great interest and achievement in the kitchen and on the plate, and definitely a wonderful dining boost to the city."

Adelaide Advertiser Tony Love, 12-12-2007 Score: 17/20 "Rebuilt from the ground up with modern classic design touches, elite yet natural service, great interest and achievement in the kitchen and on the plate, and definitely a wonderful dining boost to the city."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "This leading-edge wine shop has a dual personality. One side is a chic timbered bar under the spell of a huge wall of great Australian boutique wines displayed for sale or drinking on the spot. The other is a more subtly lit bistro that has hit its stride with one of the city's hottest kitchen crews under the direction of former Melting Pot chef Zach Curnow"

Adelaide Advertiser Tony Love 25/5/05 score 16.5/20 "Huge step up in food quality at this sleek bottle shop/bistro crossover, with a modern French menu of immense satisfaction. The bill - Entrees: $13-$15, Mains: $21-$25, Desserts: $12-$15 (cheeses)"

The Advertiser, 13/8/03, food & wine, Tony Baker,'mainly entree or tapas style dishes...The style overall is good and simple, with a professional sense of presentation.'