Breakfast ‘Al fresco’ at North Adelaide’s The Lion Hotel

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We like to enjoy a delicious breakfast out, in a scenic location, or somewhere with a good vibe. Our last cooked breakfast out was at The Lion Hotel, in North Adelaide, a couple of kilometres from Adelaide’s central business district.

The Setting

The Lion Hotel is positioned on a reasonably busy intersection for traffic, but has a wide footpath frontage lined with leafy trees. The Lion Hotel’s outside dining area faces the quieter of the two roads and tables are nicely positioned amongst the trees.

There are also inside dining areas, which are warm and inviting, but we chose to dine ‘al fresco’ (outside) as it was a sunny autumn day.

We had booked a table, so one was ready for us positioned nicely against the glass windows of the main restaurant dining room.  The tables and chairs are reminiscent of European cafés. The golden leaves were falling gently from the trees, which made for a nice setting.

There were a number of other patrons having coffees and breakfasts, including some who had brought their dogs, enjoying the outside dining facilities. 

The Menu

The menu had nine options, from a lighter ham and cheese croissant ($9.00, as at 2022) and fruit and chia seed bowl ($14.00), through to the richer Eggs Benedict ($20) and Blue Swimmer Crab Omelette ($20).  There are also breakfast burger options, an eggs ‘Your Way’ choice, and a good selection of sides which you can add to any menu item.

We chose the Eggs Benedict and Blue Swimmer Crab Omelette, and a couple of caffé lattes. You order at the counter, just inside the door.

The lattes came promptly and were good. The cups were nice and hot which helped keep the coffee hotter for longer.

Our Dishes

We didn’t wait too long for the breakfast, we felt the timing was just right. Not so fast that we felt rushed, and not so long that we were starting to get restless. Newspapers are also available for guests.

Hubby’s omelette arrived in a hot skillet (great for keeping the dish warm) and was full of crab pieces. It was certainly flavoursome. Toast was provided on the side which helped break up the richness. The crab taste stood out very clearly, and although delicious, was quite rich by the time he’d gotten through the sizeable omelette.

My Eggs Benedict was presented with a generous amount of ham, and a sprinkling of paprika on the thick, oozy hollandaise sauce. The poached eggs were firm outside and delightfully runny in the middle – cooked just right.

Once we were finished, the plates were cleared in a timely fashion by the friendly staff. We were happy to sit and people watch for a little longer before heading off.

And to note…

If you go for breakfast at the Lion Hotel, there is plenty of free parking nearby, so if you are driving, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a park. Otherwise, the free ‘City Connector’ bus stops just across the road, if you are making your way from the CBD. We had secured a convenient two-hour street park quite close to The Lion.

Both of us enjoyed our breakfast, and will definitely go again. We are now also keen for dinner in The Lion Hotel’s great looking restaurant in the future.