Adelaide date reportedly ends over $159 pasta amid dining price surge

A $159 pasta dish at Fugazzi Bar & Dining Room in Adelaide’s CBD has put a premium price tag on a classic comfort food, after the bill reportedly brought a first date to an abrupt end. The New York-inspired Italian bar and dining room on Leigh Street is run by Max and Laura Sharrad, and it has become one of the city’s most visible names in upscale dining.

The restaurant sits at 27 Leigh Street, in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD, and leans hard into its destination appeal. Fugazzi describes itself as a New York-inspired Italian bar and dining room, while its menu notes that dishes are subject to change and availability and that BYO is not permitted. OpenTable places the venue in a $41 to $100 per person price band, a range that already signals where the room sits in the market before a special pasta or wine pairing is added.

That wider market matters. Adelaide’s dining scene has been increasingly marketed as premium, with South Australia Tourism telling visitors it has curated the city’s top restaurants for 2025 that “prefer quality over quantity.” The pitch fits a city that has spent years building a reputation for serious restaurants, with Adelaide dining guides and tourism campaigns selling South Australia as a food-and-wine destination rather than just a stop for a quick meal. Fugazzi has been part of that conversation, with Broadsheet identifying it as a New York-style Italian restaurant by the Sharrads and Gourmet Traveller featuring it among Adelaide venues worth noting.

The price shock also lands against a stubborn cost backdrop. Australian food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 3.4% in the 12 months to December 2025, after being up 3.1% in the 12 months to September 2025. ABC also reported in February 2024 that Adelaide had recorded the sharpest increase in food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation over the previous three years, which helps explain why a pasta dish can now carry a price once reserved for a full night out.

Tripadvisor lists Fugazzi as an Italian and European restaurant in Adelaide with reservations, alcohol service and table service, reinforcing its position as a polished venue rather than a casual neighbourhood pasta bar. For diners weighing the value of a $159 plate, the question is no longer whether Adelaide can deliver a memorable bowl of pasta, but whether the experience, room and branding justify a number that can end a date before dessert.