The Howling Owl

I love this place soooo much! The mochas here are fantastic and the ambience of the building is amazing, especially if you’re lucky enough to sit in the wee booth at the back. The alcohol menu is also extensive and the little brownie slices are to die for. If they ever have the Ferrero Rocher brownie, get it. Seriously… Happy hour is also really nice.

Great coffee. Friendly staff. Cool décor. Great coffee. Hipster Baristas. Fast service. Tasty brownies and treats. Vegan friendly. Great coffee.

Love, love, love this place!
Always brilliant service. Ask them anything about gin and you’ll get an informed and enthusiastic response. The menu is extensive. As a gin bar you’d hope for that, but they don’t let you down! Exceeding expectation is more like it!
Cute, funky, full of interesting bits of art and decoration, it’s a pleasure to be here sipping on a delicious beverage. There are nibbles too.
Situated underneath the Rhino Room, it’s a great place to have a pre-​show drink. Also, next door to the Adelaide art institution, Urban Cow, there is a connecting door so you can view or purchase art and crafts while you sip.
A mecca for World Gin Day, this venue has so much to offer that day and all year round. Check Facebook for opening times as they aren’t open every day. Do go there — it’s fabulous!

Delicious chai lattes, fantastic happy hour (great gin and tonics on offer and other cocktails!), and incredibly generous cheese platters.
I love this place and will regularly come back for coffees and cocktails!

The staff here not only do it all– from coffee to cocktails to tasting plates, but they do it with style.
Unbelievably good martinis and a great way to start and finish a wander around Adelaide city.

Small and hidden just off rundle street it oozes comfortable charm. For a good coffee during the day or an even better cocktail at night (especially in the 7 – 8 o’clock happy hour from Wednesday to Saturday) this is the ideal location.

When I finally grow up and get a house of my own, I want my lounge room to be exactly like The Howling Owl. Same warm buttery lighting; same lovingly curated collection of art adorning the walls; and most of all, the same impressive collection of gins.
If gin isn’t your jam, don’t be put off — The Owl also offers a great selection of South Australian craft beers and wines, and some pretty decent coffee. Their food selection is minimal, so I’d suggest filling up before you settle in for a night here.
And settle in you will — The Howling Owl is the kind of place you could spend hours in, waxing deep and meaningful with friends whilst sipping on Kangaroo Island gin with orange and peppercorns (my favourite).
Duck in on the next rainy day, grab yourself a nip and a window seat, and watch the world go by.

Hello to my new favourite coffee spot!
Did I mention they also do great sandwiches and cakes AND they serve gin here?
well now you know.
The whole place itself and its décor is really quirky and reminds me of something I would imagine out of a children’s fairy tale.
I love the set up and the design of the whole space! The Adelaide map tables they have is pretty neat as well.
The only issue I had was on my very first visit was that they took about half an hour or so to get both my friend’s coffee and my coffee out to which I asked about and I was met with sincere apologies from a staff member as they have misread their orders and forgotten to make them. All good because they gave us both each these coupon cards that entitled us to a free coffee on our next visit.
I had one of their cappuccinos on my first visit and the milk was perfectly steamed and it came in a nice big mug as well which was a big plus. Everything about their cappuccinos is perfect.
Great place for a bite to eat and some good coffee (or gin) and catch up with friends as you marvel at the great décor.

I will start by stating that this review is in relation to The Howling Owl as an Adelaide Fringe Venue.
I attended The Howling Owl last night for a comedy show. As fringe venues go it was fine. My only complaint with this venue is the same as my complaint with many fringe venues, becasue of the need to fit so many people in such a small venue, it was VERY cramped. By the end of the hour long show my back was killing me from sitting on half of my seat, so as to not feel like I was sitting on the lap of my friend who was next to me.
But other than that — this is a lovely little venue :) small — but, for a single stand up comedian, it doesnt need to be huge.
They have a great array of comedy shows playing in this venue during the fringe, so if you like comedy — check it out :)

This little bar is decked out like a Grimm’s fairy tale, but with liquor. The Howling Owl is a small venue but well designed: even the bar fridge is a beautifully crafted cabinet. I ordered a Toddy’s Hot Apple Pie because the tag said it was just like eating hot apple pie. And it was, if you choose to eat your apple pie in liquid form from a cocktail glass. There was something unnatural about drinking a steaming dessert full of star anise from a cup but nonetheless, a delicious, cinnamon and honey, toddy.
The midnight forest blackboard wall feature and mosaic owl doorway create a welcoming and intimate feel to this place. Next time we come here I’m ordering a Tom Collins and taking that cosy centre booth, because who doesn’t want to fetch a nice drink and draw the curtains on the world? It can be difficult for Adelaide punters at times to venture from the main café and restaurant strips, but this bar is well worth the short walk. But what the Howling Owl really deserves is a laneway. It’s far too lovely to be street-​facing a Budget car rentals.
Trivia: the Adelaide map tables are in fact from Billy Baxter’s: that googly-​eyed moniker is still printed underneath! Excellent work on the recycling guys, waste not want not.

This is a small venue, make no mistake about that.
Some seemingly random scattered tables, a couple of high tables with stools
and the now almost omnipresent stools facing out on to the street.
There’s also three, four tables outside.
The centrepiece is a booth with two sofas, where you can draw a curtain
and enjoy in secrecy the various sorts of Gin they stock — lust like a real Gin den.
Sadly I didn’t have time to try out the food, I’ll save that until next time.
Very charming, I will be back. I only hope they’ve stocked up on Plymouth gin by then ;-)

On a recent review I tried a latte and cappuccino both coffees having elements of being poor and really good and everything in between. There was no consistency in either drink. The espresso presented very well and tasted equally as good initially but then turned astringent, sour like. Poor finish, disappointing after what could of been a good espresso.
The cappuccino had textured froth that was very pleasing, really well done this part but then as we get into the coffee part its let down by an unpronounced coffee taste and metallic like finish.
Average coffee.

Howling Owl is so close to being a 5* establishment in my books. Their range of gins and their gin cocktails earn them 3 ½ without anything else. Of course this is also an incredibly trendy venue attached to some classic Adelaide spots, Urban Cow Studio & the Rhino Room.
It’s a little menagerie with a lot of cred.
I’m partial to a West Winds Cutlass gin with Fever Tree tonic water & a slice of capsicum. I had it at a gin tasting once, and Howling Owl are one of the few places that can recreate it for me with no issues. They do a range of other great gin cocktails and gin mixers and have a huge range of gins on offer. I like gin. So I love this. So bad.
While in here for a gin-​date between lectures a friend was after a Espresso Martini. She’d missed out on her morning coffee, but still wanted a bit of a kick. It wasn’t on the menu, but they whipped one up anyway. All reports are that it was very good.
So I love Howling Owl, a lot. Why are they missing that one star? I’ve been here for lunch a couple of times, and I’m always underwhelmed. Their sandwiches and wraps aren’t horrible, but they’re nothing to get excited about. I need to remind myself to skip the food in the future, because I usually just end up disappointed. Plus, why waste those calories on average sandwiches when you can just drink more gin?
Howling Owl is a fantastic little place, but I’d recommend skipping the sandwiches and grabbing a double gin instead.

Don’t go to the howling owl.
Once you try a decent gin you’ll never want to drink el cheapo gin at your local again.
The Howling owl has a retro/​hipster vibe and décor. Like the name would suggest mainly owls decorating the walls.
When I arrived early evening with my group the place was empty so we had our choice of seats. So I am pretty much an old person, not only do I not like crowds I start my evening at 6:30pm.
The waitress was super helpful talking us through all the different gins and gin cocktails. I chose one that came in a teacup, because ITS IN A TEACUP. Cute. downside alcohol goes down a lot faster when you think you’re drinking tea. The gin cocktail I got was delicious, and if I wasn’t a student with cash flow issues I would have had ten more.
The main reason I gave this place 5 stars was the service, it was so refreshing to have people that were helpful, friendly and knowledgable serve you.

Flat white & carrot cake: The latter was a bit lemony but both were alright. Great atmosphere!
Another time tried their ice cream latte drink. The ice cream is not very good quality so would pass in this one next time.

You know what?
I used to be trendy. I used to know which bands were just breaking the UK scene. I used to know the announcers names on 3D radio. I used to know all kinds of trendy stuff.
Now, I haven’t heard of any of the bands on triple j’s hottest 100 five years running and my awesome new underground bands are getting airplay on classic rock countdowns.
Goddammit I feel so out of touch. If someone asks me to get a drink, I take ‘em to… umm… do they still have bands at the Tivoli?
Luckily, my problems have been solved because I have learned of a place so effortlessly funky that I can confidently pretend to have known about since, you know, before it was cool.
The Howling Owl is a gin bar. I totally know what that is. I thought the only kinds of gin were Sapphire and base spirits. I was wrong.
These gins are awesome. Genuinely tasty and complicated and well worth talking to the very helpful staff and exploring. The great winelist will help you build up the confidence to try some of the more obscure juniper based potations.
In fact, there are so many great gins you’ll need to line your stomach with something to get through them. I have no want for reading things, so I just asked for some food please and they brought me roasted eggplant and zucchini, pumpkin dip, metwurst and olives. All of it was well worth putting in your mouth. No regrets.
Now all I need is to find some trendy little waifs to impress with my newfound treasure. Don’t get me wrong, this place is not a pretentious scenester haven. It is a genuinely cool, very swish, understated place to take people who you want to think highly of you.
Also, if ever somebody breaks in and steals their awesome tables, cover for me.

There’s gin. And owls. Could we get any more HIP RIGHT NOW?
I was pretty impressed to hear that Adelaide has a café and bar dedicated just to gin and only wished I’d had more time to spend here. I’m told by the owner that the range will will be growing over time, so I’m looking forward to future visits and sitting in the cute nook in the wall sampling as many as possible!

Loving this place so far! Cheap and affordable tea for 2, only for $ 3.5! On top of that, it’s refillable! Can someone say WOW? Can’t wait to try their sandwiches soon. Nice environment and love the design.

Whoot Whoot! Gin + Owls = Some of my favourite things and already know this café come secret hole in the wall bar on Fridays & Saturdays will be my new «hang out.»
Decorated with a twist of «Where the Wild Things Are,» Howling Owl has managed to create a café and bar setting that could have you sitting back and watching the world go by for hours.
Their Adelaide map tables are a beautiful touch and if you sit and while away the time here you will notice the intricate attention to detail that has been put into this place from the owl calendar to the Cry Me A River painting above the bar.
The Friday and Saturday night drinks list is bias towards South Australian beers and wines and how could you fault them on that? Meanwhile the only spirit served in the bar is gin. And in my humble opinion I can’t see why you would ever drink anything else. The selection of gin and cocktails on the menu have clearly been created by a keen gin lovers hand and I’m looking forward to/​hope they will offer *cough cough* gin appreciation classes or opportunity to tell you about gin behind from behind the bar soon!
Don’t let just the eye catching cabinet of sweets and savouries from Steven Ter Horst, «Abigail» and Willabrand distract you. these guys also have tasting platters they can put together for you and cheap as breakfast treats under $ 10! Gold.
Once people catch on that this place is here it will be huge. Dont’t miss out on bandwagoning early!