Sarah’s Sisters Sustainable Cafe

Semaphore, Australia

4.2

Closed now

6 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+61 8 8449 5817
Address:
117 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore, South Australia, 5019
Semaphore
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
230 ftStop 44E Woolnough Road - West side
240 ftStop 44E Woolnough Road - East side
660 ftStop 44F Semaphore Road - South side
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepted Cards
Credit, Debit
Good For
Breakfast, Brunch
Parking
Street
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Semaphore) 11:43 PM Monday, June 16, 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Friday 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The business is a small café, which provides locals, including families, with an accessible, relaxed place to meet and eat in, for

breakfast, lunch or just coffee, 7 days a week. It offers a special welcome

to eco/​urban tourists, who seek to enjoy the unique locale. It is a working

model of, and promotes, sustainability principles. This includes

specialising in local foods, wines, beers and other produce.

It hosts local Art, Music and other events, especially during Festivals,

Fringe, etc.

History

Established in 1978.

Became vegetarian! Decided to open Vego Café;no experience, ergo no

” baggage’. One of handful of new places to «make our own rules».

New recipes and ideas. Fresh Local seasonal ingredients. New wines, Local beers. Other innovations; (sigularly) championed the screw-​cap for wines (in 1980). Created first real boulevard café in Adelaide, Licensed with table service, in 1980.

Started «lifecycle sustainability» programme with recycled heritage building, furniture, etc .

Various other Cafes, then Sarah’s Sister“s Sustainable Café, opened in Semaphore in 2005;see above.

Now part of Semaphore Community.

Meet the Manager

Stuart G.

Manager

Arrived in Port Adelaide, 1950. Then, straight to Quorn;there developed love for SA history, and railways. Family travelled around SA.

10 years of design studies at SAIT and SA School of Art. At same time, «private study» of («self sufficiency», then) sustainable Architecture, and growth of cities. Best job in Monarto (new city) Design Office.(1970s).At same time, first private design commission; Smith Family passive low-​energy House, at Victor Harbour. Also worked under visionary Urbanist, Alec Ramsay. Turned vegetarian, then developed passion to create «indulgent» vegetarian café. Inspired/​encouraged by

Elizabeth David, Alice Waters, Cheong Liew, Christine Manfield, et al.

From early 1990s to 2005, active in trying to help The Port’s «rebirth»,

including opening 2 locals’/ Tourist cafes.Co-author/ illustrator of

«The Port – Heritage, Development and Prosperity» (Wakefield Press,

1998).Council Member, Aust Civic Trust. Member, Friends of the High Line,

NYC.Member, Urban Ecology.

Vicinity

Browse nearby places:
50
ft
Semaphore Rd Physio & Sports Injury Clinic
115A Semaphore Rd
50
ft
Plants Plus
119 Semaphore Rd
60
ft
Pets On Semaphore
115 Semaphore Rd
60
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Mr V Music
115 Semaphore Rd
100
ft
Coastal FX Tattoo Studio
118 Semaphore Rd
110
ft
Semaphore Laundrette
120 Semaphore Rd

6 reviews of Sarah’s Sisters Sustainable Cafe

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Abbotsford, Melbourne, Australia
This is a great no frills setup. The staff engage with genuine smiles the moment you enter and step you through what’s on for the day.
Settings available out back looking into the garden centre, inside, and out front looking onto Semaphore road.
Meals are honest, hearty, well portioned affairs. There’s no pan fried spatchcock, atop smashed avocado three ways here. You get nice soups, bright salads, and thin deliciously filled pastries.
Would definitely return when I’m around again.
Place rating: 5
Adelaide, Australia
I adore this place. Great food, great service and a great view of the garden centre. Try the Tasty Pastry it is my favourite and won’t disappoint.
Place rating: 5
Richmond, Australia
A family owned business with an environmental focus on their food, I come here prettty often and take advantage of the outdoor seating which spills into the garden center next door. Love the faily specials and soups and frequent this place as often as I have the time. Locally sourced makes the food taste that much better and very flexible for vegans and vegetarians, worth the walk from the coastline if you like garden cafes
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
I found Sarah’s Sisters Sustainable *gasp* Café just a little … too much, at first. It struck me as a place that hip retirees frequent (though that’s mostly because there were so many hip retirees in there at the time!)
The male host was friendly, but not pushy, which I really liked. He gave me a menu and invited me to go find a seat in the dining room if I felt like lunch. I think they’re used to people taking a look at the menu and disappearing. I was sad that they don’t do all day brekky, because their breakfast menu looks delicious.
I had the daily special of hot thai soup, which was filled with biting fresh flavours — delicious, when my mouth stopped burning. I could tell that all the ingredients were fresh — they have such a better flavour if they are.
However, the best thing for me was the atmosphere of the dining room, which is on a deck that looks out onto the Semaphore Garden Centre, a gorgeous explosion of flowers, small trees and bubbling fountains.
The décor of the café is intriguing, and changes as you go through. The dining room is light and airy with polished wooden surfaces and a few choice artworks. The front part of the shop, the place for sipping soy lattes, is much darker and almost grungy. I like the contrasting atmospheres here. And their coffee is great (although I avoided the soy — I’m not a real hipster, sorry.)
Place rating: 4
Australia
Sarah’s has always been one of those places that has eluded me. I have walked past and heard people talk about it numerous times but I had never checked it out. That changed Christmas Eve when I took my partner there for his birthday lunch.
The dining room is pretty stunning — overlooking the garden centre behind. The fifties-​lookin’ tables and chairs are a bit of fun. The front part of the restaurant on the other hand was cluttered with junk — not a good look.
I am vegan and my partner is vegetarian. I was aware that Sarah’s is vegetarian. I advised them I was vegan on making the booking; they assured me they would be able to cater to me. I was presented with the option of the soup of the day with bread, a main of garlic mushrooms with fried polenta or a Vietnamese baguette — whatever that might be. I chose to browse the menu whilst I decided — the options seemed limited even on the full vegetarian menu.
My partner and I both decided on the Vietnamese baguette — it was a warm day and we wanted something light. To drink we each had a soy latte and Bickfords ginger beer. The coffee was perfect.
Three — ‘ish — words to describe the baguette — so-​bloody-​yum, moorish, super-​fresh. We think, after this one experience — and more will certainly follow — that we have cracked Sarah’s. They have a limited menu, sure, but they do it damn well. How could a sandwich taste so nice? The bread was super fresh — pillow-​like on the inside with that telltale crunch on the outside, that you get with a baguette. It was filled with sweet potato, green beans and lettuce; and smothered in a rich, spicy peanut sauce which was astonishingly tasty. So much so that my mouth is watering as I type this.
Prices are reasonable and the service very good. I suggest a browse of the nursery after your meal — it’s a goodun.
I’ll be back. I may even have to ask for a container of the peanut sauce to take home. Reckon they will let me?
++++ VEGAN FRIENDLINESS — Good not great. My first impression was that there would be oodles of options. There’s a few, but most are plain vego.++++
Place rating: 3
South Australia, Australia
Once upon a time located on Dale Street Port Adelaide, then Sarah and her sisters moved to Semaphore and for the better. A narrow café with a blue painted façade happily cohabiting with the Semaphore garden centre next door. It has minimal seating out the front, more seating inside and the best seating in the house is out the back under the gazebo and decking over looking the garden centre’s backyard.
The food is vegetarian and organically sourced where possible, menu wise it’s not extensive which eliminates decision time. But they do serve up is delicious, wholesome, quality food and reasonably priced. Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Licenced for alcohol and BYO is ok but watch out as corkage is ten bucks!
As for the café name… well it’s too long and try saying it ten times… see what I mean!