48-08 Simpson Kiosk / Restaurant Botanic

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The famous Botanic Gardens Restaurant, now known as ‘Restaurant Botanic’, is one of Adelaide’s finest dining experiences. Originally known as the ‘Simpson Kiosk’, this building was designed in 1906 by former Colonial Architect Edward J. Woods, one of the state’s leading architects. Named after A. M. Simpson, prominent Adelaide industrialist and member of the Board of Governors of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens from 1899, the new Kiosk was intended to provide enhanced refreshment facilities within the Gardens; a use which the building has retained to the present day. Featuring attractive matchboard timber detailing and early 20th century ‘Art Nouveau’ timber grillework, the former Simpson Kiosk was registered as a State Heritage place on the South Australian Heritage Register in September 1986.
GGA has assisted the Gardens in the past managing the building, including undertaking internal and external condition assessment in 2002 and later preparing a new exterior paint colour scheme.
The former Simpson Kiosk has most recently undergone extensive renovations as part of a recent transformation as the ‘Restaurant Botanic’ in late 2021. Designed by architects Williams Burton Leopardi, the new renovations feature an open plan kitchen with twelve seats surrounding a bustling kitchen environment, allowing guests to experience the culinary action first-hand. The general layout of the restaurant has also been redesigned, paying homage to the original delineation of the c.1906 heritage building.