Shelly’s Semaphore has transformed from casual kiosk to sassy seaside cafe and she’s the perfect addition to the Semaphore South foreshore and the renovated playground she sits next to.
Review by Lisa Bachmayer
Shelly’s Semaphore reopened in October 2024 with a new name, new management, new menu and a whole new look. The Esplanade cafe/kiosk is looking beautiful in blue and exudes zesty coastal vibes with wicker lampshades, Hamptons-style panelling and indoor seating, stripy umbrellas and festoon lighting running across a delightful alfresco area.
Not just looking fresh in her new blue look, however, the cafe itself is every bit as refreshing as the sea breeze around her.
Shelly’s has transformed from a casual beachside kiosk selling Chiko Rolls to a cosmopolitan beachside hang serving up coffees, cocktails, wine, craft beer, fresh juices, a delicious yet fairly-priced menu, a banging noughties song list and – lo and behold – a kids AND toddler menu with more variety and nutrients than the standard kids’ fare.
BUT – and I feel this is an important BUT (hence the caps), Shelly’s has not lost the nostalgic feel and accessibility that many families associate with the cheerful and casual dining options of a typical kiosk.
While she’s well and truly shed her past life as the former Noonies kiosk with a new name, new menu and fresh new look, Shelly’s has been careful not to forget the beachside nostalgia kiosks bring to visitors.
Chiko Rolls may have been phased out in favour of falafels and granola, but you can still buy a good old-fashioned ice block on a stick or choose from a takeaway menu, including hot chips from $5, burgers, fish and chips, and kids’ options such as a cheese toastie, flathead fish fingers or burger, and dine on the beach or the large grassed area surrounding the playground.
Indeed, as we left after our early dinner, we saw a whole family wrapped in beach towels sitting on a bench, each holding an ice cream and trying to stop the drips running down their arms. It made us warm and fuzzy to see that the new management hadn’t forgotten what a trip to the beach should be about.
Open seven days a week, 7am to 10pm, and offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with ‘beachside bites’, a kids menu and ‘toddler tapas’, Shelly’s long open hours and varied food and drink options also reward those choosing to dine in for a delightfully relaxing yet delicious meal by the seaside.
Breakfast options include chilli scrambled eggs, sourdough crumpets, tiramisu French toast, cacao granola, açai bowl, avo and whipped ricotta on toast, ‘BBQ Benny’, brekky burger and a felafel breakfast bowl.
Lunch and dinner choices include several of the above breakfast options, along with salt and pepper squid, fish and chips, baked barramundi, refreshing main meal salads and several burgers – including a ‘Beach Side Burger’ with brisket patty, a chicken caesar burger and felafel burger.
A good, old fashioned bowl of chips with ketchup and mayo is also on the menu for $10.
You can also add on from a choice of sides, including various sauces, eggs, hash browns, chips, hummus, bacon, halloumi and fried chicken, or, for an afternoon or evening snack, opt for ‘Beach Side Bites’ such as arancini balls, fried chicken bites, falafel with flatbread, meatballs and pickle plate.
The kids menu and ‘toddler tapas’ – yes, you read that correctly – are so varied, delicious and fairly priced with nutritious options available all day long that we feel both relief and happiness at the same time.
The kids menu features sourdough toast with spreads, granola with fruit, berry compote and yoghurt, chicken burger and a kids lunch box with cheese toastie, fruit and “gingerbread person”, with prices from $8 to $14.
The toddler tapas, meanwhile, is priced from $10 to $11 and includes felafel with dips and flatbread, meatballs with sago and sourdough, house-crumbed fish fingers and chips and ‘mini mezze’ with veg sticks, dips, cheese, ham, fruit and almonds.
We arrived for an early dinner one balmy Sunday evening and, as a family of four featuring a carnivore, a vegetarian and two highly discerning (read: picky) eaters aged two and six, we sometimes find dining out a bit of a challenge.
(all pricing as at November 2024)
However, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves more than satisfied with the menu options, taste and serving size, the prices and the ambience.
Not only that, but the children ate EVERY SINGLE BITE. Without complaint.
We chose salt and pepper squid for the carnivore, the refreshing Shelly’s salad (rice noodles with pickled carrot and cucumber, edamame, mint and tofu puffs) for the hungry vegetarian and the toddler and six year old shared the felafel plate and house-crumbed fish fingers with chips.
Meals were a moderate size compared to some oversized pub meals but certainly big enough, delicious and refreshingly well priced – all enjoyed to an epic soundtrack reminiscent of clubbing in the early 2000s while overlooking the playground and beach beyond. We also appreciated the self-serve still and sparking water taps, found indoors at the bar.
While there’s a lovely area for indoor dining, the alfresco area is delightfully located next to the Semaphore Steam Train line (so you and the children can wave at the passengers and earn yourself a “choo choo” whistle from the driver when it’s operating) and the wonderful fenced playground, renovated in 2023, is on the other side of that. And then, of course, there is the beach.
Less busy than the nearby Semaphore jetty area, Shelly’s boasts the perfect location for a post-meal, family beachside stroll or for the kids to let off steam at the playground either before or after their meals, or possibly while waiting for food to come out (if an adult is able to come over to supervise).
There’s also a shared bike and pedestrian path running between Shelly’s and the playground, which stretches along most of coastal Adelaide. If you’re at Semaphore or Point Malcolm Reserve and feel a hankering for a beverage or bite to eat, you could take a leisurely stroll or bike ride to the Semaphore South playground and Shelly’s Semaphore.
While every tiny crumb was eaten and every plate licked clean, signalling we were all delighted with our choices, we spied parents holding glasses of wine and many visually-pleasing dishes coming out the kitchen that mean we just HAVE to come back again to try everything else. If we must.
Location:
1 Esplanade, Semaphore South. Open 7am – 10pm daily.
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Shelly’s Semaphore website or follow Shelly’s Semaphore on Facebook or Instagram.
All photos by Lisa Bachmayer for Play & Go Adelaide
As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
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