Tunki Ceviche & Woodfire Grill — Restaurant in Adelaide

Hola Tunki Crew, Trev and Marion here.

Holy Freakin’ Harry we came to you guys for the first time last night and you’ve secured yourselves as Def Faves hereon from the both of us.

Given we live at Henley, we’ve always been reasonably fixed on staying local. But seeing you guys repeatedly on my social media always left my taste buds watering. Our only issue was if you folk would be able to cater to my Beloved Marion’s numerous food allergies and intolerances together with histamine issues etc., it can be not just problematic in Marion’s case, it can in fact be deadly and accordingly so we always carry adrenaline. I’m an ex paramedic, so I’m very much in tune with any adverse reactions that Marion may present with.

So we’re always very wary and rightfully so, as I’ve lost count of the venues that suggest that Marion’s issues pose no problem, but she then gets given either bland poor excuses of dishes, or they just overlook some of the ingredients Marion has to stay away from and she is then left badly compromised.

Last night Friday even at 6pm it was wet and cold, again this is problematic for Marion, as she has Mastocytosis and in her case it manifests as a true allergy to cold, which if exposed for too long necessitates the use of adrenaline and the need for Ambulance. So we had contemplated cancelling and forgoing the deposit paid, but we were keen and we decided to honour our booking commitment to you folk.

I have to admit, first impressions weren’t great as we were seated next to a really noisy family group complete with loud and boisterous kids doing what loud and boisterous kids do lol.

Thankfully 20 mins later their party dissolved and they moved on. It was then we had time to take stock of the general ambience that we were ensconced within and it was impressive. Then we began meeting your wait staff and each and every one of them were also really impressive.

Your Head Chef Ash came to the table and discussed the available options that were safe for Marion and how he could present others to make them safe. This was huge in itself and went a long way in comforting Marion in that she felt heard and we believed Marion’s experience at Tunki wouldn’t be compromised by her allergies and intolerances.

In short Ash delivered in spades, and you guys should all stand proud on what you delivered on the night. It was remarkable, enjoyable, tantalisingly different and exquisite. It made for a perfect night. My dishes that were served were equally exquisite.

As Arnie says …. We’ll be back.

Warm...

Food lovely. Food delivery to our table memorably disappointing.

Went for our anniversary. Great table. Food lovely. Had the 'Spoil Me' option which is $120 per person not including drinks. Should be renamed 'Push Me' instead. Courses were delivered in a rush like they wanted us to eat and leave asap. If I want to gobble my food I'll go to a cheap smorgasboard thanks. It also felt like they wanted us to catch up with a nearby table having this same option to avoid extra work for the kitchen. What was supposed to be relaxing left me eating one course with 3 others brought out in succession and cooling on the packed table. I politely asked them to stop as food was being brought out far too fast. Two courses came with a verbal description, the others not. My request didn't seem to go down well. Only pleasant staff was a tall fellow with a beard. Sadly he only brought the very first course but at least had the grace to describe it for us and was 'in the moment' and 'there' when at our table rather than his mind being elsewhere. The main course was brought by an older fellow who basically dropped the plates roughly on our table while looking at the next table and walked off without a word. Not happy. Our steak was not rare to medium rare as we requested but on the medium side but was fortunately a good cut and tasty. Both desserts were warmer than room temperature when supposed to be cold. I had Creme Brulee but it was at more than room temperature all the way through to the bottom. The cream and berries on the plate were also warm which was concerning. We were polite and pleasant but sadly I can't say that all the staff were the same. Is it because we were only 2 people and not a big table?

This place could be great if there was communication between waiting staff and the kitchen and they committed to making the special dining option an 'experience' because I didn't feel spoilt. I gave it 3 stars because of the service and food delivery but reduced it to 2 stars because of the dessert. Usually I tip, but...

We visited on 3/8/25 and Wow…this place is certainly a hidden gem!

The set up and ambience is just gorgeous; and the river view just tops it off.

Every single person who waited on our table was incredibly friendly and lovely - we had great chats with them all. I think this is an important factor when dining out; it’s great to see people who are passionate, smiling, and truly enjoy their work…it makes you appreciate the experience even more.

We decided to do a ‘DIY degustation’ and order dishes from each section to share between 4 of us.

The food is just…next level; amazing. Every single detail is meticulously taken into consideration and each dish is crafted beautifully - they have both the flavours and aesthetics down pat.

Every piece of seafood/sashimi/ceviche was fresh and delicious. The steak was melt in your mouth, and the other meats cooked to perfection. The flavours in every single dish were incredible, inspired and, as my mum said, ‘actually burst in your mouth’. There was even fresh wasabi from Japan - oh so good! The desserts were fantastic and very tasty - the Miso & Coconut Chawanmushi had a very unique and delicious flavour combination (definitely try it!). And to top it off, there was even a happy birthday message for my sister written in chocolate on her plate, and a cute little candle, which was very sweet and thoughtful of the them!

There was only one piece of feedback we had, which the staff / chefs were more than happy to take on board. Their response was just fantastic and shows that they actually care about their customers and their thoughts/experience - a hugely important strength for a business.

I would hands down recommend this place as one of the best restaurants in Adelaide (I personally think it would be up there with many of the top/highly regarded places in Australia). This is a 10/10, 5 star establishment and our group look forward to returning. We will definitely be letting others know about this place too, as it’s just too good not to share!

Thank you...