The Southwark Hotel is one of Adelaide’s oldest hotels and has been around for well over a century. The inside looks old and outdated and desperately in need of an upgrade. The main dining area is out at the back with a few outdoor seats adjacent to their liquor drive through. The menu is fairly basic with a small selection of your classic pub favourites.

For lunch, I had the Chicken Schnitzel Parmigiana. The meal came out after a 15 minute wait and was average in presentation. The schnitzel was a fair size and was about an inch thick. The chicken was well crumbed and fried to a nice golden brown. The Napoletana sauce had good coverage over the schnitzel and was slightly tart in flavour. The cheese topping was generous, however, it appeared they replaced the mozzarella with some cheaper variant. I didn’t the gooey stringiness that I’m used to. I also thought the cheese could have spent a bit longer browning. The salad was small and the vegetables were limp. There was a drizzle of vinaigrette dressing which I felt wasn’t enough. The chips were of a good cut but they could have been fried longer until they were crisp. The amount of salt on them was sufficient.

The staff at this place weren’t even friendly. I’ve never seen so much frowning at a place in all my life. There wasn’t much service either, although the only thing the waitress did was bring my food to the table. The atmosphere was relaxed, although most of their clientele are people who work nearby. The meal set me back $10 which is one of the cheapest around. Not the best or largest Chicken Parmigiana I’ve ever had, but what do you expect for the price.

Verdict: You get what you pay for at this place.

WHERE: 77 Port Rd, Thebarton