The doors to Italian restaurant 88 Eatery will officially open Monday 15 June, in the northeast suburb of Newton and the western suburb of Fulham Gardens. The name comes from the 88 hours the pizza dough is left to ferment so it can rise to light and crusty perfection. The pasta sauce is also lovingly cooked for eight hours.

Lead by Head Chef Cruz Hernan who began his career as a Commis Chef for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s renowned UK restaurants including The Narrow, The Warrington, Maze and Maze Grill. Most recently, Cruz was Emirates’ Executive Head Chef in Queensland, overseeing eight restaurants, bars and cafes across the airports, including upmarket foodie favourite, Brisbane River Grill.

He’s excited to be heading to Adelaide for the new role, “One of my favourite things about Adelaide is the high level of cuisine – almost anywhere you can have an amazing culinary experience,” Hernan said.

“I have a strong belief that 88 Eatery is going to be one of the leaders in the food industry in Adelaide and I am looking forward to the challenge of opening two new restaurants with such a unique and amazing concept,” he said.

Cruz described 88 Eatery as “Italian food made with love, with a huge focus on fresh and local”.

“All the ingredients are sourced from South Australia, and the low food mileage really makes a difference to the taste,” he said.

The pasta dishes are all freshly made and the special, square-shaped pizzas are a unique offering to 88 Eatery.

“As well as tasting great, and having a very distinctive look, we can offer our customers more value for money as, put simply, we can fit more pizza into a square-shaped box! As Huey Lewis said, it’s hip to be square!”

88 Eatery is proud to share the love with other SA businesses, sourcing bread from Paesano Bakery and fresh herbs and vegetables from Tony & Mark’s – both businesses that have been Adelaide institutions for decades. Even the special square pizza trays are made here in South Australia by Southern Metal Spinners and the pizza boxes are also made locally by Northern Distributors Adelaide.

88 Eatery is a new direction for the team behind the popular La Romana pizza bar at Newton, which will be reopened as 88 Eatery, alongside the funky new restaurant at Fulham Gardens.

While some businesses are still reeling from the impact of Covid-19, the decision to not just rebrand but expand the business during this time is testament to their loyal customers.

Through the expansion,88 Eatery has created a further 30 new jobs, which have plans to bring on even more staff as they continue to grow which is so important at this time.

In line with government’s recommendations, 88 Eatery will start out with a focus on take away, with pizzas, pastas, desserts, and snacks available via pick up or fast, contactless delivery.

Customers can order here.

WHERE: 145 Montacute Rd, Newton and 445-457 Tapleys Hill Rd, Fulham Gardens