Africola has been awarded a Bib Gourmand in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide South Australia 2027, recognising Duncan Welgemoed’s African-inspired cooking and the people who bring it to life on East Terrace.

The result, announced at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Wednesday 14 October 2026, puts a global spotlight on a restaurant with a character all its own, fire in the kitchen, colour in the room and food made to be shared.

At Africola, smoke, spice and the heat of the wood-fired oven run through a menu of vegetables, grilled and smoked meats, flatbreads, pickles and ferments. There is generosity in the food and energy in the room, with the open kitchen bringing diners close to the work behind every plate.

Welgemoed’s African roots and the produce of his adopted home meet at the table. That connection gives Africola its identity, while his words ahead of the inaugural selection reveal how much this moment means to him, his rockstar team and the wider South Australian food community.

“Honestly? About time. It’s something a lot of us in South Australia have been working towards and for years the answer from the national level was ‘not yet’. South Australia had the guts to back itself and do it and I love that,” Welgemoed said.

“This state has always been a bit underestimated and now the rest of the world gets to see what we’ve been eating all along. SA food is about the producer down the road, the winemaker next door and different cultures cooking side by side.”

His pride reaches beyond his own team and restaurant. It is about the growers, winemakers and kitchens that have helped shape the state’s food culture, and what international attention could mean for the next generation of cooks.

“For decades our best young cooks have packed up and gone to London, Copenhagen or Tokyo to work somewhere that ‘counts’. Now there’s a reason to stay and a reason for talent to come here.”

WHERE: 4 East Terrace, Adelaide