They say it’s hard to pick a favourite child, but Shadow Baking co-owner Tom Mitchell has no problem declaring Australia’s fourth Shadow Baking store, in North Adelaide’s new Eighty Eight O’Connell development, “definitely the prettiest” of his stable.
Mitchell opened the bakery in 2023 in Sydney alongside fellow Messina chefs Florian Fritsch and Remi Talbot. Shadow Baking expanded to SA in April 2025 with a store in Glenelg.
The fit-outs of both the new North Adelaide outpost and its neighbouring Messina store come courtesy of Vie Studios. “We took inspiration from The Grand Budapest Hotel, so there are lots of wooden details, lots of curves, and really nice lighting; it’s a really beautiful shop,” says Mitchell. Expect dark wood, opulent marble and plenty of whimsical, wavy lines.
Perhaps most excitingly, Shadow Baking is now offering a full breakfast spread, which is available as a dine-in option with 25 seats across the venue.
While there’s nothing wrong with a sweet breakfast pastry, the new breakfast dishes are savoury and substantial. Mitchell’s favourite is the sausage curry, which is a base of mashed potatoes, vibrant green peas and curry sauce topped with a crisp Scotch egg and served with a hot honey focaccia for swiping up the sauce. As with many of the best brekkie menus, eggs are a strong through line. There are sausage-and-egg breakfast buns (move over Maccas), and chorizo and eggs served with whipped labneh, pickles and house-made focaccia. The flaky croissant dough pie, filled with rich braised beef bourguignon and topped with a poached egg and rich hollandaise sauce, is another show stopper.
North Adelaide’s Shadow Baking and Messina were purpose-built as a pair. Beyond the shared visual identity, there’s some crossover on the Messina menu. For example, warm brioche buns from Shadow Baking are split and stuffed with scoops of gelato, making North Adelaide the only Messina offering the choice of cup, cone or fresh brioche.
Shadow Baking
88 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide
Hours:
Daily 7am–2pm