In a 1960s warehouse on the sunny side of Manton Street, Hindmarsh café Pony & Cole has spent nearly a decade proving that big plates of zesty local produce are worth waking up for. In 2027, the café marks 10 years of doing exactly that.
Founded in 2017 by owner and chef Nicolle ‘Cole’ Hahn and Julie Pieda, Pony & Cole opened with a simple mission: serve the kind of brunch you can’t have at home, made with a generosity that brings you back again and again.
The awards suggest they’ve delivered. Pony & Cole took out SA’s Best Casual Dining and Best Café Dining at the 2026 Restaurant & Catering Awards, adding to Australia’s Best Breakfast Café at the 2023 Awards.
“We take hospitality very seriously even if we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says Nicolle. “Pony & Cole takes pride in over-delivering for an experience you’ll always remember. We ensure everything is made from scratch, from local producers we trust, and served generously. We want everyone to walk away with a belly full of food and a big smile on their face.”
Local and proud
The sourcing here is genuinely South Australian. Eggs come from Rohde’s free-range hens raised in paddocks around Clare. Juice is cold-pressed in Underdale by Juice Quest, using fruit and vegetables grown from the Riverland to the Adelaide Hills. Coffee is roasted nearby in Richmond by Patio. Even the quandong pie comes from Nicolle’s father.
The menu keeps things interesting with a rotating Pancake of the Month inspired by seasonal produce, alongside nods to southwestern American breakfast favourites and Nicolle’s bold takes on café classics. Think Mexican corn fritters, sweet potato rösti and their famous honey chipotle chicken burger.
The café sits at the front of 6 Manton, a collective of warehouses shared with 6 Manton Gallery, Koush Interior Design and Stone and Quoin Printmaking. Together, they run a calendar of community events and exhibitions throughout the year.
Pony & Cole also offers Certificate III apprenticeships in Commercial Cookery, a rarity among Adelaide cafés. Apprentices rotate through bread, sauces, stocks and sausage-making to build a well-rounded skill set and real confidence in the kitchen.
Four-legged friends are welcome on the verandah year-round (Nicolle and Julie’s dog Fozzie included), and there’s discounted coffee for local first responders.
The details
Pony & Cole
6 Manton St, Hindmarsh
(08) 7477 7669
Open seven days a week, excluding public holidays and the Christmas period
ponyandcole.com.au
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