24 hours Cafe de Vili or Vili’s cafe was one of the the family’ late nite supper location. And memorable one at that.
There were 2 other supper outlets that we liked. Blue and White Cafe and O’Connell Bakery, along O’Connell Street, North Adelaide.
The Falcon family moved to Australia more than 2 decades ago and had no kin folk, friends or acquaintances from our former country. We came alone. And there were nights as a young family that a sense of isolation loomed large.
Australia tends to shut down late in the evening with only restaurants and pubs being opened. The pubs were everywhere but it was no place to bring along young kids.
Though we did patronise restaurants for lunch and dinner like everyone else to mark an occasion or just to have nice food , there was still a missing piece. A place for supper, light snacks and a chinwag.
Our first supper place was the Blue and White Cafe. It was indeed a find. These forays were always on a Saturday, just past midnight, the itch to have a bite would appear.
One of the parents or the kids that will bring it up and the decision to go was always unanimous.
I have written about it in a post done in 2021 – Adelaide’s late night binge run. In this case , it started with desire to try Adelaide’s famed late night supper delight, the AB or atom bomb.
Vili’s at South Road
After finding and patronising the North Adelaide cafes, we heard about Vili’s at South Road.
I had the impression it was a truck stop. South Road was a major road for trucks. We wanted a change and one night we made our way to Vili’s. It was just past midnight. It was no truck stop.
First impression was that of a cosy tavern. It is the only lighted place in the area besides the street lamps. We were in an industrial part of town.
Once inside, it became quite evident that most of the patrons were of two main groups.
Late night shift workers coming in for a bite with their colleagues. The second were those who attended a footy game or an event and stopped for a late night snack before heading home. It certainly was more lively than North Adelaide. Though O’Connell Bakery does get busy.
For the life of me I could not explain why I had not placed Vili’s pies to the cafe of the same name. I only realised it when I saw the pies and pastries among other things. It had been some years since we settled down in Adelaide and Vili’s pies and pastries was widely available. And we enjoyed eating them.
I also recalled reading about Vili’s origin. They were picked as the official pies for the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games. What an honour for the man and the state. But the cafe itself was not known to us in the early years.
The cafe
The cafe served meals and pastries and not just pies. Even though many were there for the pies. Hot chips was also popular and the family followed the trend. We too like the pies and hot chips. Everyone in the family had a personal favourite when it came to the type of pie.
The menu was quite wide with mains such as Schnitzels, burgers, mixed grill, fish and chips, calamari to Yiros and Kransky sausage meals.
Whether it was a bite, snack or a full meal, everyone was covered. Spoilt for choice. It was also much better than some of the pub fares.
Having been to the United States so many times, the cafe felt like a cross between an American diner and our usual pub, serving meals.
Another interesting observation was how lively the crowd were despite being past midnight. It was mainly excited conversations. I suppose it was about the event they just attended or what took place at the workplace.
Could not recall ever seeing a lonely soul sitting quietly in a corner. If the customer was alone, they were there for one of the mains and schnitzels seems popular.
In comparison, the North Adelaide cafe crowd were mainly young adults and some were university students. Blue and White were mostly male customers in a group, probably after a pub crawl. As well as Taxi drivers. O’Connell bakery drew a more mixed lot. Vili’s however has wider demographics and working adults.
Vili’s Staff
The impression of their staff since the first visit stuck with me. They came across as a family. All of them without exception were happy to be there and to serve. They stood behind the counter ready to take orders. They were fast, could remember various orderes, turning around to pick and bag the pie or plate them.
Customers who were not sure what to order were waited on patiently and politely. You were given a numbered table stand for meals ordered that needed time to be cooked, such as hot chips and mains. These too were delivered quickly and with a smile. To avoid breaking the rhythm, I would hold back, look at menu board on the back wall, gather my thoughts, front up and place my orders.
The family haven’t been back since the kids grew up and I do hope that their service culture remains. I was impressed that I use to watch their uncommon work dynamics.
Vili’s origin
Born in Hungary in 1948, the late Vilmos “Vili” Misilit moved to Australia with his family in 1956 following the Hungarian Revolution.
At age 14, he left school to work at a cake shop in Burnside. He trained as a pastry cook making continental cakes. His parents were chefs so it must have been in the blood. More on Vili’s background
Sometime between 1965 and 1968 he started his own business making continental cakes and eventually bought a place at Manchester Street, Mile End which became his home and bakery.
It is now where the shop and factory are, having purchased the surrounding land over the years. The family-run business expanded by building a distribution network to supply pies and pastries, first all over Australia. And now to over 24 countries as of 2025.
Back in 1978, he went on to specialise in pies and pastries together with his wife Rosemary. Catering to the local taste buds. As I understand, the first to introduce the Hungarian Goulash pies.
His story reminded me of the Beerenberg family, yet another small Adelaide family business whose jam jars began to travel the World in various airlines. They are mentioned in this post.
Both Vili and Rosemary were awarded the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2005 for their charitable work. In 2021 when Vili passed away from a medical condition he was accorded a state funeral, and flags were flown half mast throughout the State of South Australia. The State indeed lost a son that brought glory to it.
The legacy
Vili’s pie is an Australian icon. Well known across the country. The legacy is not just the pies. It includes the work culture that has become well known and with their employment policy of hiring across the demographics including disabled individuals. It also includes numerous charities that they have supported over the years.
That little tavern like cafe began in the 1960s, continues to radiate life and light, while Adelaide sleeps. Anyone visiting the cafe for the first time would not realise that there is a factory behind the little tavern. Nor will they realise that it supplies to many countries.
And the cafe provided the occasional relief and comfort on lonely Saturday nights for my young family. One migrant family to another. And we haven’t forgotten it.