Pop-up bars have been successful in reinvigorating Adelaide's CBD alleyways and are now the toast of inner city councils.

The small-venue, capped-patron capacity bars have peaked the interest of an eastern suburbs council and southern trading organisation, with hopes the CBD-only legislation will soon be changed to broaden operational areas.

New high-density residential developments have opened several opportunities for the pop-up style bars, Norwood, Payneham and St Peter’s Council Mayor Robert Bria told 891 ABC Adelaide’s drive program.

“The new planning rules that came into effect in Kent Town in November last year which provide for multi-storey residential developments in those areas, I think, provides an opportunity to activate some spaces,” Mr Bria said.

With limited hours of operation and patron capacity capped at 120, Mr Bria said the pop-up bars were a perfect fit for low-traffic, high-residential areas.

They are a trend that many local business organisations have been eyeing off since the CBD-only introduction.

The pop-up bars in Adelaide’s CBD have attracted a different style of pseudo-boutique patrons to the more traditional bars and nightclubs.

John Karran, chairman of the King William Road Traders Association, said southern inner suburbs areas were also keen to introduce the pop-up bars.

“It looks really exciting, some of the things you can achieve, but unfortunately at the moment we are just limited by the change of legislation to what the city has got for the suburbs,” Mr Karran said.

The King William Road Traders Association unsuccessfully applied for a pop-up licence in October last year but Mr Karran was hopeful legislation would soon change to allow the bars to be introduced outside of the CBD.

The small bar legislation was introduced to the South Australian Parliament November 28, 2012 as a way to encourage patrons back into lesser used laneways and areas of the city.

The Liquor Licensing amendment was passed in February 2013 and became active April 26, 2013.