Brisbane may fall short of Sydney and Melbourne when it comes to the cityโs hospitality scene, but thatโs been rapidly changing for a few years now thanks to precincts like Howard Smith Wharves and popular contemporary hotels like The Calile, Hotel X and Crystalbrook Vincent. The latest development in this regard is a new precinct called South City Square, building steadily around what has been one of Brisbaneโs most popular new restaurants, Sasso Italiano, and giving way to what may turn out to be โ a crude comparison, I know โ the ivy precinct of Brisbane.
I say that simply because The Talisman Group, the team behind Sasso Italiano, is the only other hospitality venture I can think of thatโs spearheading an entire food and drink precinct. Much like Merivaleโs ivy precinct in Sydney, The Talisman Group is opening up various restaurants and bars packed tightly into this district now known as South City Square โ a development framed by luxury apartments, a soon-to-be-opened cinema complex and a reasonably large Woolworths.
A self-contained hotbed of fashionable hospitality concepts, South City Square should give Brisbane the push it has needed for years to step up to the level of its east coast capital cousins. Given Sydneyโs obsession with precincts like Darling Square and Barangaroo, it should also be a chance for Brisbaneโs newest hospitality group to showcase the city beyond its well-noted spread of top-quality breweries and brewhouses.
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Speaking of brewhouses, thereโll be one of those too. The Talisman Group has hooked up with family-owned Aether Brewing to open a brewpub sometime next year. Another beer house in Brisbane is so common that it doesnโt really count as news anymore, but from what Iโve seen personally the renders are looking mighty impressive, and thereโll even be a cocktail lounge included in the development. Plus, Aether Brewing is one of the cityโs most reliable independent breweries.
In terms of whatโs already at South City Square. Youโve got Sasso Italiano, which Iโd say is one of the best restaurants in Brisbane right now with notable pasta, pizza and antipasti plus one of the better negronis Iโve had all year. A separate bar area to the main dining room has also just opened, playing heavily on those speakeasy vibes but offering something a bit more airy and sophisticated.
Next door is Casa Chow, an imaginative Chifa โ Chinese and Peruvian โ restaurant with a bit of a futuristic aesthetic that wouldnโt look out of place in a sci-fi film. If I was a betting man, Iโd put my money on this late-night venue being the biggest attraction of the precinct so far, with a small front courtyard ideal for downing classic cocktails and chasing them with South American-inspired cakes.
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Deeper into South City Square is South City Wine, a European-style wine bar opening onto the street with a very casual, charming interior of oil paintings, dark timber and emerald green marble table tops. Matthew Dunne and Jared Thibault have written an impressive drinks list full of natural wines, fine Champagne and traditional French cocktails alongside
Then youโve got Purple Palm, a California-styled open-air lounge opened in collaboration with 78 Degrees Distillery with a 10-foot wall of gin and cocktails on tap.
South City Square feels like a big deal for Brisbane. I was there last week for a quick preview of whatโs going down at Brisbaneโs newest precinct and it immediately felt like something the city has needed for many years now. With just one hospitality group driving the precinct, as opposed to numerous like Howard Smith Wharves โ which I love โ itโll be interesting to see how this spot, just a stoneโs throw from The Gabba, evolves over the next few years.
