Anyday makes its Brisbane City debut with vibrant Middle Eastern restaurant and bar, Golden Avenue
The swirl of smoke. A rhythmic pulse. The undeniable aroma of Middle Eastern spices drifting through the air. As you step off Edward Street into the lush, skylit oasis that is Golden Avenue, you feel a surge of energy entirely new to Brisbane City’s dining scene. Anyday’s first CBD-based restaurant doesn’t just meet expectations – it ignites them.
When Anyday co-owner and culinary director Ben Williamson said goodbye to Middle Eastern cuisine in 2018, he didn’t expect to return to it. After living and working in the Middle East, and spending six years as head chef of Gerard’s Bistro, he felt like it was time to move on – for good. That changed when the chance to shape a new concept for Brisbane City came along.
In February 2022, Ben and Anyday co-owner Tyron Simon were invited to discuss a soon-to-be-vacant site at 67 Edward Street. During that meeting, the question was put to them – why hadn’t Anyday opened in The City?
“I told him I love The City,” Ty reflects, “When Folio Books was here, I’d grab a coffee and sit staring at the Coal Board Building thinking, ‘this is the most beautiful building in Brisbane’. But the way people dine, I didn’t think one venue alone could shift consumer habits – if we’re going to open in The City, it had to be a precinct”.
As luck would have it, the owners of 67 Edward Street are also part-owners of the neighbouring Coal Board Building – the iconic heritage-listed masonry warehouse positioned on the corner of Edward and Mary Street. “I looked at Ben,” Ty remembers, “and I said, ‘that’s my favourite building in Brisbane. If that’s on the table, let’s keep these discussions flowing’”.
On the table it was. Now, with a precinct of restaurants to establish (expect news of what else is coming in the next few months), the group needed to decide what the concepts would look like. “I love Middle Eastern food, as Ben will tell you, I loved his Middle Eastern food specifically. He was reluctant at the beginning,” Ty throws a cheeky look at Ben, “and now you’ve embraced it”.
“When I left Gerard’s, I said to myself, ‘I’m never going to go back to this’,” Ben recalls. “I’d done my time with [Middle Eastern food], and it felt like it was time to move on. I didn’t want to be pigeonholed as a Middle Eastern chef forever”. But as the first venue for the Edward Street precinct took shape, so too did the pull of Middle Eastern flavours – slowly drawing Ben back to the cuisine he thought he’d left behind.
“Enough time has passed for me to miss it,” Ben admits. “I still hear encouragement from people I meet that loved my past work. I’ve given in to demand and nostalgia. I also feel like there’s a market for this in The City. It’s a fun and vibrant cuisine, which makes it perfectly suited to be our first offering to the CBD.”
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Three and a half years after that fortuitous meeting, Golden Avenue is ready to make its grand entrance into the Brisbane City dining scene. Due to open on Tuesday August 26, it marks the seventh opening for Anyday, renowned for lauded venues Agnes, sAme sAme, hôntô, Biànca, LOS bar and, most recently, Idle. “[Golden Avenue] brings a new cuisine to the group while staying true to the Anyday experience – warm, vibrant, welcoming and built around the joy of hospitality,” says Ty.
When you first encounter Golden Avenue, it’s easy to see why it was three and a half years in the making. The newly built brutalist structure, designed by Jared Webb of J.AR OFFICE, stands in striking contrast to its heritage neighbours and high rises towering above it, hinting at the energy that awaits inside.
“The brief to Jared was Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but make it in your handwriting,” says Ty, “and I think he’s really nailed it”. Nailed it he certainly has – Golden Avenue is a breathtaking oasis in the centre of The City. Natural light spills through skylights and retractable roofs, bouncing off textured tiles, snaking palm trees and the pink warmth of juparana granite, which soften the fennel-hued concrete structure and stainless steel finishes.
Tiered seating threads throughout the expansive space, offering quiet corners and raucous shared-dining spaces, all tucked amid airy gardens that nod to the timeless calm of a Moroccan riad. The eclectic sounds of Habibi Funk bring vibrant rhythm to the serene setting, creating an atmosphere that Ben describes as “almost like an indoor street party”. Golden Avenue is set to deliver a dining experience that is lively, inviting and unapologetically joyous.
The energy of Golden Avenue, of course, isn’t just in its architecture or soundtrack. It radiates from the kitchen, with the hiss of pans, curling woodfire smoke and the aroma of Middle Eastern spices pulsing through the voluminous space. Joining Ben in Golden Avenue’s culinary direction is executive chef Adam Wolfers, formerly of Gerard’s also, whose Middle Eastern expertise brings exceptional depth and leadership, alongside head chef Tim Yates, who comes fresh from London’s ‘wood-hued’ Scully.
While the assemblage of Ben, Adam and Tim might evoke thoughts of fine dining, Golden Avenue will instead mirror the essence of Middle Eastern feasting – vibrant, casual, generous and approachable. “My favourite dining is where the table is covered with food and you eat your way out,” says Ty. “And I think that’s what we’ve done here. Roll up the sleeves, undo a button and let’s go”.
The team has crafted a menu that celebrates the rich flavours of the Levant region, but Ben assures us it won’t be a replica of his past work. “What we’re serving [at Golden Avenue] is cleaner, more considered, more approachable and relaxed,” he says. “With Lebanese cuisine, there’s a deft touch of the seasoning – you know, lemon juice, salt, a little bit of sumac, and that’s about it. There’s not too much spice, not too much heat. That’s what you’re going to see here”.
With this in mind, perfection isn’t measured in grand gestures at Golden Avenue, but in the humblest of details – the smoothness of the hummus, the crunch of the falafel, the balance of garlic in the toum. “The hummus took a month. The falafel, six weeks,” recalls Ben. “When you’re doing simple things, they have to be perfect. It just needs to be an exercise in restraint, with perfection in the seasoning and the produce.”
Another hint at this pursuit of perfection is the approach the Golden Avenue team has taken to perhaps the most humble of foods – bread. The house pita, for example, while classic in presentation, is cooked in a specially designed oven. “It’s a gas oven,” explains Ben, “with two jets on each side and a domed roof. Usually, in a woodfired oven, the pita needs to be turned – it doesn’t raise evenly. With this oven, you get an even lift and they cook really quickly. The idea is that it will be going from dough, to cooked, to straight to your table within minutes. So you’re really getting the freshest pita that’s possible, which makes all the difference.”
As you make your way beyond the meticulously prepared bread and dips, the menu takes you on a vibrant and aromatic journey through Levantine cuisine. Kibbeh nayyeh with urfa chilli and sheep curd, fish borek and moreish buttermilk-brined fried quail lead the cold and hot mezze selection, followed by an array of vibrant garden medleys – think salted Lebanese cucumbers and Golden Avenue’s take on tabouli.
From the oven, you’ll find the likes of Spring Bay clay-pot mussels, wood-baked whole flounder with za’atar and mechoui lamb shoulder with fermented daikon ajvar. Off the woodfired Turkish grills, expect Mooloolaba tiger prawns with ghormeh sabzi and black lime, swordfish shish with hawaij spice, and wagyu bavette with Turkish peppers and blistered tomato.
A true Middle Eastern feast isn’t complete without a sweet finisher. Be sure to leave room for the chocolate mousse with Turkish coffee ice-cream, cocoa nibs and smoked sea salt, a refreshing Lebanese mochi with frozen-yoghurt parfait and Iranian pistachios, or Golden Avenue’s luqaimat – Lebanese doughnuts with saffron anglaise.
When it comes to wines, the Golden Avenue team has curated a tight 150-bottle list, which, Ty explains, really prioritises value. “It wouldn’t have made sense to have this exorbitantly big and expensive list to match a dining experience that’s light-hearted and fun,” he says. “We really wanted to make sure you can come in here without spending lots of money on wine. We’ve really tried to give people incredible value.”
For the cocktail selection, Anyday group bar creative manager Cody Kings has crafted a list that pays homage to the predominant flavours of the Levant region. Tastes of mint, saffron, rose, pomegranate and aleppo pepper will ignite your senses, offering a spirited nod to the cuisine while staying true to Anyday’s trademark simplicity and charm.
Thankfully, the night doesn’t have to end with dinner. Adjacent to the restaurant you’ll find GA, Golden Avenue’s sibling bar. Accessible through the restaurant or via its own entrance, GA boasts a back bar stocked with more than 130 bottles across a variety of spirits, plus a dedicated snack menu served until late every night of the week.
Golden Avenue officially opens on Tuesday August 26, with reservations now available. For opening hours and contact details, head to The Directory.