Arcade Agency is set to bring its signature neighbourhood Italian vibe to Newstead with the opening of Bar Monte
Newstead, get ready – one of the Gold Coast’s most beloved restaurant is heading north. Bar Monte, the effortlessly cool Italian bar and eatery that made waves in Miami, will soon be opening its doors on Longland Street this September. Taking over the former Allonda space, the venue is currently mid-transformation, with a sleek Bar Monte makeover already underway. Here’s everything we know so far …
Arcade Agency – the powerhouse team behind Light Years, Pixie Italian, Moonlight and The Smoking Camel – is expanding its portfolio with a new sibling for its latest success story, Bar Monte. At the helm are James Sutherland and Kim Stephen, joined by Italian-born hospitality figure Lorenzo Toscani, whose vision for neighbourhood-style Italian has already struck a chord from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast, and pretty soon, Brisbane.
For Lorenzo, a Brisbane outpost was always part of the plan. “We started in Byron Bay with Pixie, then north to the Gold Coast with Bar Monte, and now Brisbane. As soon as this opportunity came along, we knew this was it – great location, it felt like the perfect fit for our brand,” Lorenzo says.
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The new fit-out, led by Studio Plenty (the design team behind many of the group’s projects), will channel the same laidback elegance as Bar Monte in Miami, but with its own personality. Instead of the Miami bar’s signature mango hue, Newstead will lean into a softer palette of brown and pale blue, setting the tone for evenings of wine, spritzes and Italian snacks that stretch late into the night.
On the menu, expect the greatest hits – the dishes and drinks that have become bestsellers at Pixie and Bar Monte’s Gold Coast outpost – tailored for a Brisbane crowd that knows and loves good food. Think neighbourhood Italian done with just the right touch of refinement, served in a setting designed for connection.
Brisbane, consider this your official heads-up – Bar Monte is coming, and with it a new neighbourhood bar that’s equal parts Italian soul and Newstead cool. We’ll bring you a closer look when they’re ready to open the doors.