Pici Restaurant & Bar, Will Cowper’s post-OTTO venture, to open in New Farm this spring
After a decade steering the kitchen at OTTO Brisbane, chef Will Cowper is stepping into a new chapter. This spring, he’ll open Pici – an intimate Italian restaurant and bar in New Farm shaped by handmade pasta, woodfire cooking and a deep love of Queensland produce. For the acclaimed chef, the move marks a return to simplicity, connection and cooking that feels unmistakably personal.
Becoming head chef of a restaurant like OTTO Brisbane is a dream job many young chefs strive for. The Queensland outpost of Fink Group’s famous fine-diner is regarded as one of the best restaurants in the state, with the role of culinary lead a gig most chefs would love a crack at.
For the past decade, however, that job has been sewn up by one man.
Sydney-born Will Cowper has been OTTO Brisbane’s head chef since Fink Group brought it north in 2016, keeping his steady hand on the helm through relocations, floods and pandemics. While one would think a chef of Will’s calibre would be loath to relinquish his position at OTTO, the chef himself – to the surprise of many – had other ideas.
In March, Will announced his departure from the restaurant to which he’d dedicated ten years of his life. Immediately afterwards, the rumour mill began to churn about where he’d pop up next.
Will officially put all of the scuttlebutt to rest this week, revealing that this September he’ll open the doors to Pici – a brand-new restaurant and bar in New Farm. Located in the Brunswick Street site formerly home to Gerties Bar and Restaurant, the restaurant will transform the storied space into a neighbourhood eatery with Italian flavours at its core.
It’s a big move for Will, though it’s one the top-tier talent tells us he’s been considering for a while.
“I just felt like it was the right time – ten years in, I couldn’t go any further,” says Will. “I’ve done all I can at OTTO. I have really given it my heart and soul, and I think I’ve put it in a great place.
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“I could see Brisbane growing and how there’s so much opportunity. I think I’m mature enough now to go, ‘You know what? I can really give it my all’.”
Will isn’t going it alone, though. Joining him in the endeavour are his wife Gianna and New Farm locals Andrew and Andrea Solomon. In fact, it was Andrew – who also operates longtime OTTO supplier The Fish Factory – who presented Will with an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“My relationship with Andrew has been rock solid since meeting him,” says Will. “Over the years, it became easy to talk to him about everything – not just about what’s the market fish today or what’s good in the seafood world. It became more than that.
“I spoke to him many times about certain offers that people were throwing out, about how Brisbane’s growing and what the opportunities are. One day he said to me, ‘I’ve got this amazing space. It needs some love. What do you think?’”
Work will soon commence on transforming the Gertie’s site – plus the neighbouring bolthole previously occupied by Hellbound – into one venue. The Pici team has linked up with Patricia Redmond Architects and Alkot Studio to assist with the exterior restoration and interior design, respectively, with Unita overseeing the build.
Will reveals that the venue will be loosely divided into two parts – a street-facing bar space boasting room for 30 guests and a 60-seat dining room. Aesthetically, Will tells us to expect a mixture of burgundy tones, timber furnishings and marble elements, with the team looking to instill a sense of welcoming warmth across the entire venue.
“Being in this area, I really think it needs to have a neighbourhood feel and be really approachable,” explains Will. “It’s about how people feel when they sit down – they feel comfortable and that it’s meant to be.
Subscribe for updates“Obviously OTTO is really big – this is a lot smaller, it’s more intimate. I want to have that connection between guests and myself.”
Long-time fans of Will’s cooking will be thrilled to know that he’s bringing his produce-driven approach to Pici’s menu. Though Will’s eschewing the trappings of OTTO’s elevated style of hospitality, guests will still taste the same quality-above-all meticulousness.
“The food that I made [at OTTO] is me,” says Will. “[Pici] is still going to be me, but I think it will be tapered back a little bit. I still heavily believe in local produce and I still want to keep things changing regularly.”
Though the menu is still in the ideation phase, Will confirms the offering will be pasta-heavy, with five or six options on the menu – pici (thick, hand-rolled, spaghetti-like strands) will naturally be one of the steadfast signatures. A woodfire grill will lend flame to an array of ingredients, from Longreach lamb to fresh seafood. At its core, Pici’s fare will be simple in presentation, but not in flavour.
“My food’s never been overly complicated, but simple food is not easy,” says Will, with a chuckle. “Simple food is actually really, really difficult, but that’s my challenge and what I’m going to work on over the next few months.”
As for drinks, expect well-executed classic cocktails, bottled beer and a tidy list of Italian wine varietals, both imported and local. Much like the food, the beverage program will be purposefully uncomplicated, with plenty of economical options available alongside pricier gear for those that seek it.
“I keep bringing it back to approachability,” says Will. “There’s going to be an opportunity to have really great wine, but I think that the majority of the stuff will be things that people can drink and have no problem with – really nice bottles of wine that aren’t crazy expensive.”
In many ways, Pici feels like the culmination of that decade-long journey. After years spent shaping OTTO into one of Brisbane’s premier dining destinations, Will is now stepping into a venture that reflects not only his cooking philosophy, but also his personal evolution as a chef and restaurateur.
More intimate in scale and grounded in a neighbourhood ethos, Pici represents a chance for Will to channel everything he’s learned into something unmistakably his own – a prospect he says has been motivating him since the day he arrived in Brisbane.
“One of the biggest things with OTTO was that I’ve always treated it like my own,” says Will. “Being a Sydney boy, I was not known in the industry here – for me to show everyone what I could do was really important. I’ve always wanted to do something along these lines.”
Pici Restaurant & Bar is slated to open this September – stay tuned for more details in the coming months.
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