Sydney icon NOMAD is making its Queensland debut on James Street
One of Brisbane’s most storied restaurant spaces is changing hands. Later this year, the former Gerard’s site will reopen as NOMAD Brisbane – the first Queensland venue from hospitality heavy hitter, edition Group. Expect woodfired flavours, top-tier Queensland produce and a curated beverage program. Here’s what we know …
When Fortitude Valley institution Gerard’s closed after an incredible 14 years of operation, the rumour mill immediately kicked into overdrive. Foodies quickly started hypothesising about what would replace it, with the prevailing scuttlebutt hinting that a big name had been secured to occupy the storied space.
Well, it seems like the rumour was correct. edition Group – the hospitality powerhouse behind NOMAD, Reine & La Rue and Privé – has announced that it will be making its first foray into the Queensland market, bringing the NOMAD brand to James Street later this year.
First opened in Sydney in 2013 and expanded to Melbourne in 2021, NOMAD is famed for its produce-driven approach to cooking, employing flame and smoke across a menu influenced by the flavours of Spain, Morocco and the Middle East.
Though the group had flirted with the idea of a northward expansion in the past, it was only when the Gerard’s space became available that the crew decided to pull the trigger on the move.
“The space was something I couldn’t say no to,” reveals edition Group founder Rebecca Yazbek. “A place with that sort of history and legacy on James Street … you have to make the timing work.”
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Though an established name on the Australian culinary scene, edition Group isn’t simply copy-pasting the venue up here in Brisbane. According to Rebecca, NOMAD Brisbane will look to make an enduring mark by reflecting the city in which it resides.
“NOMAD Melbourne is the most Melbourne restaurant that you can have – it’s the Melbourne restaurant in your mind’s eye,” Rebecca explains. “That’s how I think about the Brisbane NOMAD, as the quintessential Brisbane restaurant. Now, that means different things to different people, but I guess this is my version of what that looks like.”
edition Group has enlisted Jarod Webb of J.AR Office (the team responsible for Gerard’s 2023 redesign) to peel back and reshape the interiors once more. The venue’s eye-catching rammed-earth walls will be retained, while an open floor plan will improve lines of sight to showcase as much of the restaurant as possible.
Subscribe for updates“It’s that old phrase ‘form follows function,'” says Rebecca of the design brief. “We have tried to strip the site back as much as possible to give it volume and to speak to the actual integrity of the built environment – everything’s quite exposed and there’s nothing there that’s superfluous to the needs of the room.”
As for NOMAD Brisbane’s menu, the team has confirmed that edition Group culinary director Michael Greenlaw will be overseeing the culinary output alongside NOMAD Melbourne head chef Jeremy Swann. Full details of the menu are yet to be revealed, though the crew has confirmed that Queensland produce (especially seafood) will be key to the offering, with the menu built around lighter dishes and big flavours. That said, Rebecca hints that a few of NOMAD’s signatures will be making their way north.
“The woodfired spatchcock that we’ve built over 14 years will be a feature, with guindilla peppers and the spiciest, delicious toum,” says Rebecca. “And then we’ve done our ice-cream sandwich, which has been on the menu since day one. We’ll do an iteration of that with flavours that are representative in Queensland.”
Veteran NOMAD Melbourne team member Robbie Pyke-Marcou is relocating to Brisbane to take up the role of venue manager, while group bar manager Felix Woods and group sommelier Steve Senturk will team up to shape the beverage program. NOMAD’s wine list will favour domestic drops, with an all-Australian selection for its lengthy by-the-glass list.
At the end of the day, Rebecca says NOMAD Brisbane will be less about transplanting an established concept and more about creating a restaurant that feels intrinsically connected to its new home, drawing on the city’s creative energy and local talent while still retaining the character that has made NOMAD such an enduring part of the Australian dining landscape.
“I think when you enter [NOMAD], it feels like you were coming somewhere really fun and really vibey, but also sort of coming home,” says Rebecca. “We’ve always celebrated local designers, local produce and local potters. We’re just creating a space where all of that can be celebrated at once.
“Brisbane’s just such an exciting market – there’s so much happening in the food space up there and to be a part of it’s very, very thrilling.”
NOMAD Brisbane’s official opening date will be announced in the coming months, but locals can register their interest and join the booking waitlist via the restaurant’s website. Stay tuned for updates.
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