Main Beach icon Shuck Restaurant is set to close as Bar Ricci prepares to take the stage
After more than two decades on Tedder Avenue, Main Beach is preparing to say goodbye to one of its most enduring dining institutions. Shuck Restaurant, a fixture of the Gold Coast dining scene for 23 years, will serve its final guests on Sunday August 31. The restaurant has been the backdrop for countless celebrations, visiting celebrities and award-winning plates, leaving behind a rich legacy for locals and holidaymakers. While goodbyes are never easy, we’ve got the low-down on Bar Ricci, which is set to take over the iconic site. Here’s everything we know so far …
When one chapter closes, another begins. From early September, Carlo DeLuise is set to take over the prized Main Beach space to create Bar Ricci, a premium Italian restaurant set to bring new energy to the strip in time for summer. Carlo is a long-time Gold Coast resident and Shuck regular. So when the current owners Scott and Anna Budgen signalled it was time to step away, he knew the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Carlo has pulled together an impressive line-up for Bar Ricci, enlisting Max Mason, who has extensive hospitality experience opening restaurants and boutique hotels in Australia and the UK, to manage operations and securing the former head chef of Melbourne’s acclaimed Bar Carolina to shape the menu and lead the kitchen.
Bar Ricci promises a menu steeped in Italian tradition, shaped with premium ingredients and a coastal lean. Think handmade pastas, pillowy gnocchi and a wide spread of Italian-inspired meat, seafood and vegetable dishes. Celebrating its coastal heritage, diners can expect a menu rich with seafood highlights.
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The venue will seat 170 across its dining room and terrace, with a dedicated wine bar next door. The fit-out, we’re told, will set a new benchmark for dining design on the Gold Coast, though the team behind the project remains under wraps for now.
The timing of Bar Ricci’s arrival could not be more fitting. Main Beach is undergoing a significant rejuvenation, with the upcoming six-star Ritz-Carlton and a $500 million Marina Mirage redevelopment set to transform the area. Bar Ricci is poised to deliver a dining experience that feels both indulgent and unmistakably at home on the Gold Coast.
As for Shuck’s owners Scott and Anna Budgen, well, they’re planning to enjoy a well-earned rest. “We’ll put our feet up for a month or so,” Anna laughs. “Potentially down the track we might open a Shuck baby, if the right position comes along, but we’re in no hurry.”
Shuck’s last day of trade is Sunday August 31. Bar Ricci is targeting a November opening, we’ll bring you all of the delicious details as they come to light.