Woolloongabba watering hole Canvas has had a shake-up. After snapping up the cocktail cave just a few months ago, long-time friends Dan Rodriguez and Bodie Schofield have injected their own personalities into the space, tweaking the menu, revamping the fit-out and throwing a new kitchen and chef into the mix. After returning to Brisbane following an eight-year stint working in Amsterdam, Dan joined forces with school mate and seasoned hospitality pro Bodie to snap up the coveted cocktail lounge and transform it into a summer idyll.

The idle grassy patch out the back has now been developed into a fairy-lit beer garden, with offbeat vintage furniture waiting patiently under a giant mural by local artist, Fintan Magee. Live local music will kick off the Canvas Sunday sessions at 3:00 pm every weekend, while the eagerly awaited beer taps will keep the good times rolling in the coming weeks. A new cocktail menu illustrated by the gifted Sofles is bursting with summer flavours including elderflower, cloudy apple juice and fresh mint. A new kitchen and chef are responsible for the updated dinner menu, which invites guests to share tapas plates of garlic-and-chilli-infused squid or mains like tequila quail with green grapes, sherry sauce and polenta chips.