Bourbon Street
Last week we spilled the beans on two new pre-Christmas openings at South Bank, and we have another to whisper about! The creative crew behind French Martini will be opening Bourbon Street in the coming weeks, a Louisiana Creole-style restaurant and bar. The Grey Street eatery will feature Southern American classics, and boast New Orleans street art and a porch-style deck jutting out from the bar.

Los Villanos
The dining landscape at The Barracks on Petrie Terrace is about to experience some changes. Wine bar and charcuterie, Cabiria, is closing its doors in anticipation of a transformation into Los Villanos, a Mexican cantina and tequila bar. We’ve received word from owner Jamie Webb that Los Villanos will stock the biggest range of tequila in Brisbane, and will serve the best margaritas in town. The eatery is set to open in the new year, and is sure to be an injection of new life into the Petrie Terrace and Caxton Street dining precinct.

Sonny’s House of Blues
As well as Los Villanos, Jamie Webb, who also owns Peasant, Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall and Gordita, is getting set to open a brand-new venue in the heart of Brisbane City next week. Sonny’s House of Blues will be a live-music bar, named after American blues musician and entrepreneur, Sonny Terry. The venue will serve US diner food and a healthy selection of drinks, as well as host regular live-music performances from local musicians. Sonny’s will be open seven nights and will serve lunch from Monday to Friday.

Smoked Paprika
Sleepy Brisbane locals are in for a treat this summer as an all-day breakfast cafe is set to open its doors in Bardon. Smoked Paprika will specialise in breakfast and brunch, offering dishes such as the namesake medley of spiced beef on Turkish bread with poached eggs, hollandaise, rocket, roasted tomatoes and grilled haloumi, and simple Middle Eastern fruit and fig toast slathered with butter and macadamia mascarpone.

Piefection
Any kitchen that can pull a batch of chilli caramel pork belly or Jack Daniel’s barbecue pork-rib pies out of the oven has certainly earned our tick of approval. Master pie-maker Matt Roman has gained a cult following for his inventive pastry creations at his Mount Gravatt Piefection store, and now he’s set to spread the love further afield with the imminent opening of a second shop and commercial kitchen, Piefection Coorparoo.

The Weekend Edition: Gold Coast
We started this rumour and now the time has come to confirm it! The Weekend Edition: Gold Coast launches this Thursday December 11 at 11:00 am, uncovering the coast from Coomera to Coolangatta across the categories of food and drink, events, fashion, surf, design, culture and people. To sign up for your weekly dose, head to The Weekend Edition’s subscribe page.

If you have heard something that is worth mentioning in The Weekend Edition’s Pavement Whispers, email [email protected] 

Image via Host the Toast.