Ari Thai Kitchen & Bar
Restaurateur and chef Stanley Lee, the owner of Robina Town Centre restaurants Mad Asian and Saiko Teppanyaki, both located on the upstairs level of The Kitchens, is opening another venue in the precinct. Ari Thai Kitchen & Bar is due to open toward the end of April in the space formerly occupied by now-closed Asian eatery Noodle Bar & Bao, marking Stanley’s third venue in the dining hub. Details are being kept under wraps for now, but we’re told Ari will be dishing up traditional and innovative Thai-style eats, alongside an extensive bar offering. We’ll keep you posted on the arrival of Ari Thai Kitchen & Bar – it’s only a few short weeks away.

Nook Espresso and Stoked Wood Fire Pizza
If you’re a regular at caffeine hub Nook at Stocklands Burleigh Heads (the sibling venue to Nook at Burleigh Headland), you’d be well aware that its original digs have been closed and under construction for some time, with the crew slinging coffee from a temporary space nearby. Well, the new Nook 2.0 is just weeks away, with its brand-new space allowing for an expanded offering of acai bowls and smoothies, cold-pressed juices, toasties and salads alongside its top-notch coffees. Exciting, right? But wait, there’s more. Right next door to the new-look Nook, its owners will also be opening a woodfired pizzeria called Stoked Wood Fire Pizza, which will sling a tasty array of hand-crafted creations by day and night. Nook 2.0 will be open by mid-April, while Stoked will follow a few weeks later. As always, we’ll have all of the details for you soon!

Tamborine Mountain Distillery
After 25 years, the iconic Tamborine Mountain Distillery is relocating premises from its original home in Beacon Road to the old Eagle Thai and Eagle Heights Brewery site at the entrance to the Gallery Walk tourism precinct on MacDonnell Road (near the famous fig tree roundabout). After changing hands last year, the distillery’s new owners are looking to grow the operation and become a more significant part of the Gallery Walk precinct. The relocation sees the distillery and tasting room move over to the existing Eagle Heights brewery building, which also features restaurant areas and car parking for over 30 customers. Works are almost complete on the site, with the heritage aspects of the original building being preserved or recycled in a bid to return it to its former glory. The tasting room is almost complete (jump here for updates), while the main building, which will include a large distillery museum and increased retail space, is expected to open by the end of April.

Mercato on Byron
Locals and visitors of Byron Bay are this week welcoming the first stage of a brand-new shopping and dining precinct called Mercato on Byron, a multi-million-dollar 5 Star Green Star-rated development. The opening of the progressive new precinct will see the Shire welcome its first-ever nine-theatre Palace Cinemas and a new-look Woolworths, with around 30 boutique stores still to come. Soon to join the precinct is Italian restaurant Cicchetti, a new venue from Lennox Head dining spot Beef & Beach, another outpost for the popular Bay Sushi, a Crispy Fried Chicken outlet, as well as Brisbane’s popular Tex-Mex eatery and bar El Camino Cantina (more details on that one over here). We’ll have more details and a peek inside Mercato on Byron in the coming weeks! Stay tuned.