The group behind popular Gold Coast eatery Gemelli Italian made the jump to the Brisbane market in late 2021, an eatery and bar on James Street in September. The Gemelli team, headed up by owners James, Alec and Paul Carney, snagged some prime real estate on James Street for the expansion, taking over the sites formerly home to Bucci and Lululemon. The Gemelli portfolio (which includes its flagship Broadbeach restaurant, Gemellini in Nobby Beach and Roy’s by Gemelli in Sorrento) is known for its rustic interior aesthetic and hearty traditional Italian cuisine. The group has replicated the warm atmosphere and tantalising seasonal menu its known for with its Brisbane flagship. Hogg & Lamb was recruited to design and craft the interior, which split into three levels – an almost-alfresco space boasting corner frontage and large open windows, and a two-tiered dining floor offering views of the marble bar (backed by a wine rack stocked with more than a hundred bottled of vino), a display fridge loaded with salumi and Gemelli’s bespoke pizza oven imported from Naples. Here the Gemelli Group is offering a menu that closely resembles Broadbeach’s lauded offering, which is broken up into antipasti, salumi, red and white pizzas, pasta, mains, sides and salads, and desserts. Highlights include figs wrapped in prosciutto di parma (that has been aged for 24 months) drizzled with gorgonzola cream, the Salina pizza (black olives, Messina black anchovies, capers and burrata mozzarella), gnocchi zucca (poasted pumpkin gnocchi with pine nuts, sage, cream and pecorino cheese), polpo alla griglia (grilled West Australian octopus), and the deep-fried Nutella calzone. Gemelli Italian’s beverage list features house special cocktails, Italian wines by the glass and bottle (expect lots of nebbiolo, barbaresco, barolos and even some Super Tuscans), and Italian beers.