Leonard’s Bar & Bistro
Brisbane City’s dining scene welcomed a new operator in March 2021, when Leonard’s Bar & Bistro opened to the public. Taking over the famed red-brick building formerly occupied by acclaimed restaurant Urbane, Leonard’s takes cues from the bistro scene of New York and Paris for its culinary and stylistic direction. Owned and operated by Allara Learning hospitality group, Leonard’s kitchen is helmed by Enda Gaffey (ex-Jellyfish, Libertine, London Fields), who is taking a broad Mediterranean-inspired approach to the menu, which consists of star dishes like skirt steak and hand cut fries with salbrixada, smoked ocean trout, shaved fennel and horse radish crème fraiche, country-style pork terrine, and olive oil cake with lemon curd and meringues – not to mention all-day deli-style items including toasted sandwiches, baguettes, and paninis. The site’s general manager, former global award-winning mixologist Marco Nunes, has crafted a beverage list that encompasses old and new-world wines, tantalising cocktails, light aperitifs and rare spirits. Both the Urbane and The Euro spaces have been given a significant makeover, with a sizeable refurbishment process resulting in Leonard’s refined old-world burgundy and gold aesthetic.