The Hottest Restaurant Openings in December

Akash Arora serves up Australia’s hottest new restaurants.

SYDNEY 

Queens Hotel 

The food: Enmore’s food scene is going through the roof and now a Merivale trio – Christopher Hogarth and Patrick Friesen (of Papi Chulo) and Eric Koh (ex-Mr Wong) – are giving a dated pub a face lift with a Cantonese-inspired menu.

Drinks: An extensive cocktail list, plus 85 wines and 14 beer varieties.

The atmosphere: A boisterous two-level establishment with a number of smaller spaces within.

The location: A two-minute walk from the Enmore Theatre.

167 Enmore Road, Enmore; merivale.com.au

Gojima

The food: Chase Kojima, ex-Nobu and Sokyo executive chef, offers a modern take on Japanese cuisine at this casual, unpretentious eatery that serves a range of rice burgers and delicious sides, eat in or takeaway.

Drinks: Local and international beers (Asahi on tap), wines and thickshakes in Japanese-style flavours such as chocolate miso and green tea. 

The atmosphere: A bright, warm space with timber accents and an origami-inspired feature wall.

The location: The Star, right where Adriano Zumbo Pâtissier used to be.

Level G, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont; gojima.com

BRISBANE

One Fifty

The food: One of Brisbane’s most distinguished French restaurants, Baguette, closed earlier this year. It made way for One Fifty, a relaxed establishment offering several dining options, from tapas to three-course lunches and dinners.

Drinks: A purpose-built wine wall houses some of Australia’s and New Zealand’s best drops.

The atmosphere: Modern interiors and a relaxed vibe – the opposite of Baguette.

The location: A short walk from Eagle Farm Racecourse.

150 Racecourse Road, Ascot

MELBOURNE 

Stokehouse 

The food: After being devastated by fire in 2014, the St Kilda institution is back in the game with a striking design by architect Robert Simeoni and a seafood-driven menu by executive chef Richard Ousby and head chef Ollie Hansford.

Drinks: A curated list of 500 wines – 28 by the glass – and a range of tropical beach cocktails.

The atmosphere: With reclaimed-timber interiors and water views, the venue nails the relaxed beach vibe.

The location: On St Kilda Beach.

30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda; stokehouse.com.au

SEE ALSO: What’s on in December