After capturing the hearts and taste buds of the Gold Coast, Miami-born Bar Monte has brought its signature Italian-inspired flair to Newstead. Boasting a charismatic mix of retro Italian style, bold flavours and effortless charm, this vibey newcomer is looking to prove that fun, flavour and a touch of funk make for a winning recipe.
For most of its existence, Arcade Agency has eschewed the big smoke in favour of the coast. The lifestyle and hospitality group’s portfolio – which includes eateries like Light Years, Moonlight, The Smoking Camel and Pixie Italian – is spread predominantly along Australia’s east coast, with dining destinations found in beachside locales such as Byron Bay, Burleigh Heads and Noosa.
But, according to Arcade Agency’s Lorenzo Toscani, that was never going to be the case forever.
“I was born and raised in Rome and I lived in Melbourne for 12 years, so I am a city guy,” Lorenzo says, with a chuckle. “I can’t hang around for too long in little towns, you know.”
Lorenzo, who linked up with the Arcade Agency founders James Sutherland and Kim Stephen to open Pixie Italian in 2022, is spearheading the group’s latest ambitious move – a Brisbane-based expansion of its contemporary Italian restaurant Bar Monte.
Our Gold Coast readers might be familiar with the Bar Monte name – the Arcade crew launched the concept in late 2024, transforming a former Domino’s pizzeria site just off the Gold Coast Highway in Miami into a happening haunt that playfully blurs the line between casual neighbourhood trattoria and travel-worthy dining destination.
As Bar Monte’s coastal debut was taking shape, the group was also in Brisbane, scoping out viable vacancies for its first local foothold.
“I think Brisbane was the target even before we came up with the Gold Coast,” says Lorenzo. “We had started looking for [locations] – when the opportunity in Brisbane finally came up, it was two weeks after we opened Bar Monte in Miami.”
That opportunity turned out to be a prime piece of real estate in Newstead – the former Allonda site, ideally situated near Gasworks Plaza and already fitted with restaurant-ready bones.
“We really loved the space – it had a lot of potential,” says Lorenzo. “It felt a bit clinical, so the main goal was to warm the place up and make it feel a little bit cosier.”
Studio Plenty has spearheaded Bar Monte’s retro-tinged interior aesthetic | Credit: James Frostick
The Arcade Agency team has once again partnered with Will Rathgeber of Studio Plenty to apply a refreshed interior scheme across the 100-seat venue. Drawing inspiration from post-war Italian cafe aesthetics and the geometric forms of Italian Rationalism, Will has instilled a striking interior scheme that is underscored by a comfortable and convivial spirit.
Bar Monte utilises a material palette of spotted gum, rippled glass, terrazzo and high-gloss ceramic tiles to offset the site’s sturdy concrete columns and the pre-existing textural acoustic-spray on the walls. These elements are contoured by a colour scheme composed of reddish violet and pops of baby blue, which gives the space a slightly retro visual identity.
Guests can sit at the bar, at a number of two-seaters (either inside or in the laneway) or get cosy in one of the upholstered banquettes boasting geometric detailing. Sculptural wool pendants are suspended above the dining space, bathing the room in a warm glow, while strip lighting illuminates wine bottles on the shelves above eye level. A semi-private dining space sits near the kitchen, while the mezzanine level will be activated in the future.
Bar Monte’s mortadella bun with pickled green chilli and limoncello aioli | Credit: James Frostick
For those unacquainted with Bar Monte’s take on Italian cuisine, expect an amalgam of traditional and contemporary. Lorenzo describes the venue’s menu as a hybrid – one that meshes the best bites from its Miami location and Pixie Italian further south.
“The menu at Bar Monte Newstead is a mix of the best sellers of Bar Monte Miami and Pixie Italian – items that have proven to be loved by our customers,” Lorenzo explains.
While everything on the menu may be familiar on paper, the kitchen team has gone to great lengths to sprinkle tasty surprises across the offering.
“We do some fancy things, like the yellowfin tuna with the pineapple, for example, which is not really Italian,” says Lorenzo. “For the mortadella bun we make the aioli with limoncello from Tommy’s Booze from Melbourne.”
Other stand-out options include snacks and small plates like salt-and-vinegar artichoke fritti with dill tartare, Ortiz anchovy toast with smoked-tomato butter and burrata with spicy ‘nduja and cashew pesto. These are followed by a clutch of pasta dishes, such as silky spaghetti cacio e pepe, mezze maniche with pork sausage and Tuscan kale, and hearty pappardelle bolognese wagyu ragu with fried sage.
As for mains, guests can go big with crispy golden veal cotoletta with brown-butter sauce and fried capers, barbequed diavola chicken, and a hulking dry-aged bistecca with porcini rub, and onion and bone-marrow butter.
On the vino front, top sommelier and wine consultant Andrea Martinisi (who is ranked the eighth best sommelier in the world according to the Association of Sommeliers International) has created a 100-strong list that covers a lot of ground between Italy, France and Australia – including a full page of chardonnay and pinot noir, plus some natural drops that Lorenzo describes as ‘funkier’.
Cocktails are also a key focus, with a selection of savoury-led inventive concoctions on deck, including a caprese-inspired martini and a celery-infused margarita. A hand-cranked ice shaver on the bar is utilised for the venue’s signature mango mai tai.
While all of the above positions Bar Monte Newstead as a must-try nosh spot, ask Lorenzo and he’ll tell you that it’s the intangibles that really make Bar Monte a special place to dine.
“Our main goal is always to create a vibe – we don’t have fun ourselves if we do not create the right vibe, if we don’t set the bar and have certain standards,” says Lorenzo, pointing to Bar Monte’s 80s-inspired soundtrack, upbeat ambience and gregarious service style.
“The vision behind the brand was to build something that connected to both the Italian way of doing hospitality and also a little bit of a Melburnian way. So, it’s the Italian love for hospitality and the Melbournian love for food service – and customer service in general – that we’re trying to bring together in a cool setting that’s not too pretentious.”
Bar Monte is now open to the public – head to The Directory for booking info, menu details and opening hours.
Dining and Cooking