The details
Stanton Bar is a relatively new entrant in the Australian hospitality scene, but you wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at its brand-new Brisbane location. Having only first emerged over the past year, the Stanton Food brand is wasting no time making its mark, having already opened a Sydney venue in addition to emergent Brisbane and Canberra locations. Stanton’s raison d’être is to deliver a dining experience that blurs the lines between luxe and loose, a free-wheeling take on food and drink that emphasises flavour and quality, but without an intimidating price point. Engaging and colourful interiors mesh with a menu that foregrounds casual classics, creating a take on hospitality that appeals to all. In the works for more than a year, Stanton Bar at QueensPlaza is the next step in the brand’s expansion, appearing within luxury retail spaces and aligning its aesthetics to match that standard.
The space
Stanton Bar’s eye-catching venue on level one of QueensPlaza is a rare find – a tenancy that boasts room for a bar, dining area and open-air veranda space overlooking Queen Street Mall below. The elevation places diners at the treetops, with an interior aesthetic that can best be described as a visual tapestry. Stanton Bar is zoned to accommodate a range of nooks and dining styles, catering to the whims of its varied clientele. The bar portion is designed to evoke old-school Manhattan boozers, with seating at the bar and high tables overlooking the bustle below proving ideal for sipping and snacking. A Melbourne-inspired dining area segues into a back portion reminiscent of a chic European parlour, where lounge chairs and booths rest underneath a signature House of Hackney wallpaper. Overhanging awnings at the entrance also conjure up Parisian vibes, while 90-year-old chandeliers (first hung in the Sydney Club in 1930) add further notes of grandeur. An exposed roof adds a modern edge, crafting an overall elegant-industrial vibe that feels lived in – like it’s been a long-term fixture of the inner city.
The food and drink
Stanton Bar’s food offering differs from location to location, each tailored to reflect local tastes and produce. The fare shies away from experimental and trend-based cooking, preferring to do justice to its selection of worldly classics – emphasising flavour, simplicity, inclusiveness and presentation. Stanton Bar serves a sizeable breakfast list, beginning with Bloody Marys and including buttermilk pancakes, Spanish eggs, sauteed mushroom medleys and traditional fry-ups. An ensuing all-day menu pivots to serve homemade pies featuring lovingly slow-roasted lamb shoulder and fish with creamy veloute, double-baked crab souffle with prawn bisque, smoked salmon with potato latkes, soft-boiled organic Scotch eggs, steak frites and freshly shucked oysters. When the sun dips, Stanton Bar turns up the heat with Napoli-style pizzas and a tapas menu including arancini balls, ginger-chilli sticky chicken wings and more. As for quaffing material, Stanton Bar chooses to emphasise wine, stashing a stellar list of small-batch drops curated by a master sommelier. Classic cocktails are also available, alongside two tap beers and organic, ethically sourced coffee from Stanton Food’s own roasting operation. Also of note, every Monday from 7:30–9:30 am, small coffees are sold for $2 a pop, with all proceeds going straight to Brisbane City Homeless.
Stanton Bar is now open to the public. For contact details and opening hours, check out the Stumble Guide.
