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Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival

Get the first look inside Stratton Bar & Kitchen – Newstead’s jaw-dropping arrival

Our favourite bars and restaurants are the ones that make the most out of unique spaces – the more creative the better! Stratton Bar & Kitchen – the new venue from the crew behind the perennially popular Mrs Brown's Bar & Kitchen – quietly opened to the public last week inside a pair of World War II-era hangars on Stratton Street, immediately scoring top marks on the location front. Those lucky enough to snag a seat were wowed by the roomy eatery's eye-catching industrial-inspired interior and flavour-packed menu featuring items like cacio e pepe udon noodles, cheeseburger dumplings and bolognese-and-burrata-topped pizzas, not to mention a seriously impressive cocktail list to boot. We were lucky to get the first look inside – here's what we saw ...


On paper, a pair of old World War II-era hangars make for an odd setting to build a restaurant. But when Ben and Tarryn Brown first stepped inside the set of giant, arched-roofed Quonset hut structures that abut The Triffid on Stratton Street in Newstead, they knew they’d hit pay dirt. The duo, who own and operate popular eatery and drinking spot Mrs Brown’s Bar & Kitchen (located around the corner on Commercial Road), stumbled across the site  – then home to Gas-elec Services – in December 2020, when it was still filled with office space and old electrical equipment. Even cluttered and coated in a bit of grime, the couple could see the potential in the sheds. Its vaulted curved-steel ceilings and spacious footprint, shielded from the street by an innocuous brick facade, made it one of the rarest and most unique locales on the hospitality market. Although transforming the space into a fashionable hub of cocktails and snacks would require a bit of work, for Ben and Tarryn the decision to take on the challenge was a no brainer. More than a year on and Stratton Bar & Kitchen is now open to the public, showcasing a striking internal makeover that makes the most of the building’s singular structural elements and as well as a broad culinary offering that aims to satisfy every taste.

When it came to overhauling the twin hangars, Tarryn and Ben settled on a design principle that favoured simplicity and functionality – a vibe wholly different to Mrs Brown’s warm, timber-heavy look. The ribs – that is the shaped ceilings above – remain the undoubted hero of the space, with the majority of interior works geared towards highlighting them. Stratton Bar & Kitchen is divided into three areas across two sheds – one side is home to a glass-encased sun-roofed courtyard anchored by a giant greenery-covered steel tree, while a sizeable function space is housed in the rear portion. The other side is home to Stratton’s 150-seat dining space and kitchen, a moody setting that leans into the building’s industrial and utilitarian aesthetic with a hand-welded steel entrance, dark concrete floors, charcoal-coloured walls and simple black furnishings. Pops of colour are added via sea-green banquettes, an eight-metre-long stained-hardwood table (made from repurposed timber from the office), and uplights that throw colour along the curved ceiling and around the edge of the exposed brick at the entryway. A central bar at the heart of the venue services both halves, equipped with 12 beer taps and a lengthy bottle-loaded back bar. A roof was erected above both hangars and tin was removed from portions of the curved canopy to let in more natural light – particularly over the courtyard and bar area.

Chef Andrew Toms has stepped away from Mrs Brown’s kitchen to head up the culinary contingent at Stratton, creating a menu that champions an inclusive, experimental and cuisine-hopping approach to share-style dining. Stratton’s menu starts with dips, charcuterie and cheese boards, as well as small plates like beef rendang dumplings, Korean pork pull-apart buns served with kaffir lime butter sauce, chicken karaage milk buns with Japanese tartare and lettuce, vegan-friendly chickpea nuggets and sweet-and-sour broccoli – the salivation-worthy sibling to Mrs Brown’s famed Korean fried cauliflower. From there the portions grow with noodles dishes like cacio e pepe udon noodles and buckwheat soba noodles doused in sesame and peanut butter sauce, as well as a range of pizzas (think bolognese burrata, prawn and bacon, and mushroom ragout-topped varieties) made in Stratton’s own woodfired oven. Large-format dishes like salmon, turmeric and coconut curry, beef short ribs in black-bean sauce, and roast duck breast in citrus sauce serve as main-event dishes, which are best flanked by sides like dry-fried green beans, miso corn, Japanese coleslaw and potato skins dusted with porcini salt and manchego. Whereas Mrs Brown’s Bar & Kitchen’s beverage program is anchored by a robust selection of beer and wine, Stratton’s menu of sips skews more towards a cocktail-led offering. The bar itself has been built with shaking, stirring and swizzling in mind, with service wells dotted all the way around. The cocktail menu is divided by flavour profile, with 35 signature concoctions divided amongst sections labelled ‘Oaked & Smoked’, ‘Sour Puss’, ‘Stirred Elegance’, ‘Fruity & Punchy’, and ‘Caffeine Hit’.  The 70-strong wine list is similarly segmented, with guests able to succinctly find a sip to suit their mood across categories dedicated to bubbles, bright whites, new-wave selections, fruity and complex drops, and old-school classic reds. Stratton’s drinks list also includes a section dedicated to booze-free beverages including Heaps Normal’s XPA, Giesen’s zero-percent sauvignon blanc and craft sodas from Etch Sparkling.

Stratton Bar & Kitchen is now open to the public. For operating hours and contact details, trek on over to the Stumble Guide.

The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.



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