The former Gerard’s Bistro site at 15 James Street, Fortitude Valley is about to get a new lease on life. Edition Group has confirmed that the space will reopen as NOMAD Brisbane, the hospitality company’s inaugural Queensland location, following its established Sydney and Melbourne restaurants. The opening is planned for later this year, with an official date still to be announced.
The announcement lands after Gerard’s closed its doors on Saturday 4 July, ending a 14-year run that made the James Street eatery a Fortitude Valley fixture. Owner Johnny Moubarak told Broadsheet he couldn’t say too much about the new operators, but added: “I can’t wait to go there.”
What the NOMAD Brisbane room will look like
Edition Group founder and CEO Rebecca Yazbek was blunt about the pull of the site: “The space was something I couldn’t say no to.” She added: “A place with that sort of history and legacy on James Street … you have to make the timing work.”
The interior redesign is being led by Jared Webb of J.AR Office, the same studio that handled Gerard’s 2023 renovation. The distinctive rammed-earth walls are being kept in place, alongside select sections of the original tiling. However, the layout is undergoing a major rework – shifting to an open-plan configuration that maximises visibility across the dining room and kitchen.
Yazbek said the team has tried to strip the site back as much as possible to give it volume, leaving a room where everything is exposed and nothing is superfluous to its needs. “It’s that old phrase ‘form follows function,'” she said.
Fire, Queensland produce, and a lighter menu
The restaurant’s identity has always been built around open-fire cooking and smoke, with a menu drawing on the culinary traditions of Spain, Morocco, and the Middle East. NOMAD Brisbane will keep that fire-led foundation but lean into what the state offers. Local Queensland ingredients – seafood in particular – will feature prominently, with the overall menu trending toward lighter preparations and bold flavour to match the subtropical climate.
The menu will be spearheaded by Edition Group culinary director Michael Greenlaw, working alongside Jeremy Swann, who currently heads the kitchen at NOMAD Melbourne. Swann is expected to relocate to Brisbane for the opening period.
Yazbek teased a couple of dishes already in the pipeline: “The woodfired spatchcock that we’ve built over 14 years will be a feature, with guindilla peppers and the spiciest, delicious toum.” The signature ice-cream sandwich, on the menu since day one, will also get a Queensland twist, with flavours representative of the state.
The drinks program will be crafted by group bar manager Felix Woods alongside group sommelier Steve Senturk. Every wine poured by the glass will be Australian, while the full cellar list will lean heavily toward domestic producers.
Brisbane has been on the cards for a while
Brisbane has been on the group’s radar for some time. Yazbek told Broadsheet: “The first time I looked at [opening in Brisbane], I had a four-month-old strapped to me.”
Yazbek said she sees the Brisbane venue as a local in its own right. “That’s how I think about the Brisbane NOMAD, as the quintessential Brisbane restaurant,” she said.
Robbie Pyke-Marcou, a long-serving member of the NOMAD Melbourne team, is relocating to Brisbane to take on the venue manager role. Further details on the full menu, drinks program, and a confirmed opening date are expected in the coming months.
Related: New Fortitude Valley studio: A.K.A. opens at 74 Wickham St
Sources: InDaily, The Weekend Edition, 31 August 2026; Broadsheet.
