A classic New York-inspired Brisbane CBD burger joint is expanding to Portside Wharf.

Red Hook has been such a success for Bonnie Shearston and Tom Sanceau over the course of its 10 years in business, it’s a wonder they haven’t expanded on its New York street food style sooner.

One of the engines of the longtime business partners’ Happy Fat restaurant group, which also runs Ruby, My Dear, and previously included venues such as Public, London Fields, Coppa Spuntino and Canvas Club (now owned by Dan Rodriguez), its New York-style street food and booze is a staple among CBD residents and office workers.

“We’ve been talking about doing this for years,” Shearston says. “Red Hook’s such a solid business model. It survived financial crises and floods and COVID … It’s also a really fun project into which you can tie in a lot of different elements, whether that be music or drinks. It’s not just about burgers; it’s about New York street food, the vibe, the aesthetic.”

Shearston and Sanceau are having fun with it, opening a Red Hook sister restaurant, Dumbo, at Portside Wharf in August. The venue is inspired by the trendy Dumbo neighbourhood of New York (Dumbo is an acronym for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”).

But Dumbo will be larger – 50 seats inside and 45 outside – and a more expansive concept. The 120-square-metre venue will feature a bagel-based breakfast, brunch and lunch service, coffee by award-winning Bellissimo, a wider range of beers and a longer wine list that focuses on high-acid, high-tannin wines that match well with the big flavours and fats of the food. It will also feature special nights such as Red Hook’s Wednesday wings special night, but now with matching champagne.

“When I was in London, when I’d finished work, I’d go off through Soho, and eat chicken wings and order a bottle of expensive champagne,” Shearston says. “So we’re gonna do that on Wednesdays. You buy some wings, order a bottle of very, very well priced champagne and enjoy it.

“[But] it’s just about expanding on these ideas we’ve had at Red Hook but just haven’t had the space. It allows us to be more creative.”

“It’s not just about burgers; it’s about New York street food, the vibe, the aesthetic.”

Bonnie Shearston

The restaurant’s fit-out is being handled by Lamberts. Expect terracotta tiling, polished concrete and vinyl elements.

“It’s going to have a retro ’90s element but nothing too vintage,” Shearston says. “It will be quite clean-cut and have warm tones. We’re not going for anything too elaborate. It will be sophisticated and grown-up.”

“It’s not all outdoors, which is one of the problems we have at Red Hook,” Sanceau says. “As soon as it rains, we lose 50 per cent of our business. So that was another reason to take the concept and expand it somewhere else.”

Dumbo will be just the latest in a series of high-quality restaurants and bars attracted to Portside as part of the precinct’s $20 million refurbishment, which has already seen the arrival of Fosh, Rise Bakery and Bird’s Nest. More operators, such as Sbagliata, Portside Social, Uncle Wang and Sugee Ramen, are due to open this year.

“For us, we weren’t sure at first, because there was a lot of promise about what was to come,” Shearston says. “But as the negotiations continued, we heard of more and more quality people coming in and that filled us with confidence. It’s always nice to be proud of the area you’re in and the neighbours you share it with.”

Dumbo will open at Portside Wharf in mid-August.