Azteca restaurant set to open in Queens Wharf precinct in August

Diners are being invited into ‘the middle of the Amazon’ in a new restaurant set to open high above the Brisbane River in coming months.

Diners are being invited into “the middle of the Amazon” in a new restaurant set to open high above the Brisbane River in coming months.

Hospitality gurus Potentia Solutions Leisure are set to open Azteca on the fourth floor of the The Star Brisbane entertainment hub in August.

It will feature alongside Black Hide by Gambaro, Italian restaurant Cucina Regina and a Brisbane instalment of Star Sydney’s Sokyo restaurant.

The group’s Ross Ledingham said the 126-seat venue with views of the river and the South Brisbane skyline, would be a full Latin American dining experience.

Inside the Aztec-inspired attraction to launch into Brisbane's hospitality scene. Photo: supplied

Head chef Zac Sykes is set to blend Latin-American influences with hits of Asian fusion, with the root vegetable cassava (or yuca) set to be a feature.

“We will have a very extensive yuca menu, it’s only found in Latin America and you can do so many different things with it,” he said.

“In terms of cooking styles and prep, and profiles, you can enhance it and it’s been very popular. We have one yuca dish at Soko Rooftop and it’s incredibly popular. We felt expanding the yuca menu would work very well.”

Similarly, cocktails will be inspired by Latin American spirits matched to Asian spices and flavours.

Zac Sykes will drive the fusion menu. Picture: Supplied

The new venue, which will feature a 14-guest secret dining room and 40 seats on an outdoor terrace, will provide guests with an intimate dining experience.

“You see a lot of celebrities and international chefs that are moving away from that route of Michelin star because of the economy,” Mr Ledingham said.

“For us this is our premium fine dining experience in what will be an amazing property not just for Brisbane and Queensland but also a pivotal moment in the country to get something like this in a state that has massively grown since Covid.”

Azteca will open as part of the Star Brisbane and Queen’s Wharf stage openings that begin in August this year. Photo: supplied

Mr Ledingham said a production kitchen would operate to help keep costs down as skyrocketing wages, food, rent and utilities push already thin margins to the edge.

“Prep and buying power will all come out of one place, and then we will distribute it, which will also cut down on wastage,” he said.

“We’ve got a garden which will be turning out herbs, tomatoes and all those sorts of stuff and those are all the ways we are working to reduce our costs and obviously not pass onto our guests.”