Future of Brisbane’s iconic GPO Hotel revealed

This 135-year-old former post office is currently undergoing a $7m makeover ready for an exciting future no one predicted.

One of Brisbane’s oldest and most well-known buildings is set for a culinary overhaul that no one saw coming.

Fortitude Valley’s iconic GPO Hotel, along Ann St, will be transformed into a glamorous fine dining restaurant courtesy of burgeoning hospitality group Artesian and two of the state’s biggest names in the industry.

The 135-year-old building, which most recently operated as a nightclub, is currently undergoing a $7m renovation, with part of the makeover to feature a fine diner fronted by top chef Richard Ousby (ex-Stokehouse and Cru Bar) and wine and management guru Alan Hunter (ex-Otto Ristorante Brisbane).

“We saw a huge opportunity to take a historic building with amazing architecture and put a restaurant in its place that fits the standard of the building,” said Matthew Keegan, founder of Artesian Hospitality.

The GPO Hotel in Fortitude Valley.

As such, it will be out with the old sticky dance floors and rabbit warren layout, and in with beautifully restored heritage features, stunning three-storey vaulted ceilings and period detailing that promises to return the building to its glory days, mixing old-world charm with contemporary nuances.

The restaurant’s culinary offering will reflect Ousby’s signature produce-driven approach, using the best of local ingredients from Queensland farmers and growers. Meanwhile, Hunter plans to deliver world-class service that’s polished and refined yet relaxed and unpretentious, alongside an award-winning wine program, after taking out Australia’s Wine List of the Year during his Otto days.

“I’ll be there curating and giving it purpose to make sure it’s going to be the best wine list in Queensland,” Hunter said, revealing it would feature some of Australia’s best drops, as well as plenty of interesting and exciting bottles from across Europe and the Americas, plus a strong focus on Champagne.

Alan Hunter, Matthew Keegan and Richard Ousby outside the GPO building in Fortitude Valley. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The fine dining restaurant will be just one of three offerings in the multi-use Ann St space, with a high-end bar and more casual restaurant also tipped to be on the cards, though the team is keeping tight-lipped for now.

What they will reveal though, is that this will be just the start of Artesian’s expansion into fine dining, with more high-end venues planned for across Oz.

To roll them out, Hunter has been brought on as partner and director of restaurant operations for the hospitality group, which also owns a wealth of Gold Coast establishments including Surfers Pavilion, White Rhino Bar and Eats and the ultra-stylish Cali Beach Club.

Hand-picked for the role by Keegan, who used to dine at Otto “only because of Alan”, Hunter said he was excited to be involved with such a progressive company that has big plans for the future.

“I’ve done a lot of things in the last 20 years of my career and here’s my chance to deploy all this skill set into my own venues,” Hunter said.

The GPO site is due to open in the first quarter of next year, with Kitchen Confidential to bring you more details soon.