Game-changing South Brisbane restaurant Wandering Cooks closes after a decade

It was a beloved culinary hangout and responsible for helping launch some of Queensland’s best hospitality businesses, but now one of Brisbane’s most popular food operations has closed.

After a decade helping launch dozens of Brisbane foodie operations, game-changing South Brisbane restaurant Wandering Cooks has permanently closed.

The eatery, which started out as a casual cafe/bar and incubator for culinary entrepreneurs, renting them a commercial kitchen to try to turn their food dream into a reality, has been forced to shut citing a lack of patronage.

“Wandering Cooks, the project to which I have devoted myself for the last decade is closed for good,” said owner Angela Hirst on Instagram.

“It is time to accept that the market has made this decision an obvious, if not extremely difficult, one.”

Owner Angela Hirst at the Vulture St, West End Wandering Cooks. Picture: Josh Woning

The idea for the business was founded in West End before moving into South Brisbane’s trendy Fish Lane, where it hosted pop-up markets and food trucks from its no-frills warehouse space. It also had up to 100 different artisan producers working from its commercial kitchens at its peak, helping to establish myriad successful Brisbane hospitality businesses including El Planta, Pie Town, Mongrel and Alphabet Cafe.

In 2017, Ms Hirst was even invited to take part in a program at America’s Harvard University as part of its Mellon Urban Initiative, with Wandering Cooks considered one of the most inventive food concepts in the world.

But things started to come undone for the operation when Covid hit, Ms Hirst said.

“Something called a lock down happened. The irreparable exodus of so many of our partners, and effective end of what we’d long been,” she said.

The culinary concept back at its former Fish Lane residence.

After a year of uncertainty and then the end of the Fish Lane lease, Ms Hirst decided to move the business to nearby Vulture St, West End, reopening as its own restaurant and bar without the rentable commercial kitchens and incubator model.

However, constant Covid-related staff shortages plagued the business since the beginning of the year, resulting in regular trade and customers, with Ms Hirst making the sad decision to close.

“I want to thank everyone in our community for supporting us,” she said.

“It’s been a privilege to serve and share this experience with you.”