Greek riverfront restaurant Opa sets reopening date after flood

After being completely wiped out by Brisbane’s February floods, a popular CBD restaurant has repaired thousands of dollars worth of damage and set a schedule to reopen.

After being destroyed by the February floods, Greek riverfront restaurant Opa Bar & Mezze in Brisbane’s CBD has set its sights on a May reopening.

The popular eatery in the Riverside Centre along Eagle St was inundated with flood water above head height, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, with everything from crockery and couches to food and the venue’s extensive wine cellar needing to be thrown out.

“We literally had to start with four blank walls and a concrete floor again,” operations manager Anthony Platsis said. “It’s like saying, ‘Let’s build a brand new restaurant’.”

Some of the flood damage at Opa Mezze and Bar in Brisbane's CBD.

Repairs on the site are under way, but Mr Platsis said some of the plans for the rebuild would need to obtain council approval due to the extent of damage.

He said the goal was to recreate Opa exactly how it was – an ode to the Greek island of Santorini in Brisbane, inspired by owner Michael Tassis’s heritage.

Work has also started to rebuild flooded Italian restaurant Massimo next door, which is also owned by Mr Tassis.

Opa before it was destroyed by the February floods. Picture: Josh Woning

Like at Opa, the water came three-quarters of the way up the wall, destroying furniture, electricals, kitchen equipment, food and alcohol stocks, and more.

The current plan is to reopen Opa first, with Massimo’s relaunch to follow shortly after.

With both venues uninsured for flood damage, Mr Platsis said the best way to help them rebuild was by supporting the group’s other Brisbane CBD venues: Fatcow Steak & Lobster, Rico Bar & Dining and George’s Paragon.

“We’re all interconnected so the help we could get right now is to make sure our customers still come and dine and feel part of our presence,” he said.

Brisbane Economic Development Agency is also trying to encourage Brisbanites to dine out in the city with their new Love Brisbane campaign, designed to attract people back to the CBD and boost spending after a flat start to the year with Covid and the floods.