Sydney’s hospitality squeeze has claimed one of its biggest casualties yet, with Nomad restaurant’s 18-month-old sibling, Beau, to shut. A Beau spokesperson confirmed the sleek Surry Hills eatery will close permanently after service this Saturday night. The current downturn in restaurant trading conditions is believed to be behind the closure.

When Beau opened in early 2023, it had a star chef and a clever modern wine bar pitch. Beau’s “moody” design mix of black granite, tan leather banquettes and a temperature-controlled wine wall garnered it plenty of attention. As recently as last month, international style bible Wallpaper* featured the venue.

Beau also caught the attention of Surry Hills locals, housed in a development that helped reactivate Fracks Lane, which runs between Reservoir and Foster streets. The tiny lane had been blocked for nearly a century.

A spin-off venue from Al and Rebecca Yazbek — who have expanded their hatted Nomad restaurant brand into Melbourne — Beau didn’t open without incident. The handsome new arrival endured a complicated birth, missing its 2022 due date. Then, shortly before opening, head chef, Ibrahim Kasif, resigned.

Group executive chef, the high-profile Jacqui Challinor, designed the opening menu. “The menu feels like a work in progress, and I find it difficult to put in a coherent order,” Good Food’s Terry Durack wrote in his March 2023 review.

It didn’t stop him praising several of its dishes. “It feels like a proper wine bar,” Durack added while complimenting the wine list. Beau, it seemed, was up and away.

But Beau opened as Sydney’s post-COVID dining boom was slowing, and the city started to stall under the weight of rising costs and cooling consumer spending as interest rates rose.

While the city has recently lost a number of its stalwart restaurants, newer venues have been hard hit, with Rose Bay’s Charcoal Fish, Raja at Potts Point, Redfern’s Redbird and Lola’s Italian at Bondi Beach among the closures.

Future plans to reboot or reopen the Beau space remain unclear.