If you’ve walked past the corner of 169 Mary Street in the CBD lately—the grand old heritage building that used to be home to Buffalo Bar—you’ll have noticed a whole lot of activity going on inside. For those curious as to what the sounds of drilling and banging coming from behind the scaffolding mean, we’ve done some digging—and the answer is even better than we could have hoped for.
According to development applications submitted to the Brisbane City Council and some of the whispers we’ve heard around town, the 130-year-old building will soon be transformed into a four-level dining destination by none other than Anyday Group, the team behind Agnes, Honto, Same Same, Bianca and Agnes Bakery. Featuring multiple distinct restaurants and bars, Coal Board House will be designed by J.AR Office, the architect behind Central, Gerard’s Bistro and the newly opened Norte and Sueno, with interiors by Tamsin Johnson (who’s style you’ll see inside Rae’s Guesthouse in Byron)—so you can expect it to be nothing short of jaw-dropping when it takes shape.
The hoarding currently enclosing the building dubs it Coal Board House, a name that harkens back to its former life as government offices. While we did reach out to the Anyday group for more intel, the team are keeping any further details on exactly will be inside close to their chest for now, however that's not even all the news they've got up their sleeve. Right next door, at 67 Edward Street, they're opening a Middle Eastern-inspired venue called Golden Avenue which will feature an outdoor terrace, turning the whole corner into one delicious precinct. Stay tuned for details—we hear a 2025 opening is on the cards.
Check out more of Brisbane's upcoming new openings here.
Image credit: Ranyhyn Laine | Urban List