Modern Australian bistro dining now comes with the pulse of a sports bar at Gas Hound Bar & Kitchen, which has officially opened in Newstead’s Gasworks Plaza.
Billed as a high-energy new venue from Hallmark Hospitality, Gas Hound sets out to combine an elevated food and drink offering with a lineup of games and live sport. Inside the newly redesigned space, guests can settle in for a meal, pull up a seat for a cocktail, then lean into the action with electronic dart boards and pool tables, with televised live sports keeping the atmosphere moving throughout the day and into the night.
At the centre of the Gas Hound kitchen is a wood-fired oven, positioned as the heart of the kitchen and a key part of what shapes the menu. Executive Chef Jason Flett has built a modern Australian offering that heroes local ingredients and is designed to evolve with the seasons.
“At its heart, Gas Hound serves classic pub fare but we’re elevating it with premium ingredients and beautiful presentations,” Flett said.
The focus on making dishes in-house is a key part of the pitch, with Flett pointing to hands-on preparation as a way to bring extra care to familiar favourites.
“We make everything from scratch, for example, hand-crumbing and pan-frying our chicken schnitzels, to give our food that extra bit of love and attention,” Flett said.
Flame also plays a starring role. Flett said around half the menu will be cooked over fire, using the wood-fired oven to deliver deeper flavour and a hint of smoke across the offering.
“About 50 per cent of our menu will be cooked over flame in the wood-fired oven, including our steaks, to open up more flavour and add a touch of smokiness,” Flett said.
While the kitchen is grounded in comfort and familiarity, the venue’s drinks list is pitched as a premium complement to the food and the buzzy, game-ready setting. Hallmark Hospitality director Cade Hopman said the cocktail menu pairs premium spirits with modern twists on classic cocktails, designed to match the venue’s energy and keep things crowd-friendly across different kinds of visits.
“Highlights include the punchy Sure Fire, a tropical, ginger-spiked Margarita, the crisp and savoury Steel Tip martini, and Deep Pocket, a rich, slow-sipping take on an Old Fashioned,” Hopman said.
For Hopman, the goal is a drinks offering that can flex from low-key to late-night, without losing the sense of polish that sits behind the venue’s “premium dining with a side of excitement and adrenaline” concept.
“Our cocktail and drinks offering is crowd-pleasing, designed to suit everything from casual catchups to big nights,” Hopman said.
The opening also marks a significant transformation of the space itself. Gas Hound now occupies the venue formerly home to retro supper club Maggie May, with a redesign by Queensland-based Space Cubed Design Studio. The team behind the project is also credited as the creative force behind venues including Donna Chang and sibling bar Boom Boom Room, Fish Lane’s Southside, and Soak Bathhouse at West Village.
Space Cubed Director Arran Woollams said the look and feel is firmly grounded in modern Australian design, with natural materials and greenery shaping both the interior and exterior.
“We’ve really leaned into biophilic design principles to bring nature into the venue, planter boxes, greenery throughout and flowering vines outside that will merge with the interior to create a conjoined space,” Woollams said.
Material choices include hardwood timbers, including eucalyptus, alongside terracotta tiles, a pergola, and lush greenery “snaking throughout the interior and exterior”. The intention, Woollams said, is to create a setting that feels connected and immersive, where the boundary between inside and outside softens as the planting grows in.
Lighting is also designed to carry the venue across different moods, from daytime catch-ups to later sessions.
“We’re installing character lighting that still gives that moody presence during the day while keeping things light and bright,” Woollams said. “As night progresses, the lighting retains a warm and comfortable feel throughout.”
With the venue now open at Gasworks Plaza, Gas Hound positions itself as a destination that can hold multiple occasions at once: a meal that leans modern Australian, a cocktail built around premium spirits, a game of darts or pool, and a screen showing live sport. Whether guests arrive for dinner, for drinks, or for the thrill of the next round, the concept is built around keeping the energy high while still delivering food and drinks with detail and finish.
Where to find Gas Hound Bar & Kitchen in Brisbane
Gas Hound Bar & Kitchen is open at 84 Longland Street, Newstead. Follow @gashoundbar for updates.
