The team behind Japanese favourite Toko in Sydney’s Surry Hills are opening a third restaurant at the Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane this December.
Restaurateur Matt Yazbek opened Toko Sydney 11 years ago in the city’s premier dining precinct, followed by a second restaurant in Melbourne in 2015. Toko Brisbane will open later this year as part of the new riverfront precinct underneath the Story Bridge which is due to be finished late November. The heritage site will feature up to eight restaurants, including Toko Brisbane housed inside a former shed.
The menu looks set to mirror that of its Sydney counterpart, while including lighter options to suit the warmer Queensland climate. Toko’s current menu features a selection of Japanese dishes that are designed to be shared and are served steadily during the course of the meal. Matt Yazbek has been looking to open a restaurant in Brisbane ever since Toko Sydney opened its doors. He is optimistic that the Howard Smith Wharves will herald a new era in Brisbane’s dining scene. “It won’t be a destination to come to just for food, it will be a destination just to come to,” he said.
The restaurant will seat up to 180 guests who can enjoy the spectacular views overlooking the Brisbane river while they dine. Other new openings joining the riverfront precinct include an Asian eatery by restaurateur Andrew Baturo and a new concept Greek restaurant and bar by Jonathan Barthelmess, the brains behind The Apollo, The Apollo Ginza and Cho Cho San.
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