Beloved Argentinian Grill San Telmo Opens in Brisbane With Empanadas, Steak and No Front Door

Interstate operators muscling in on home turf. It’s a story we’re hearing more and more in Brisbane. Yet few have put in the effort like Ben Robinson and Mikey Dalton, who moved north three years ago from Melbourne to open a Brisbane outpost of Argentinian steakhouse San Telmo. On Monday, they will officially open the 100-seat restaurant on Edward Street.

“We took our time with it,” Robinson says. “We were getting to know Brisbane. I spent a lot of time in the CBD and learnt to love this golden triangle between Edward Street, Adelaide Street and the river.”

The pair have opened at a time when this pocket of the city is enjoying a resurgence. Across the road, Anyday Group has opened Golden Avenue, The French Exit and Le Royale. A stone’s throw away is DAP & Co’s Naldham House, while Andrew McConnell’s Supernormal and Bar Miette sit along the river to the north.

“We’re surrounded by great operators, and just like in Melbourne, good venues should feed off each other,” Robinson says. “I feel like [this part of the city] is starting to offer that, and it’s breathing some life into the CBD.”

Designed by Kate Archibald, the fit-out takes cues from the Melbourne original with black-and-white tiling, tan furnishings and eye-catching pendant lights crafted from vintage soda bottles imported from San Telmo, the venue’s namesake and the oldest barrio (neighbourhood) of Buenos Aires.

The open kitchen is hard to ignore. You pass it on your way in, and it’s visible from every seat. That’s where you’ll find Dalton, who previously worked at San Telmo Melbourne and its sister restaurant, Palermo. He’s excited to showcase the parrilla grill, which is based on the original Argentinian-built grill at the Melbourne restaurant.

“We’re only using charcoal,” Dalton says. “A lot of places use wood, but I find that when you cook on the grill with charcoal, the flavour is quite different. You’re just getting the meat [flavour] rather than the smoke.”

His opening menu features all the Argentinian staples – empanadas, chorizo, morcilla (spiced blood sausage) and a signature dessert of flan with dulce de leche – but also some less-common dishes. There’s a grilled Argentinian flatbread called chapa, a spanner crab bomba with lemon aioli and piquant sauce, and tuna carpaccio with charred mandarin and sweet pepper escabeche. Of course, the focus remains on the grill.

Dalton is using premium suppliers like Stockyard and O’Connor’s Premium Beef, with a 500-gram striploin and a 500-gram grass-fed ribeye on the menu. He intends to rotate other cuts over time, including secondary cuts and offal such as veal sweetbreads. There’s also a constantly evolving dry-aged offering.

As for drinks, Robinson is highlighting Argentinean wines, including malbecs from Mendoza and pinot noir from Patagonia. There are also bottles of Quilmes, the country’s national beer, alongside imported vermouths and spirits.

There’s one important caveat to all this, though. While San Telmo Brisbane is officially opening on Monday, it’s not quite the finished product. Robinson and Dalton are still waiting on two shipments from Argentina, which will include more decorations for the space and, most notably, their front door.

“When they come, they’ll come,” Robinson says. “We’ll have a door party and celebrate. We might even have to close and give cheers to the door.”

San Telmo Brisbane

60 Edward Street, Brisbane City

(07) 3180 1110

Hours:

Mon to Thu 11.30am–10pm

Fri & Sat 11.30am–11pm

Sun 11.30am–10pm

santelmo.com.au/brisbane-coming-soon

@santelmobrisbane