Just In: Beau, Nomad’s Laneway Wine Bar Sibling, To Call Last Service This Weekend

Nomad spent a decade as one of Sydney’s favourite dining rooms. The Foster Street space is where you go for Jacqui Challinor’s Middle Eastern-leaning menu: a charred flatbread with wattleseed za’atar, roasted eggplant, a perfected haloumi and an excellent serve of fried olives. So in February 2023, 10 years after Nomad opened, the city was excited for Beau, the team’s more casual offering just around the corner. But just shy of 18 months on, Beau’s calling time.

Saturday July 20 will be the last service, the same night that Melbourne’s Bar Lourinha is popping in to take over the kitchen. According to a statement from the group, the team’s "currently exploring other opportunities and will reassess plans for the Beau site in the coming months."

The news comes amid a flurry of closures across the city, where rent hikes, fewer diners (with smaller budgets) and large developments leading to demolitions have forced some of our faves to shut. Annandale charmer Cornersmith led the charge in February, with the team citing the reality that the “ hospitality industry is a bit broken ”. The Ezra team shuttered Raja and the Nilands closed Charcoal Fish, while Redbird, Hey Chu and Dead Ringer all shut too. Each one of those teams referenced the difficulty of operating in the current market.

If you’re looking for a final glass from Beau’s 600-bottle wine list and something snacky from the menu, you have today and tomorrow. The best move? Booking a seat at the Bar Lourinha takeover tomorrow.

Beau’s final service will be on Saturday July 20, 2024.