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Prolific Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas (Maison Batard, Chin Chin) couldn’t believe his luck when he snapped up the ground-floor space of the historic Qantas House building, on the corner of Hunter and Phillip Streets in the CBD, for the Sydney sequel to Grill Americano.

Luckier still is that the area – known as “Steakville” for its abundance of steak restaurants including Rockpool (on the same block), Clam Bar, Bistecca, Alfie’s, and The Grill at The International – had any room left for Lucas Collective’s massive Venetian grill and its 15-strong steak offering.

A 30-metre marble bar starts with a cold seafood section, runs the length of the kitchen (powered by a wood oven from Naples and a Josper grill) and ends with a bar bar pouring Campari spritz and premium selections from the restaurant’s 10,000-bottle wine list.  

Everything in the swanky dining room is in service of Lucas’s lengthiest menu yet. White-jacketed waitstaff serve up Sydney-exclusive pastas as well as Melbourne favourites, such as octopus carpaccio and grilled scampi on pilaf. Grill’s famous dessert – tiramisu, scooped tableside – is also here. Ditto the orbs of mozzarella air-freighted from Campania weekly.