You’ve got just a few weeks to get your hands on one of the city’s very best cheeseburgers before Red Hook shuts up shop.
One of the city’s most cherished casual restaurants, Red Hook, will flip its last burger patty next month. The venue made the announcement on social media on Tuesday.
“After an incredible 11 years of serving up burgers, beers and good times, Red Hook will be closing its doors on June 14th,” the post read.
“From our very first order to our final fry, it’s been an unforgettable journey, and we’re so grateful for the support of our loyal customers and staff who have made Red Hook what it is. It’s been an absolute pleasure serving you all.
“BUT! This isn’t a total goodbye,” the post continued, “something new is cooking, so watch this space.”
Co-owner Bonnie Shearston told this masthead on Tuesday there wasn’t any one major reason for the closure.
“It was more that the lease was naturally coming to an end in June anyway,” she said. “We felt it’s time for Red Hook to have run its course. It’s been 11 years. That’s a good innings.
“It was a hard call to make. I’ve always had a soft spot for Red Hook … your venues become part of you, and this really had an impact on the Brisbane laneway scene. For 11 years, minus a few in the middle there where I was in America, I reckon I was eating a Brooklyn Cheeseburger a week. I still think it’s my favourite cheeseburger in Australia.”
Red Hook opened in 2014 and quickly gathered a loyal following for its take on classic New York street food, in particular its burgers. The open-air restaurant’s Brooklyn Cheeseburger is still a massive draw for lunching office jockeys, who often queue down Gresham Lane, off Queen Street, to grab one.
It marks the end of an era, not only for the restaurant’s dedicated diners, but also for Shearston and co-owner Tom Sanceau. Over the decade-plus that it’s operated, while other restaurants and bars in their Happy Fat group have come and gone, Red Hook has managed to survive lockdowns, floods and cyclones.
The pandemic, in particular, almost saw the end of the restaurant, as it struggled to survive on takeaway and pick-up in a CBD devoid of workers.
“Tom pretty much carried the place single-handedly during the pandemic,” Shearston said. “And somehow this little tiny hole in the wall survived everything that anyone’s thrown at it.”
“Somehow this little tiny hole in the wall survived everything that anyone’s thrown at it.”
Red Hook owner Bonnie Shearston
Red Hook will run its last day of trade on Saturday June 14 (“so our final lunch service for office workers is on Friday the 13th”).
Shearston wouldn’t be drawn on what’s next for the group, but said there will be plenty going on at the restaurant between now and its closure, including its regular Tuesday trivia evenings and Thursday specials nights.
It will also be involved in International Burger Day on May 28, with $5 cheeseburgers all night from 6pm.
As for the Brooklyn Cheeseburger? It will still be available at Dumbo, Shearston and Sanceau’s Portside follow-up to Red Hook.
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.
