What began with a bang in the Valley has ended just 14 months later, its demise linked to the sale of a nearby sister venue on James Street.
Fortitude Valley sando and vinyl café Supernova has closed, serving its last fluffy white Japanese-style sandwich on Friday just past. The venue announced its closure on social media later that day.
“After 14 wonderful months, Supernova has decided to closed its doors,” the post on Instagram read.
“We are incredibly grateful for your support, smiles, and shared moments over endless matches [sic] and katsu sandos. Your encouragement meant the world to us.”
The post finished by thanking Supernova’s customers and hinting that new venues and ventures would soon come from owner-brothers TH and Chewie Choo.
Talking to this masthead today, TH Choo said the main reason for the closure was simple: a lack of foot traffic on arterial McLachlan Street in Fortitude Valley.
“It’s been a really fun 14 months,” he said. “We thought it would work with the market and it definitely did, initially. The food is delicious and I think it will still work in Brisbane, but the foot traffic was the biggest issue for us.”
But Choo admits the venue’s days might’ve always been numbered after the unexpected sale of James & Antler on James Street negated the need for production kitchen space for that venue.
“The food is delicious and I think it will still work in Brisbane, but the foot traffic was the biggest issue for us.”
TH Choo
“That’s correct,” Choo said. “We got hold of the site for a production kitchen – it just happened to have a café attached to it.
“In October, we received an offer on James & Antler that was too good to refuse, quite out of the blue, so we sold it.”
Supernova continued until the end of its lease, its appeal as a destination venue with specialty food helping offset its location, but Choo said the lack of pedestrians was ultimately too hard to overcome.
The Choos still own and operate Mitch & Antler, their popular Mitchelton café, which opened in early 2023. James & Antler followed later that year, with Supernova announced in April 2024, initially with star chef Kym Machin attached (although that changed pre-opening).
A new specialty coffee operator, Fave, is scheduled to open in Supernova’s McLachlan Street space on Wednesday.
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
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.
