Ivory Tusk

Overview

Home to brews, bands and giant-sized board games since 2014, Ann Street's Woolly Mammoth Alehouse now has an in-house sibling venue: a tropical-themed watering hole called Ivory Tusk.

The bar has taken over Woolly Mammoth's Mane Stage area and given it a Palm Springs-inspired revamp, complete with plenty of pastels. As well as transforming the Fortitude Valley's site's existing garden terrace into a tequila-focused party space, Ivory Tusk boasts three bar areas, all serving up cocktails on tap.

Expect eight different concoctions made from fresh ingredients and botanicals — such as the Living Vanilla Loca, with rum, French vanilla syrup, citrus and spritz; and the Apricot Julep with bourbon, apricot brandy, lime, mint and sugar. Wine and craft brews are on the menu, too, plus ten types of tequila. And, you can nab either a cocktail tasting paddle or a tequila flight, each featuring four tipples.

Food-wise, the venue champions Mexican cuisine, with the kitchen overseen by Executive Chef Graeme McKinnon (Covent Garden) and Head Chef Jack Thompson (The Line & Label, Port Lincoln). Think gazpacho tequila shooters, lamb barbacoa, chorizo sliders, black bean chilli and roast pork, as well as vegetarian, vegan-friendly and gluten-free options. With the site also doubling as an events space — and catering for between 20-1000 people — set menus are a feature.

Visitors will also spy plenty of colour, new furnishings and a lighter, airier feel to suit the 'tropicali' vibe, thanks to renovations led by Luis Nheu of BSPN Architects. In the garden terrace, that means pendant lighting and a stencilled terrazzo floor. Back inside, Woolly Mammoth's band room has also been given a makeover.

Ivory Tusk's entertainment lineup will span regular DJs, live bands and rockaoke — aka karaoke, but with a live band playing as you sing. And if you're fond of Woolly Mammoth in its current guise, its Mane Stage is still hanging around — just smaller, and on the site's upper level.