Now Open: Ardo's Is Newstead's New Neighbourhood Wine Bar and Bottle Shop From the City Winery Team
Carl's Bar and Bistro's former home on Wyandra Street is now serving a curated range of vino to sip onsite and take away, plus pintxos, cheese and charcuterie.
The space at 22 Wyandra Street in Newstead was never going to stay closed for long. While Carl's Bar and Bistro shut its doors at the address back in September 2022, the City Winery crew has been busy filling the venue with new ventures. First came a seasonal bar and bottle shop over the holiday period, and now Ardo's is making the spot its own for the long haul.
City Winery is behind Carl's, too, which initially opened to give the team an outlet before its Wandoo Street flagship in Fortitude Valley launched. When it was announced that Carl's was moving to a yet-to-be-revealed new location, it company also advised that something different would make the most of the popular Wyandra Street berth — and now Brisbanites can check out the end result.
Ardo's is a neighbourhood wine bar and bottle shop, so patrons can peruse its curated range of vino while getting sipping onsite over pintxos, cheese and charcuterie — or pick up their favourite tipple or a new discovery to take away. Offering a selection that you wouldn't just find at any bottle-o is a big source of pride, with Ardo's staff on-hand to chat you through its drops, help you make a pick and impart their expert knowledge.
"Our wine selection showcases the rising stars and pioneers of the minimal-intervention wine movement in Australia plus a small selection of European options to showcase the benchmarks," says Ardo's Operations Manager and Wine Guide Luke Reimers.
"It's a really bespoke offering that we think brings something unique to the community," he continued.
City Winery's seasonal pop-up at Wyandra Street.
Open for after-work drinks Tuesday–Friday and from lunch onwards on weekends, the venue does wines by the glass and the bottle to enjoy while you're settling in. The lineup rotates, but everything you see on the shelf can be drunk onsite or taken away. As you're getting cosy, you'll be surrounded by vino all across the walls, a wine tap that looks like an altar, and neutral colours aplenty amid feature pink stone.
The food menu is all about being communal, with bar snacks inspired by pintxos — so bites to be washed down with a glass or several. Currently available, although this lineup also rotates based on availability and the seasons: baby beet and goat's cheese tartlets, blue cheese mousse with baby fig on sourdough, smoked salmon mousse with crispy capers and salmon skin on brioche, and both mini lemon meringue and Mississippi mud pies.
"It's that classic afternoon session — you get a glass of wine and there's a selection of food at the bar and you pay per piece. It's all very relaxed, and then you have takeaways available to take home or out to dinner afterwards," says General Manager Doug Gilmour.
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Find Ardo's Wine Bar at 22 Wyandra Street, Newstead — open from 3pm Tuesday–Friday and from 12pm Saturday–Sunday. Head to the venue's booking page for reservations.
