A new sports bar Gas Hound, has stepped into Brisbane’s inner-north. The venue comes from Hallmark Hospitality and combines the familiar trappings of a sports bar – electronic dart boards, pool tables and a drinks program designed to keep pace with the action.
Behind the bar, the focus lands on modern twists on classic cocktails, with premium spirits forming the backbone of the menu. According to Hallmark Hospitality director Cade Hopman, the drinks list is built to be approachable while still offering enough personality to stand out in a crowded sports bar category.
Signature serves include the Sure Fire, a ginger-spiked tropical Margarita, alongside the Steel Tip Martini, described as a crisp and savoury take on the classic. There’s also Deep Pocket, a richer, slower-sipping riff on the Old Fashioned aimed squarely at those settling in for a longer session. The lineup leans into familiar formats while dialling up flavour and intensity – a strategy designed to appeal to groups dropping in for a game as much as those starting a night out.
“The cocktail and drinks offering is crowd-pleasing, designed to suit everything from casual catchups to big nights,” Hopman says.
While the drinks lead the tone of the venue, the food offering is anchored by a wood-fired oven at the centre of the kitchen. Executive chef Jason Flett has built a modern Australian menu around flame cooking, with around half the dishes set to pass through the oven, including steaks and other pub staples designed to pick up smoky flavour.
The space has been reworked from its previous life as Maggie May, with the redesign handled by Space Cubed Design Studio. The studio – also behind venues including Donna Chang and Boom Boom Room – has leaned into a modern Australian aesthetic, using eucalyptus timbers, terracotta tiles, and dense greenery to soften the typical sports bar environment.
The result aims to land somewhere between neighbourhood pub and high-energy venue: a place where cocktails and chaos share equal billing.