The Lucky Squire

The Lucky Squire, the Gold Coast’s own James Squire brewhouse extraordinaire, opened in mid-June after three years of construction, transforming the ‘west wing’ of the Oracle precinct from a bunch of shops to an awesome venue catering for over 400 revellers.

A collaboration between the Mantle Group and Lion (who also own The Charming Squire and Pig & Whistle amongst others), The Lucky Squire is all about raising the bar on food and beer and blurring venue boundaries.

Housing restaurant, brewhouse, bar and microbrewery across two levels, post-Covid The Lucky Squire can function as one of our largest venues and be suitable for a multiplicity of functions.

Named after Australia’s first brewer, James Squire, who arrived on the First Fleet, The Lucky Squire follows the centuries-old traditions of a brewhouse. Predominant furnishings are wood and metal, from hardwood floors, tables and chairs with copper, zinc and brass features to add glamour.

Not only is the establishment named in his honour, but his larger than life adventures as a charmer and swindler are referenced throughout the building, providing the names of James Squire beers. ‘Four wives, eleven kids. You’d drink too!’ comments the brass plate embedded in the floorboards.

It’s the huge 14m-long bar, with its eleven glistening copper-trimmed taps, that grabs our attention when we enter downstairs. There’s the full James Squire range on rotating taps as well as eight premium wines on tap.

Tucked around a corner is the restaurant. Another bar and function room can be found upstairs as well as the microbrewery where all the beers, including several special event beers, are brewed on site.

Try a taster paddle of four beers or a signature Paloma cocktail, a delicious mix of Don Julio Blanco, pink grapefruit, sugar and soda.

Dining in the restaurant looking out through floor to ceiling windows to the street, we could be in a sophisticated restaurant anywhere.

A perusal of the menu leads us in the same thought direction. This is no ordinary brewhouse meal of steak and chips, an impression reinforced when the food arrives.

Small share plates arrive: Rocky Point Black Kingfish crudo in a garden of fennel, pomegranate, caviar, ponzu and beach succulents, one of the best version of the dish we’ve tasted. ‘Heirloom tomatoes’ are the focus and most colourful feature of a Sicilian-style salad that arrives with a centrepiece of knotted burrata and apple balsamic dressing. Lamb skewers are dressed in Barambah organic yoghurt, sumac and tomato.

Mushroom and Truffle Arancini with porcini purée and basil oil is vegetarian, in fact each dish is clearly marked with dietary preferences… and the surprises continue with mains.

Succulent Barramundi from the NT’s Humpty Doo is pan-fried to perfection and served with textures of cauliflower, corn, shimeji and almonds; the perfect light lunch for summer.

Half a chicken, salt brined for 12 hours then marinated for two days in chimichurri pesto, is woodfired and caramelised before serving with chipotle honey glaze and shiraz jus. It’s packed with flavour, nicely charred, and served with a grilled lemon.

It’s top drawer food from the kitchen of Head Chef Gavin Hughes (formerly of Byron at Byron), rustic, well-presented and accessible. It’s the food we love to eat any night of the week, where the best produce is the hero in the dish, and preparation goes on behind the scenes packing in the layers of meaning so that each finished dish brings far more depth than it first appears to hold.