By james art Gilbert’s Wine Bar & Grill will soon open on Henley Beach Rd, with a combination of all the brand’s offerings in one place.
It’s been a busy year for the Good Gilbert team – they opened Good Burger at the start of the year, then Asha in August – but the team isn’t done yet.
Gilbert’s Wine Bar & Grill is the latest offering from co-owners Wilson and Isabel Shawer, Stephen Tzanakis and Ashley Peek. It will be the “perfect amalgamation” of Good Gilbert, Good Burger and Asha in one location, opening in mid-November.
“So we’ll have the best of GG [Good Gilbert] in terms of that really fun, lively, casual service, GG-like wine list and GG-like ethos,” says Wilson.
“But then we’re further developing the food offering that we’ve done at Good Burger to be more restaurant-focused and more American grill-focused, I guess, instead of burger-centric.
“And then with furnishings like Asha without all the hardwood. So just textures, rendering, all the wall lights.
“The upholstery is so great. It’s going to feel very modern here in a really nice way.”
The walls are painted Boston Ivy.
There’s one notable difference with Gilbert’s Wine Bar & Grill compared to other hospitality offerings: it’s in the western suburbs.
“I already had a place here. My first business [Burgertec on Grange Road] it was out west so that was all I knew for a while and it was always really, really good for me,” Stephen says.
“Then I moved around the corner to Good Gilbert [and] was a regular at the bar. So I started getting more and more involved with these guys.
“I think we only see the world from whatever perspective we see it. From where I saw it then, there was nothing here really with the offer that was GG’s.
“As for me, I fell in love with the space. I fell in love with the place. I fell in love with the concept.”
Since the place was originally a Burgertec, Stephen says he saw something bigger for the place.
“I had this space. It was just, in my opinion, underutilized space. Burgertec has always had a big takeaway focus, while it’s a licensed 60-seat restaurant in a restaurant district,” he says.
“Obviously there’s a market for it and the business can stand on its own two feet, but it was definitely a takeaway brand and so it’s very difficult to have one of seven [change to] licensed dinner restaurant – it’s very difficult to recreate your identity in one place.
“So I would just look at that space as an underutilized resource. We need to do more. We can do more. The people are there. The license is there. The restaurant is over there. What can we do?’
The team at Gilbert’s Wine Bar & Grill
Although Gilbert’s Wine Bar & Grill went through four different concepts — including a sports bar and Good Burger 2.0 — the team settled on something “accessible,” where diners can come in for a meal, a burger, or stop in for a drink.
“In each of our establishments, there is a lot of thought behind the place, the product, the offer [that’s] based on the clientele in the area,” Stephen says.
“So even this space, as best as anything, we’ve definitely looked at the area, the age demographics, what other offerings are there in the area.”
They’ve made conscious decisions to cater to this area, such as opening seven days for lunch and dinner and food that is, as Ash describes it, “all-day dining, with an American steakhouse twist.”
“We’re going to be heavy on the steak, while also offering other proteins like fish, chicken [and] vego too,” Ash says.
“And then a big focus on snacks. Just fun food delivered well,” Ash says.
“Chop salads and stuff — again leaning into that American food culture, but playing to the area. The menu can’t be that heavy. We still want it to be affordable and accessible as a lunch spot,” says Wilson.
A Good Burger menu selection will operate separately as “Good Burger at Gilbert’s.”
“So we’ll have our Good Burger menu available online and we’ll have Uber Eats and operate Good Burger independently in the space,” Stephen says.
“We’ve had a burger offering in this space for the last eight or nine years, so we don’t necessarily want to take that away and have people banging on doors and saying ‘give us burgers.’
“And then we’ll have a grill and breakfast in the four walls.”
The team “wants this to be a destination for drinking” as well as a place to eat, and will have a list of 200 to 300 bottles with a large bubbly offering.
“We’re drunks at heart,” says Wilson.
We ask the crew if they think they’ve been able to discover the process after three in one year. Steven replies, “No,” and everyone laughs.
“We’re getting better at it,” Wilson says.
“I don’t think you ever quite get the hang of it.” I think we’re getting really, really good at it,” Stephen adds.
“We’re becoming more efficient at it in terms of just being more aware of what also needs to be done during the assembly and just being more up front with it,” Wilson says.
Gilbert’s Wine & Grill is located at 172 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville and is scheduled to open in mid-November.
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