Sushi Room Is Back: And It’s Bringing A Sexy New Bar
More seats. More cocktails. Same cult favourite.
By Kiri Johnston | 30th May 2025Since opening in 2021, Sushi Room has quietly become one of Brisbane’s most respected dining spots, a place where every detail feels deliberate. From the produce to the playlist, the room to the rice, it’s precision done with style. Tucked beneath The Calile Hotel, the moody, minimal space has long drawn a crowd that appreciates restraint, craft, and a dining experience that borders on performance art.
Now, it’s back. And it’s bigger, sleeker, and a little more spontaneous.
Reopening on Friday 30 May, Sushi Room returns with an entirely new wing — a bold extension designed by Richards & Spence that wraps around to Doggett Street. There’s a mirrored ceiling, marble bar, brushed-steel alfresco tables, and plush booths made for long nights and great drinks. The palette shifts slightly from the original space, offering contrast and warmth while setting a new tone: refined, but more relaxed.
It’s the kind of space that makes you want to order a martini, slide into a booth, and stay awhile, which is exactly the point.
For the first time, walk-ins are welcome. The bar is perfect for a quick sushi roll, a few nigiri, or a cocktail before heading elsewhere — or not. “Whether you want to start the night at the bar, finish with a nightcap, or make it your whole dining experience — it’s up to you,” says Simon Gloftis, the restaurateur behind Sushi Room. “We want people to feel comfortable dropping in without a booking.”
It leans into that Tokyo-style intimacy: low-lit, close-knit, and quietly confident. You’re encouraged to sit at the bar, chat to the team, and order as little or as much as you feel like. Drinks are intentional — sake, cocktails, and a tight edit of wines designed to pair with everything from a single handroll to the full omakase.
Inside the original dining room, not much has changed — and that’s a good thing. Head Chef Shimpei Raikuni still presides over the 9.3-metre Japanese Hinoki sushi counter, where the cuts are clean, the technique flawless, and the experience almost meditative. Combined with the new space, the venue now seats around 100 guests, striking a balance between intimacy and scale.
Earlier this year, Sushi Room was selected as the premium on-court hospitality partner for the Australian Open, serving up omakase at Rod Laver Arena to tennis’s inner circle — a major moment for the team, and a national nod to the standard they’ve quietly set.
“To have your own restaurant is one thing,” says Simon, “but to have a restaurant like Sushi Room, led by someone as gifted as Shimpei San, is really special. The level of technique and discipline in this style of cooking is next-level. Watching the chefs work — the care, the precision — it’s not just food. It’s theatre.”
And now, with a little more room to breathe, that theatre’s about to have a bigger stage.
Sushi Room reopens Friday 30 May beneath The Calile Hotel.
