The 150-seat Mediterranean-focused venue, which snared a chef’s hat shortly after opening, closed on the weekend.
The newly opened Grill Americano is riding high as one of the hottest tickets in Sydney this summer, but elsewhere its owner, Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas, has scrapped his ambitious expansion plans for Canberra, selling his 14-month-old Carlotta restaurant.
The 150-seat Carlotta, which snared a chef’s hat shortly after opening, closed on the weekend. The restaurant will reopen next year as Hunter and Barrel, after Lucas sold the restaurant’s lease to Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group, which is keen to establish a wider footprint in the nation’s capital.
Lucas had grand plans for Canberra: a French bistro and Asian concept were set to follow the launch of the Mediterranean-focused Carlotta as part of a three-pronged restaurant push. But he became frustrated by a lack of progress on the development at the Scotts Crossing precinct in Canberra’s CBD. “We haven’t been able to secure suitable sites to support our multi-venue model,” Lucas said.
The operator of a stable of restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney, which include the Asian-influenced venue Chin Chin and fine diner Society, Lucas said the 2007 sale of South Yarra’s Botanical Hotel is his only other sale or closure in a hospitality career spanning three decades.
“It isn’t consistent with our strategy to operate just one restaurant in a market,” Lucas said. “Our focus is on expansion in Sydney.”
The restaurateur remains bullish on the Carlotta concept, however, with Lucas Collective retaining ownership of the Carlotta brand and likely to reboot it elsewhere. Lucas also remains confident about the Canberra market, with its young demographic, high disposable income and lower saturation of restaurants than Sydney or Melbourne. Canberra has attracted high-profile start-ups: Matt Moran steakhouse Compa joined the party, while veteran Sydney restaurateur Manny Spinola also took the plunge, feeding hungry Canberrans at the Marion, on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin.
Lucas said he is “incredibly proud” of the Carlotta team and what they achieved, including the retention of its chef’s hat at The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards in October.
Investment management firm QIC, who collaborated with Lucas on the Carlotta site, thanked Carlotta for its contribution and welcomed Hunter and Barrel, while signalling an influx of new venues.
“Canberra Centre continues to evolve its retail and hospitality offering in and around the Scotts Crossing precinct, with exciting new offerings to be announced in early 2026,” a QIC spokesperson said.
“We remain focused on keeping pace with the sophisticated tastes of modern Canberrans while maximising commercial outcomes for our investors.”
It remains to be seen what Seagrass has planned for the inherited interior. Carlotta has a slick fitout, with a glamorous marble bar and wine cellar. In a supplied statement, Seagrass chief executive Ravi Singh said the group was delighted to take over the site and introduce Hunter and Barrel to Canberra.
“We are known for our rustic character, flame-grilled steaks, barrel-aged spirits, and relaxed hospitality,” he said.
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