Gambaro family exits Caxton St after 75 years, sells Black Hide steakhouse
Brisbane hospitality stalwart the Gambaro family has sold its Black Hide steakhouse on Caxton St, ending an almost 75-year association with the strip, while confirming plans to relaunch its long-running seafood restaurant.
Black Hide will trade for the last time under Gambaro ownership on Saturday night, with new operators taking over the Petrie Terrace venue from August 1. The sale closes out seven years of trading at the site, during which the steakhouse picked up multiple industry accolades, including Australia's best steak restaurant and restaurant of the year. Family spokesman Johnny Gambaro said it was "an emotional time" for the business, noting the venue had served an estimated three million diners since opening.
The Caxton St exit follows the family's 2022 sale of the adjoining Gambaro Hotel to the NRL, which was subsequently rebranded the Beetson Hotel. The hotel had housed the original Gambaro seafood restaurant, a Brisbane dining institution since 1972, which closed in 2024 as the family began scouting a new site, potentially on the Brisbane River. Gambaro confirmed the seafood concept remains in the works as one of several projects the family has in the pipeline.
The Caxton St sale does not signal a broader retreat from the Brisbane hospitality scene. The Gambaros will continue operating their Black Hide outpost at Queen's Wharf, which opened in 2024, along with Persone Italian in the CBD, Pipi's fine diner at Coolangatta, and an upcoming delicatessen, Mama Gs, at the new Esprit resort in Rainbow Bay. The identity of the Caxton St buyer has not been disclosed, with Gambaro citing commercial confidentiality.
The family's roots in Brisbane hospitality trace back to the 1950s, when Michael Gambaro emigrated from Italy and, together with wife Josie and brother Domenico, began selling produce on Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley before opening a fish and chip shop on Caxton St in 1953. That venture grew into one of the city's most recognised hospitality names, with the family's restaurants having hosted Australian prime ministers, premiers, and international visitors including Ed Sheeran and Elton John over the decades.
Jonathan Jackson, 13th July 2026
