The Crowbar team is trading the roar of live bands for the warm crackle of vinyl records, bringing their hospitality vision to one of Fortitude Valley’s most storied heritage buildings.
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Never Enough, opening 29 March at the historic Apothecaries Hall on Ann Street, marks a significant expansion for Trad Nathan and Tyla Dombroski. The couple, who’ve built Brisbane’s reputation as a live music destination through Crowbar, established their broader hospitality venture—the Long Lunch Group—earlier this year, with this two-level venue as their opening statement.
The Apothecaries Hall itself carries more than a century of Valley history. The building, constructed in 1882 to a design by architect Alfred Hubbard, functioned as a pharmacy for roughly four decades. Moses Ward, an early Brisbane chemist and dentist, established his practice here from 1863, whilst later operator James Henley Fitzgibbon, and his daughter Mary Fitzgibbon—one of Queensland’s first female chemists—continued dispensing medicines from the same premises until the early 1900s. The building illustrates Fortitude Valley’s development as an important commercial and retail centre in the late nineteenth century.
What happens inside when Never Enough opens will be quite different from its pharmacy days, but the restaurant promises to honour the building’s character through thoughtful design and intentional hospitality.
The downstairs dining room will serve more refined plates, whilst the upstairs bar space focuses on lighter offerings—fresh seafood, charcuterie, and small plates designed to pair with the venue’s curated drinks selection. Both levels share a philosophy: food and drinks meant to linger over, rather than rush through.
Leading the culinary direction is Executive Chef Trent Lymn, most recently at The 203. Lymn’s menu emphasises seasonality and carefully aged proteins. He’s signalled some of the offerings: fried artichokes with white bean purée and ricotta salata, alongside indulgent fried chicken with crème fraîche and caviar. The kitchen will feature dry-aged lamb, beef and duck as backbone proteins, with late-night dry-aged burgers also planned for the menu.
The drinks program, spearheaded by General Manager Mikey Pattison, leans into a wine-focused approach. Guests can expect a curated wine list alongside fortified wines, aperitifs and amaros—selections crafted to complement both the kitchen’s output and the broader dining journey. It’s designed as a seamless transition from long lunch into late-night service, where a nightcap might turn into an evening.
What sets Never Enough apart from other dining venues is its sonic identity. The team is opening with 300 vinyl records, which will rotate throughout service on Audio Technica turntables. This approach reflects the founding team’s deep connection to music and creative culture. Friday and Saturday evenings will feature resident DJs, whilst other nights will showcase the curated collection.
“Never Enough is really about the things we love: food, drinks, music, art and being around people,” said Dombroski. “There are never enough of those moments, whether it’s another round, another dish on the table or just another hour spent with friends.”
Nathan and Dombroski have spent the past decade building venues across Brisbane and Sydney. The Long Lunch Group signals their expansion into food-forward hospitality at a time when Fortitude Valley’s dining scene continues to attract investment and talent. Their track record with Crowbar—now operating at the former Zoo site on Ann Street—demonstrates an ability to steward spaces that matter to the community.
The heritage building itself was designed with care. Dombroski worked alongside Kit Bettison from Alida & Miller on the spatial design, creating two distinct areas while maintaining visual and conceptual connection between the floors.
Kitchen hours will run until 11pm when the venue opens, with plans to extend later once licensing permits. The venue sits within Bakery Lane, a section of Ann Street that preserves a collection of heritage commercial buildings dating to the 1870s and 1880s, alongside the neighbouring Bragg’s Bakery building—itself heritage-listed and dating to 1885.
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For Fortitude Valley residents and visitors, Never Enough represents another chapter in the Valley’s reinvention as a destination for carefully considered hospitality. The opening aligns with broader investment in the precinct, where heritage preservation and contemporary dining culture increasingly coexist.
The doors open 29 March 2026.
Published 17-March-2026
