LUCAS Restaurants

This week, we’re thrilled to be celebrating our exceptional team at Society, honoured to be named Best New Wine List in the World for the second year running by The World of Fine Wine. A big congratulations to Head of Wine Loïc Avril and to everyone involved in our wine program for this prestigious award.

“Dining at Lucas’s third Japanese restaurant is an immersive experience. There’s a daily sushi, nigiri and crispy rice menu; sake-based cocktails; and neo-noir AI-generated images on the walls.” Ahead of Tombo Den’s anticipated opening this weekend, we gave Broadsheet a peek behind the scenes on our moody new homage to late-night Tokyo. Bookings open — tomboden.com.au

We’re proud to congratulate Blanche Geoffroy, Head Sommelier of Society’s talented wine team, who recently obtained her Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced Sommelier Certificate. Please join us in celebrating her efforts in this incredible achievement.

Chin Chin has been busy cooking up something extra special and we’re thrilled to finally share it with you! Introducing the third cookbook in our collection, ‘Chin Chin: Still Hungry’, spanning 250+ full-colour pages filled with stories, gorgeous photography, and new recipes by Executive Chef Benjamin Cooper. Pre-order online now for a signed copy of the cookbook and you’ll be in with a chance to win a Chin Chin dinner party at your place, cooked by Cooper himself. ‘Still Hungry’ will be available to purchase for RRP $55 in-venue at Chin Chin Melbourne, Chin Chin Sydney, Club Chin Chin and Hawker Hall, as well as from Chin Chin's online store. You’ll also be able to buy a special collector-edition hard slipcase to house all three cookbook volumes. Pre-order here: https://lnkd.in/g4sW9tAA

“Society is doing exactly what it was built to do and doing it very, very well.” Besha Rodell’s recent two-hat review of Society for The Age this week has left us feeling incredibly proud. Congratulations to our hard-working team for such a fantastic accolade.

We’re thrilled to share details of our new restaurant, opening soon on Chapel Street. Launching early September, Tombo Den will pay homage to late-night Tokyo, featuring a dedicated sushi counter, a standout offering of Japanese sake and an electrifying street food-inspired menu. Reservations go live in a matter of weeks — sign up to our mailing list for first access: tomboden.com.au

The The World of Fine Wine has revealed its Regional Winners for the 2024 World’s Best Wine Lists Awards and we’re very proud and humbled to be recognised among them. The prestigious awards program has named Society as the Australasian Winner of the Best New Wine List, Best Spirits Selection and Best Long Wine List awards, while Grill Americano has taken out the Australasian title for Best Wine-by-the-Glass List (with Coravin®). A huge congratulations to our Head of Wine Loïc Avril and the rest of our talented wine teams for this incredible accomplishment. We wish everyone the best of luck ahead of the global awards, to be announced in September.

In anticipation of Bâtard opening later this year, our Founder and CEO Christopher Lucas shared a glimpse into some of his research, exploring the famed wine regions of France. Read about it now in The Australian's Wish Magazine.

This week, we're excited to share the news that four of our venues have been recognised in Wine Spectator's 2024 Restaurant Awards. Grill Americano, Society and Kisumé have achieved the prestigious Best of Award of Excellence, placing their wine offerings among the very best in Australia. Additionally, Chin Chin Sydney received an Award of Excellence. Congratulations to our Head of Wine, Loïc Avril, the rest of our dedicated team, and all the winners this year!

We’re thrilled to share today’s news that two new Lucas venues will be opening in Melbourne, in collaboration with Cbus Property. The contemporary Chinese restaurant and sophisticated Mediterranean concept will form the centrepiece of a new $1 billion tower at 435 Bourke Street, part of an exciting city-shaping project for the CBD’s mid-town precinct.    “Developments such as 435 Bourke Street provide a blank canvas to explore how my restaurants can help transform Melbourne through food and hospitality, positioning it as a city of the future,” explains Christopher Lucas. “This is set to be a landmark commercial tower and exciting new dining destination for future generations. I’m proud and humbled to be entrusted with such significant transformational development for our city.”