The pandemic forced the role of CBDs across the world to change significantly, and the road back in the years since has been long and bumpy. Inner-city venues continue vying for customers outside of the 9 to 5 – and they’re working alongside local and state governments to bring footfall back to streets.

Behind the ANZ banking chamber on the corner of Queen and Collins, Reine & La Rue at The Cathedral Room is housed in the original stock exchange of Melbourne. Over five years, this heritage-listed space was painstakingly transformed into an elegant restaurant and cocktail bar – a collaboration between NOMAD, Heritage Victoria, RBA Heritage Architects and Akin Atelier – opening in 2023 and bringing new meaning to the term 'fine dining'.

Reine & La Rue, Masters of:

01. The Showstopper

This venue is a high-production-value love letter to a bygone era, one well worth the schlep to the CBD. While the space connects with religious, colonial and financial histories, the story it tells is entirely new and uniquely Melburnian.

02. Sunday Best

With Saturday and Sunday daytime spends on the rise, Reine & La Rue has positioned itself as a singular destination for a certain brand of weekend worship: coming together to bask in heritage, clean design and great food and drink.

03. Deep Pocket Access

This location and tenancy opportunity doubles as a clever campaign to build local and Government goodwill by building owners GPT Property Group. This F&B-driven leasing strategy is a win-win-win for the developer, NOMAD and locals.

See, follow, then covet Reine & La Rue's Instagram here.

This Trend Alert is excerpted from the A+ Future Trends Report 2024–25, a holistic deep-dive into what we know will impact hospitality operators in coming years. Learn how you can gain access to the full report here.