A favourite pre-game watering hole for Brisbane sports lovers is set to remain closed during the NRL finals as it undergoes a major facelift.

The Iceworks Bar and Restaurant, often packed before and after Suncorp Stadium events, shut last month and is expected to reopen in late October.

Iceworks, which opened in 2008, is under new management. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

The icy theme will be no more, and the venue will be re-named "The Darling" under the new management of a consortium of private investors and the owners of South Brisbane's Fox Hotel.

For a venue synonymous with Queensland sports fans, some may be surprised the new management are pitching it as a Melbourne or Sydney-style venue.