You might argue Brisbane doesn’t need a new Italian restaurant. If this city has always done one thing well it’s an Italian diner, from honest plates of pasta served on gingham tablecloths to Il Centro and its iconic sand crab lasagne. In the 2000s things only got better with restaurants such as 1889 Enoteca, Becconfino, Bar Alto and Tartufo appearing. In more recent years it’s been Coppa Spuntino, Julius, Otto, Pizzeria Violetta and Bucci, among many others. But still people can’t seem to get enough. And if there’s a restaurateur who knows what people want, it’s Michael Tassis. Tassis owns the enormously popular, Greek-inflected George’s Paragon, which each night heaves with punters going large on its unfussy take on fresh seafood.

Now Tassis is shifting a few hundred metres down the Brisbane River – and his cuisine a few hundred miles west in the Mediterranean – to open Massimo, an Italian restaurant and bar. It will kick off its first service this Thursday on the Eagle Street Riverwalk opposite the Citycat ferry stop. Tassis has breathed new life into the expansive site, which was previously occupied by an old Groove Train. Crisp white walls, neutral decor and gold fixtures brighten a once dark space and bring a modern feel to the venue. Bi-fold glass doors along a 35-metre frontage connect diners with the river and offer some spectacular views of the Story Bridge. The restaurant, with its plush private booths and timber tables, seats 140 people, and the bar area near the entrance has stools and velvet lounges for 30. Tassis says he and the team wanted to create a sophisticated space with a price-point that was perfect for everyday dining. “It’s a place where people can come for special occasions, but also business meetings and catch-ups once or twice a week,” he says.