Andrew McConnell, the man behind Gimlet, buys St Kilda’s iconic Stokehouse

As a young chef, Andrew McConnell used to work for the family who own Stokehouse. Now he’s buying their restaurant.Stokehouse, the 36-year-old jewel of St Kilda and perhaps the suburb’s best known restaurant, has been sold to Trader House, the restaurant group owned by one of Melbourne’s most well-known chefs Andrew McConnell and wife Jo McGann. Outgoing owners and operators Frank, Sharon and Hugh van Haandel will hand the property over in October. The upstairs dining room boasts bay views.“We’ve built a venue that is truly cross-generational,” says Frank van Haandel. “Everyone has a story at Stokehouse.”McConnell and McGann are not planning wholesale shuffles to menus or personnel until a 2027 refresh. They’re in the midst of opening Cote Basque, their first restaurant since 2020’s smash hit Gimlet, both in the CBD.“Our intention is not to change what makes Stokehouse special,” says McConnell. “We have enormous respect for its history and for the team that has helped shape it. We’re inheriting strong foundations, and we’re committed to investing in its future while preserving the qualities and the people that have made it so well loved.” Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.Sign upAndrew McConnell and Jo McGann of Trader House, who have added Stokehouse to their portfolio.Josh RobenstoneThe property includes the hatted fine dining restaurant upstairs, downstairs casual dining Stokehouse Pasta and Bar, and an outdoor kiosk that’s been through several iterations.Andrew McConnell has a long attachment to St Kilda. He was head chef at Circa The Prince in the mid-2000s, also owned by Frank van Haandel, then in partnership with his brother John. McConnell’s last restaurant in the seaside suburb closed in 2018 after multiple attempts to make a site on Fitzroy Street work, first as Golden Fields, then Luxembourg and finally Supernormal Canteen. Trader House has owned Meatsmith butcher store on Barkly Street, St Kilda, since 2017.The foreshore site of today’s restaurant has been a hospitality venue since 1908, initially as tea rooms. Stokehouse opened on New Year’s Day 1990 and was a favourite for celebrations and seafood-studded special occasions until it was destroyed by fire in 2014. Frank Van Haandel outside Stokehouse in St Kilda.Griffin SimmFrank van Haandel rebuilt the property as Australia’s greenest restaurant. Food waste is composted on site, and the temperature is controlled by geothermal piping that extends 80 metres beneath the building. “It’s a building that will stand for 100 years, a legacy I am proud of,” says van Haandel.As well as being a previous employer, van Haandel is a long-time admirer of McConnell’s knack with hospitality. “When he sets up a restaurant, he is very convincing with it,” he told the Australian Financial Review in 2018. “The food suits the identity of the business, the decor, staff and the delivery. He bridges fine dining and more casual and approachable really well. I don’t think anyone in Melbourne does it better.”More to come.More:Restaurant newsComing soonStokehouseFor subscribersFrom our partners