300 Smith St, Collingwood, where chef Scott Pickett’s Smith St Bistrot is a tenant, is for sale.
A Melbourne restaurant that’s home to celebrity chef Scott Pickett’s Smith St Bistrot is for sale with price expectations in the mid-$2m range.
The Collingwood eatery is known for its French-inspired menu and opulent interior reminiscent of a 1920s Parisian brasserie.
Pickett’s stable of venues includes Little Bourke St’s Longrain and Longsong, Little Collin’s St’s Chancery Lane, Northcote’s Estelle, Collingwood’s Smith St Hotel and Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie at Melbourne Airport.
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He’s also appeared on the television cooking shows Snackmasters alongside Poh Ling Yeow, The Hotplate with British food writer and critic Tom Parker Bowles and Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars.
In August, Pickett spoke to the Herald Sun after a tumultuous 12 months which saw his hospitality business enter voluntary administration after racking up $27.2m in debt, saying he was excited for the future.
The chef opened the Smith St Bistrot in 2022 after previously operating the Saint Crispin fine-dining venue in the building, a former shoemaker’s workshop dating back to the 1880s.
The 300 Smith St address belongs to a private owner, while Pickett is the tenant.
The Smith St Bistrot at 300 Smith St offers a slice of Parisian-esque charm in Collingwood.
The Smith St Bistrot is Scott Pickett’s take on a classic French bistrot, mixed the eclectic vibe of Melbourne’s inner north. Picture: Tania Bahr-Vollrath.
The private dining area, named La Vie En Rose, can host up to 70 guests.
Jones Real Estate’s Mimi Hoang, who has the listing with colleagues Paul Jones
and Vincent Lam, said the eatery features marble tables, a beautiful chandelier and mezzanine level enclosed by wrought-iron fencing.
A private dining and function room named La Vie En Rose, fitted with handpainted murals and an original fireplace, is accused via a spiral staircase.
“It’s got a very intimate vibe like in Paris when you’re sitting in a booth, it’s very intimate but still has a bit of space – definitely a little slice of Paris in Collingwood,” Ms Hoang said.
The site earns $120,205 a year in rent with fixed 4 per cent annual increases in place.
It has a five-year lease with two further five-year options extending through until 2039.
Ms Hoang said Melbourne hospitality setups were attracting buyers from both interstate and overseas, as well as locals, at the moment.
Pickett trained as a chef in Melbourne and London kitchens, including three years as junior sous chef to restaurateur Philip Howard at the two-Michelin starred The Square in London.
Smith St is known as one of Melbourne’s most famous retail and hospitality strips, across both Collingwood and Fitzroy.
She noted that since May, when the Australian government announced negative gearing changes for residential investors, many buyers have started opting to invest in commercial property rather than homes.
“We’ve seen a lot of first-time commercial buyers start ringing through and asking questions about how it works, and the differences in buying a residential property or having a residential tenant versus having a commercial tenant,” the agency manager said.
Last month, Melbourne cafe king Julien Moussi purchased Pickett’s South Yarra venue Matilda 159.
300 Smith St, Collingwood, is for sale with a deadline of 12.30pm on October 7.
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