Community & Business
14 February, 2023
New lease of life at old eateries
MAREEBA foodies are now spoiled for choice with two new eateries opening in Mareeba, one in the husk of the old RSL and the other carrying the flame lit by an iconic café.
Bosca’s and Nasty’s Fish n Grill are the two new kids on the block with one taking up residence in the remaining space of the old RSL after it was bought by Northern Suppliers and the other honouring the name of popular café Nastasi’s.
Bosca’s has taken over much of the old RSL building which has now been renovated to include a stage for entertainment and a sports bar section with plans for a kid’s area further along the track.
The new restaurant also seeks to fill the hole of a fine dining experience in Mareeba by offering patrons a higher end restaurant experience on a Friday and Saturday night and offer breakfasts on Sundays.
Owner Voli Della Bosca is hoping the venue will become a meeting place for people in Mareeba with something everyone can enjoy.
“This place isn’t just a burger bar or restaurant, it is a meeting place, people can come in here at 10 in the morning, have a coffee and some sweets and talk,” he said.
“I think people are sick of going to pubs and stuff like that, they want something different to enjoy.
“It is licenced so there will be alcohol available, cocktails, tap beer and three craft beers, two are from Billycart Brewery in Atherton.”
The iconic name of Nastasi’s cafe will also live on in Mareeba through the newly opened Nasty’s Fish n Grill, as they seek to pay homage to the classic style and allure of its predecessor.
The café came into the hands of new local owners Bevan and Jamie Carroll and Rachel Barwick last year, who quickly went about renovating the café in preparation to open this year.
The café is supplied through Gulf Caught Seafood, another enterprise launched by the brothers, as well as local butchers, bakers and farmers with all the produce being made in house. A coffee shop has also been added for patrons to get their caffeine fix.
Bevan said one of the main reasons they decided to open Nasty’s was to pay homage to Nastasi’s where both Bevan and Jamie would meet up after school for a bite to eat and to hangout.
“We have done this to keep an iconic café alive, we didn’t do it for ourselves we did it for the town,” Bevan said.
“We used to come here after school so we thought we should give the café the respect it deserves by keeping a part of it alive,” Jamie added.
“I think we are the only ones to catch, slice and cook our own fish.
“We are all born and bred in Mareeba and we are employing about 20 locals through the café.”
