Carlton North: Ex-home of chef Adrian Richardson’s La Luna restaurant up for sale
320 Rathdowne St, Carlton North, was home to chef Adrian Richardson’s La Luna restaurant for 26 years, and is now on the market.
The former Carlton North home of controversial celebrity chef Adrian Richardson’s La Luna restaurant is on the menu for a $1.8m-plus sale.
For 26 years, the acclaimed bistro was a tenant at the 320 Rathdowne St double-story building.
Last year Mr Richardson decided to shut the doors in order to focus on other projects, but he is known for presenting Channel 10’s Good Chef Bad Chef program from 2011 to 2023.
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Mr Richardson also co-hosted the television series Boys Weekend alongside fellow chefs Manu Feildel, Gary Mehigan and Miguel Maestre, and guest starred on MasterChef Australia and Iron Chef America.
Apart from his TV appearances, Mr Richardson’s other ventures include Brunswick East’s Bouvier Bar, Marvel Stadium’s Gallery Restaurant and Geelong steakhouse Maestro.
In 2015, Mr Richardson hit back at “tofu-munching food extremists” after he was called a murderer at a Melbourne public food forum.
Following the event, the chef said “the Green Left” had launched an attack on him for cooking meat.
“There are a bunch of food terrorists out there. I get death threats. They tell me I’m a murderer,” he said at the time.
A number of Queensland restaurants Mr Richardson was involved with, through a separate hospitality business, struck a deal with creditors after being unable to pay nearly $1m in debt last year.
The building has more than 32m frontage to Rathdowne St and Lee St.
Chef Adrian Richardson at La Luna, when it was in operation. Picture: David Caird.
The building is still fitted with a commercial-grade kitchen.
Real estate firm Fitzroys’ Shane Mills and James Lockwood and MP Burke Commercial’s Pat Burke are managing the Rathdowne St listing.
The property, which has a restaurant permit in place for 110 patrons, was last sold 37 years ago.
Mr Mills described the site as a “landmark Rathdowne Village corner location”.
And Mr Burke said the 270sq m building, with residential one zoning, could potentially be converted into a combined business and home – or simply a home.
“It could be that someone says, ‘You know what, I love the Village and want to be that close to it,’ and buys it to convert to a residence,” Mr Burke said.
The building is close to universities, hospitals and retail outlets.
The interior as it looks now …
… and the dining room when La Luna was a tenant. Picture Andrew Tauber.
However, he said that with a kitchen still in place, opening a new hospitality venture at the address would be a “walk up start”.
Mr Lockwood added that Rathdowne Village was close to universities, hospitals and residences in Melbourne’s inner north.
“The residential, worker and student populations all support strong trade in the Village, and offer excellent growth prospects,” he said.
The Carlton North site will be auctioned at midday on March 20.
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