Run, Forrest, Run! Bubba Gump Has Arrived in Sandgate.
Does this name sound familiar to you? Because it sure does to us. As a Forrest Gump yearly re-watcher, the words Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. immediately bring back that scene. Forrest, Bubba, shrimp boats and that very long list of ways to cook the humble prawn. Well, someone in Brisbane clearly had the same thought, because Bubba Gump has officially landed in Sandgate.
And this isn’t just another seafood restaurant with a Forrest Gump poster on the wall. It’s the first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Australia, opening at 94 Rainbow Street in the old Sandgate Post Office.
The whole thing leans into the movie. There are themed spaces, the famous Run Forrest Run moments, a Jenny boat, ping pong tables and even a retail area where you can buy Bubba Gump merch. Basically, if you’ve ever wanted to eat dinner inside a very specific piece of 90s pop culture, here you go.
Then there’s the food. Obviously, shrimp is doing most of the heavy lifting here. The menu includes Shrimper’s Net Catch, where you get peel-and-eat shrimp steamed in beer with your choice of garlic or Cajun sauce, plus coconut shrimp, Shrimp New Orleans, jambalaya, a seafood boil and the rather wonderfully named Forrest’s Seafood Feast. There’s also fried chicken, ribs, burgers and steak for anyone who isn’t particularly interested in Bubba’s life’s work.
And because apparently shrimp alone wasn’t enough of a theme, the drinks have joined in too. There’s a Forrest Apple Crisp, Rum Forrest Rum, Frozen Margaritas and cocktails that come in souvenir glasses.
Honestly, this feels less like somewhere you go for a quiet Tuesday-night seafood dinner and more like somewhere you go because you thought, “Wait… there’s a Bubba Gump in Sandgate now?”
And really, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.
But in this case, there’s a pretty good chance it’ll involve shrimp.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
94 Rainbow Street, Sandgate
Open daily, 11.30am–10pm
