Automata's closure only the latest on Chippendale's once-stellar Kensington Street strip

The news of chef Clayton Wells' decision to close two-hatted Automata restaurant in December is disheartening for the Sydney dining scene and places the microscope firmly back on Chippendale's Kensington Street.

In late 2015, the western side of the strip was awash with talent as restaurants began opening with a roll-call of experienced chefs behind them.

Silvereye, the ambitious restaurant with no less than Noma veteran Sam Miller in the kitchen, lasted less than a year.

British celebrity chef Jason Atherton's Kensington Street Social came and went like the 'nduja plague of recent years.

Restaurateurs Darryl Martin and Andrew Jordanou followed Atherton, opening a spin-off of their hugely popular Marrickville restaurant, Barzaari, on the site in 2018.

"We lasted about a year," says Martin, a one-time chef at Quay. "On the surface it ticked all the boxes, but it just didn't work out for us in the end."

Attracting CBD diners wasn't easy, and they found the street pulled a younger demographic.

"Outdoor dining there was tough – it can be windy and cold. You end up with about four good months."

The duo retreated to concentrate on their Marrickville restaurant, where they are eyeing new projects again.

Even Wells, who has anchored the precinct with Automata, had a miss on the strip, opening A1 Canteen opposite his mothership and closing again just over two years later.

It's fair to say Kensington Street has some work to do to stamp itself as a lasting premium dining strip. The crew from Hartsyard have signalled they are headed to the Old Clare Hotel after the restaurant closes in Newtown at the end of August. Good luck to them.