Sydney Theatre Company to transform Bar at the End of the Wharf into upmarket restaurant

Sydney Theatre Company will turn back the clock by converting its Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf at Walsh Bay into an upmarket sit-down restaurant, and transforming the bar-restaurant next to the nearby Roslyn Packer Theatre into a “New York theatre bar- and speakeasy-inspired” venue.

The reboot at wharf 4/5 revisits late restaurant pioneer Anders Ousback’s golden dining era at the waterfront venue during its 𝄒80s heyday as The Wharf, an icon of Australian cuisine.

The Wharf Restaurant and Bar opens on Thursday, September 18. The venue will run in partnership with hospitality operator Peter McCloskey’s The Fresh Collective, the arts-heavy group whose portfolio includes chef Matt Moran’s venue at the Art Gallery of NSW.

McCloskey said while Sydney Theatre Company appealed to a wide age group, his research found a rich vein of 50- to 60-year-olds “and up” who want a proper meal before or after the theatre, and the certainty of a reservation.

“Theatre-goers like to book, and it’s such a long way to walk down the wharf and find they can’t get in,” McCloskey said.

Across the other side of Hickson Road, the reboot of Walsh Bay Kitchen – next to the Roslyn Packer Theatre – will take a creative turn in the other direction, when it reopens as Folio in November.

Award-winning bartender Charlie Ainsbury, the former owner of the highly acclaimed This Must be the Place in Darlinghurst, will partner on the project.

“I’m inspired by the institution bars of midtown Manhattan: Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle, and Sardi’s, which has been at the top of Broadway for [about] 100 years,” Ainsbury said of his inspiration for the new bar.

“Places that have become cultural landmarks where art, music and hospitality intersect. This is a concept that Sydney is yet to lean into, but feels like a natural fit for the great location at Sydney Theatre Company.”

With Ainsbury at the helm of the incoming theatre bar, expect a tight food menu, a considered wine line-up and strong champagne list. You’ll also be able to slip in and out of the theatre to sip on a classic cocktail.

At the wharf, the curtain came down on its restaurant era in 2012, when new operators were ushered in to open a casual venue in the waterfront site with sweeping harbour views. In the years before the restaurant’s closure, the venue received a chefs’ hat.

At the reborn restaurant, diners will soon dine on globe artichoke with preserved lemon; chicken with charred cos, peas and 𝄒nduja butter; and steak frites with Cafe de Paris butter.

McCloskey said the restaurant would be price sensitive, with mains starting around $30 and high-end dishes topping $50. “You’ll be able to have a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine for $35,” he said.