Bentley Restaurant and Bar to close after two decades
One of Sydney's most influential fine dining institutions is preparing to shut its doors, with Bentley Restaurant and Bar announcing it will cease trading in August following a 20-year run. But its founders are framing the move as a strategic intermission rather than a final curtain.
Co-founders, chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, faced with the expiry of their O'Connell Street lease, have chosen to step back, read the market, and plan for a reinvention of the brand, pencilled in for late 2027 or 2028.
"We're not being forced out of fine dining, we're not being forced to move, we're going out on our terms," Savage told The Age. "We're really proud of the impact the restaurant has had over the past 20 years, but I don't think the story's necessarily finished."
Bentley first opened in a Surry Hills pub in 2005 before relocating to the CBD in 2013, and is widely credited with reshaping what fine dining could look like in Sydney.
Hildebrandt described it as a venue that broke the mould from the outset: "It was loud, bold and modern. It changed the face of fine dining." He noted it was "probably one of the first restaurants in Sydney that got two hats straight from the get-go, without the white tablecloths or the old-school service."
The closure comes as a broader contraction of high-end dining in Sydney hits the scene, following the shuttering of Ursula's in Paddington, Oncore by Clare Smyth at Crown, and Quay, which ended a 23-year consecutive run of three Good Food Guide hats.
Savage acknowledged the weight of the current operating environment, telling The Age: "It's undeniable that the whole industry has been challenged recently with ever-increasing costs, a fuel crisis, and all of these things which add up. It's a really difficult situation to navigate, but I think you just have to stand by your core principles."
Shifting diner expectations are also shaping how the pair envision Bentley's next chapter. Savage said that while guests are still willing to spend, appetite for lengthy, didactic tasting menus has softened in favour of comfort and familiarity. "The good thing about putting [Bentley] on hold for the moment is it'll give us time to reimagine what fine dining should look like," he said.
Hildebrandt has a clear picture of what that might involve, including a more intimate venue seating no more than 50, an à la carte format, serious cellar space, private dining capability, and a room with either heritage character or a standout view. Site searches are already underway, predominantly within the Sydney CBD.
The move is consistent with how the Bentley Group has approached its broader portfolio in recent years, consolidating around larger, high-performing venues such as King Clarence, Watermans and Eleven Barrack, while exiting smaller operations including Cirrus, Monopole and plant-based restaurant Yellow.
"Everything has a timeline on it," Savage said.
Hildebrandt put it another way: "It's like Brent's philosophy on food, and my philosophy on wine. It's always changing, we're never really satisfied. We're always looking to change the menu, to change the wines available by the glass, and we do the same with our restaurants as well — we're always evolving."
From June, Bentley will begin a farewell service reintroducing signature dishes from across its history, with tasting menus priced at $175 for five courses and $240 for seven.
Jonathan Jackson, 21st May 2026
