Sunday Co. set to revive landmark Paddington site with new Italian concept
The historic Hargrave Street terrace that housed Sydney institution Darcy's for nearly 40 years is set for a new lease on life, with hospitality group Sunday Co. confirmed as the site's next operator.
The Paddington address hosted Darcy's, then Guillaume, and most recently Ursula's, before former Eleven Bridge and Rockpool chef Phil Wood closed the upmarket Ursula's last month after a near five-year run.
Now the fast-growing Sunday Co. group is stepping in with an as-yet-unnamed Italian restaurant, adding to a stable that already includes Morrison's Oyster Bar and Grill, Whalebridge, and the soon-to-open mega-venue Vito's.
Sunday Co. managing director Brett Sergeant told the SMH the ambition is to build a "neighbourhood institution" — "somewhere you can visit over and over".
That longevity goal echoes the legacy of Darcy's itself. The restaurant opened in 1975 and became such a fixture of the Sydney dining scene that it scored a cameo in Network Ten's Puberty Blues, standing in for a 1970s-era restaurant. Two decades into its run, the 1995 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide praised its staying power over passing trends, noting: "For years this galleon of a restaurant has watched with dignity as new restaurants arrived, fired a few flashy salvos then sank without trace." Past regulars reportedly included ad man John Singleton and the late rugby league coach Jack Gibson, with veal Livornese the kitchen's signature dish.
On the direction the new menu will take, Sergeant kept the detail under wraps, telling the SMH: "It's too early to say." He did indicate the offering would sit somewhere between everyday local dining and special-occasion territory, adding: "You can choose your own adventure."
Rather than a quick refresh, Sergeant confirmed the site will undergo a "significant fitout", pushing the opening back to March or April 2027. The SMH reports the joinery detailing will mirror that of Vito's, Sunday Co.'s major CBD project at 11 Bridge Street, where roughly a quarter of an $8 million design budget is going toward high-end joinery alone. Vito's itself is due to open later this year, helmed by former Carbone Hong Kong chef de cuisine and 2011 The Age Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year Michael Fox, with a menu drawing on American-Italian cooking.
With Italian newcomer Civico 47 already operating from the former Lucio's site nearby, the Darcy's address's reinvention adds to a broader Italian-flavoured shift taking hold of this small pocket of Sydney's eastern suburbs.
Jonathan Jackson, 24th June 2026
