Curtis Stone to open first Australian restaurant at Sydney's Waldorf Astoria
Los Angeles-based Australian chef Curtis Stone will make his long-awaited return to the local restaurant scene, confirming plans to open a restaurant and rooftop bar within the incoming Waldorf Astoria Sydney at Circular Quay next year.
Stone, an established restaurateur and Michelin-star holder in the US, has reportedly turned down numerous approaches over the years to open a venue in his home country.
The move came about after billionaire couple Andrew and Nicola Forrest, whose property company Fiveight owns the Sydney Waldorf, approached the chef directly.
The property marks the hotel group's first Australian location.
Stone said he was drawn in by the owners' ambition to deliver a "legacy project, a gift back to Sydney," with the brief calling for something "distinctly Australian" and "super special."
The concept itself has been left largely to Stone to shape. The 100-seat harbourside restaurant will serve contemporary Australian food via a la carte format, a decision informed by Stone's earlier experience running a tasting-menu-only restaurant in the US. Cooking will centre on fire, with the menu built around native ingredients.
"We've got some of the best seafood in the world, beautiful fruit and vegetables, probably the best meat in the world, and stuff no one else has in our native ingredients," Stone said.
Set on the 24th floor, with the adjoining bar a level above, the dining room is under construction ahead of a planned 2027 opening, with a brass staircase already installed.
The venue will overlook Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and the surrounding coastline.
“You always dream of doing a restaurant back home. I've been dreaming about it for 30 years." The chef began his career at Melbourne's Southern Cross Hotel before relocating to London, where he trained under British chef Marco Pierre White,” Stone said.
Despite building his career overseas, Stone has maintained a public profile in Australia through the television series Surfing the Menu, his ongoing role as a Coles ambassador, and an events business in Melbourne.
The announcement comes amid scrutiny of hotel-chef partnerships in Sydney following the exits of Mitch Orr from 25hours Hotel Paddington and Beau Clugston from the Ace Hotel Sydney, both after roughly a year. Stone said his own agreement was ‘longer term’, though he declined to specify further, noting he already visits Australia every six to eight weeks and expects that frequency to increase as the opening nears.
Speculation about a tie-up between Stone and the Waldorf brand had circulated in hospitality circles for some time; in June last year, Stone's team denied to Good Food that talks were underway.
While there are no plans to feature the classic Waldorf salad on the restaurant menu, Stone said it may appear at the bar or in the hotel's downstairs lounge, Peacock Alley.
Eggs Benedict, another Waldorf staple, is more likely to feature given the restaurant will serve breakfast.
Stone acknowledged Australians have traditionally approached hotel dining with caution, but said attitudes are shifting. "Ultimately, hotels are beautiful places to come; hospitality is at the centre of what they do. Some do it well, some maybe not," he said.
"I want people who live in Sydney to think of us when they have someone in town. I get goosebumps every time I walk up here."
The name of the restaurant is yet to be released.
Jonathan Jackson, 14th July 2026
