Ahead of its 2027 launch in Australia, Waldorf Astoria today revealed that chef Curtis Stone will lead two signature dining venues at the brand’s Sydney hotel.
Set on levels 24 and 25 of the new-build hotel at One Circular Quay, he’s developing a restaurant and bar, both of which have best-in-town views over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
“I’ve toyed with the idea of opening in Australia my entire career,” Stone said to Gourmet Traveller. “The timing feels perfect — these guys are such pros when it comes to culinary, and hospitality is at the core of everything they do.”
A familiar face among Australian audiences thanks to the Surfing the Menu series he hosted with fellow chef Ben O’Donoghue in the early 2000s and his long-running partnership with Coles, the two original concepts at the Waldorf Astoria Sydney are Stone’s first restaurant projects in Australia.
“I want this to be a really special restaurant,” he said. “The place everyone in Sydney wants to take people from out of town, and a restaurant that people come to celebrate in.”
After a decade spent working in Europe, the Melbourne-born chef relocated to California and opened restaurant Maude in 2014 (achieving a Michelin star before its closure in 2024), Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant (which currently holds a Michelin star) in 2016 and bakery-bistro The Pie Room by Curtis Stone in 2024. While concepts and menus are still in development, Stone says, “I want this to be a celebration of Australia.”
“We have the very best ingredients; the seafood is incredible, the meat is probably better than anywhere on the planet, we grow some of the best fruits and vegetables… And then we have this X factor of all the indigenous ingredients available to us.”
The chef has also (successfully) fought for his signature cooking methods in spite of the restaurant’s location on level 24: “Live fire is a big part of what I do, so that’s going to be a big focus,” he said. “Can you imagine how hard it was to get them to put live fire up here?”
The restaurant will seat around 100 guests. “There’s a chef’s counter so you can see into the kitchen — but I wouldn’t be offended if people wanted to look at the bridge and Opera House.” Upstairs on level 25, the bar (set under a retractable roof) will peer out to Sydney Harbour from behind the Waldorf Astoria emblem.
Overseas, Stone is known for bringing a sense of Australia’s focus on produce to his venues; at Waldorf Astoria Sydney, he’ll continue that push and draw on relationships stretching back as far as his days travelling the country shooting Surfing the Menu.
“I’ve been so lucky,” says Stone, “because over the last 20 years I’ve worked with Aussie growers all over the place. On the show, I got to go to every corner of the country and experience what most chefs never get the chance to. It was an incredible opportunity to visit farms and learn about ingredients that way.”
Speaking to the cuisine, Stone said: “I think most great Aussie restaurants draw from lots of different cultures and cuisines, and when you walk through most Aussie kitchens and back-of-house teams, people come from all over the place.”
Waldorf Astoria Sydney’s general manager Marlene Poynder said in a statement, “To work with a chef of Curtis’s calibre makes [Waldorf Astoria’s arrival in Australia] especially meaningful. Together, we’re creating a destination where exceptional hospitality, world-class dining, and perhaps one of the world’s most remarkable harbourfront settings come together to deliver an unforgettable guest experience.”
As one of Hilton’s most high-end luxury hotel brands, Waldorf Astoria has a reputation for being home to restaurants by the world’s top culinary talents, including Heinz Beck (La Pergola at Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel) and Gordon Ramsay (Au Trianon at Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace Versailles).
In the coming months, The Ledge by fellow Australian chef Dave Pynt from Singapore’s Burnt Ends will launch at Waldorf Astoria Bali (the concept launched at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi), while Coreus by Clare Smyth and Café Boulud by Daniel Boulud will top off the impressive repurposing of Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch.
“You always know you’re at a Waldorf Astoria because of how personalised and special it feels. I think it’s probably a different level of luxury than the Australian hospitality industry has seen before,” said Stone.
The original Waldorf Astoria New York has its own impressive culinary legacy as the first hotel to offer 24-hour room service, and the birthplace of the Waldorf salad, eggs Benedict, Red Velvet cake and Thousand Island dressing.
Waldorf Astoria Sydney, plus the restaurant and bar by Curtis Stone, are scheduled to open in 2027.
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