After dreaming for 30 years about opening a restaurant back home, Los Angeles-based Australian chef Curtis Stone is finally doing it, with a 24th-floor dining room at the Waldorf Astoria Sydney set to launch in 2027. Worth tracking if you're planning a Sydney trip in 2027 or beyond. At this scale and location, the draw includes a Circular Quay address, postcard views of Sydney Harbour and the Opera House, and Stone's Michelin-starred US pedigree.
Stone has turned down tens of offers to open in Australia over the years. What changed was the pitch from billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest, who own the Sydney Waldorf through their property company Fiveight. They wanted a "legacy project, a gift back to Sydney," and they gave Stone a simple brief: create something "distinctly Australian" and "super special." The Waldorf Astoria Sydney will be the first Australian outpost for the hotel chain, and Stone's restaurant, name still under trademark, will be its signature dining room.
Why Curtis Stone Waited 30 Years to Open in Australia
Stone's path out of Australia began at the Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne, where he worked before the building was torn down. "Not because of me," he quipped. He left for London chasing experience, which he found during a meteoric rise under celebrated British chef Marco Pierre White. From there, Stone built a career in Los Angeles, where his restaurant and butcher shop Gwen has held a Michelin star. Despite his expat existence, Stone has kept a presence in Australian waters, through the TV series Surfing the Menu, his ambassador role with Coles, and an event business in Melbourne. He's already shuttling between the US and Australia every six to eight weeks, and that frequency will "pick up massively" as the 2027 opening approaches.
"You always dream of doing a restaurant back home. I've been dreaming about it for 30 years," said Curtis Stone1. The Waldorf partnership gave him the right conditions: a legacy-minded ownership group, a landmark hotel debut, and the creative freedom to define the menu on his own terms. Stone has inked a "longer term" deal with the Forrests, he won't say how long, but it's a signal that this isn't a 12-month celebrity chef cameo. Sydney has seen high-profile hotel chef partnerships dissolve after a year (Mitch Orr at 25hours Hotel, Beau Clugston at Ace Hotel Sydney ). Stone's commitment to frequent visits and a multi-year contract suggests he's building for durability, not just a headline.
The timing also reflects a shift in how Australians view hotel restaurants. Stone believes the traditional skepticism is fading. "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.
He wants Sydneysiders to think of his restaurant when they have someone in town, not just tourists passing through. That's a high bar in a city where hotel dining has historically played second fiddle to standalone venues.
But the Waldorf's first Australian outpost, combined with Stone's Michelin track record and the Circular Quay location, positions this as a contender for the city's luxury dining shortlist.
What the Waldorf Astoria Sydney Restaurant Will Offer
The 100-seat harbourside restaurant will be contemporary Australian, with a menu rooted in Australian ingredients.
Stone will cook over fire, and he's focused on showcasing what he sees as the country's natural advantages: "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." The menu will be a la carte, a lesson in diner flexibility Stone learned when he opened with a tasting-only menu at one of his US restaurants.
That format shift is practical: it lowers the barrier to entry for locals who want to drop in for a shorter meal, and it gives Stone more flexibility to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner without forcing every guest into a multi-hour commitment.
Breakfast will be part of the program, and Stone has hinted that Waldorf classics like eggs Benedict will make an appearance. The famed Waldorf salad could find its way onto the bar menu or downstairs in the hotel's lounge bar Peacock Alley, but it won't anchor the restaurant menu. Stone's experience in the US market, where Gwen has held a Michelin star, brought him into close proximity with the Waldorf brand and its culinary lineage. The Sydney restaurant will draw on that institutional knowledge while staying focused on Australian ingredients and Stone's fire-driven cooking style.
The dining room is already taking shape, with a grand brass staircase in place. But the postcard views of Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, jagged shoreline, and patches of Australian bush are the stars of the show. Stone said he gets "goosebumps every time I walk up here." At 100 seats, the restaurant is large enough to accommodate walk-ins and group bookings, but small enough that Stone can maintain quality control across service. The rooftop bar on the 25th floor will operate as a separate venue, giving guests a second reason to visit the upper floors of the hotel.
The Circular Quay Location and 24th-Floor Advantage
Located on the 24th floor (the bar is a level up on the 25th), the restaurant sits at the intersection of Sydney's tourism and business districts. Circular Quay is one of the city's most recognizable addresses, with ferry terminals, the Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge all within walking distance. For international visitors, it's a natural first stop.
For locals, it's a destination that requires intent, you don't stumble into a 24th-floor restaurant by accident. That geographic positioning gives Stone a dual audience: tourists who want a signature Sydney experience and locals who are willing to treat the restaurant as a special-occasion venue.
The harbor views are a built-in advantage. Sydney's fine-dining scene has no shortage of waterfront venues, but few operate at this elevation with this level of design ambition. The Waldorf Astoria's debut as the first Australian outpost for the chain adds institutional weight. The hotel is a legacy project for the Forrests, and Stone's restaurant is the culinary anchor. That combination, landmark hotel, celebrity chef, harbor views, positions the venue as a contender for the city's luxury dining shortlist from day one.
Circular Quay also places the restaurant in direct competition with Sydney's other high-end hotel dining rooms. Quay, Peter Gilmore's three-hat restaurant at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, has held its position as Sydney's most awarded restaurant for years. Bennelong, inside the Opera House, offers a similarly iconic location.
Stone's restaurant will need to differentiate on menu, service, and booking accessibility. The a la carte format and breakfast service give it flexibility that tasting-menu-only venues lack. The Michelin-starred pedigree gives it credibility with international visitors who track chef accolades.
The 100-seat capacity gives it scale that smaller fine-dining rooms can't match.
Timeline and Booking Access for 2027 Opening
The 2027 launch aligns with the Waldorf Astoria's debut, and early interest suggests reservations will be competitive from day one. Stone's profile, Michelin star, TV presence, Coles ambassador, gives him name recognition that most Australian chefs lack. The Waldorf's first Australian outpost adds institutional credibility. The Circular Quay location and harbor views make it a natural destination for international visitors planning Sydney trips. For readers tracking 2027 openings, this belongs on your shortlist. By launch, diners can expect a 100-seat harbourside restaurant on the 24th floor, with a separate rooftop bar one level above.
Stone said he wants people who live in Sydney to think of the restaurant when they have someone in town. That's a practical positioning statement: he's not chasing the tourist-only market, and he's not building a tasting-menu temple that only opens for dinner.
The a la carte format, breakfast service, and 100-seat capacity suggest he's building for repeat visits and local loyalty. Whether that translates into sustained demand beyond the opening buzz depends on execution, menu consistency, service polish, and whether Stone can maintain his presence in Sydney while juggling his Los Angeles commitments.
He's committed to increasing his Australia travel frequency as the opening approaches, and the "longer term" deal with the Forrests suggests he's planning for durability.
For now, the Curtis Stone Sydney restaurant is worth tracking if you're planning a Sydney trip in 2027 or beyond. The combination of Michelin-starred pedigree, harbor views, contemporary Australian cuisine, and the Waldorf Astoria's debut gives it enough momentum to compete with the city's established fine-dining venues. Whether it earns a place on the city's luxury dining shortlist depends on what Stone delivers when the doors open, but the ingredients are in place.
