Seven-storey revival breathes new life into CBD’s western gateway

One of the CBD’s most prominent corners has been given a major boost, with the historic Waterside Hotel reopening after a multi-year transformation into a seven-level dining and drinking destination at Flinders and King streets.

The 1925 heritage-listed pub, which anchors the western end of Flinders St, has been reinvented by hospitality group Sand Hill Road, the team behind Garden State Hotel, The Espy and Richmond Club Hotel. The project has been eight years in the making since the site was purchased in 2017.

Retaining its historic façade, the revamped Waterside now stretches vertically through a series of distinct spaces, from a 400-capacity public bar and beer garden at street level to a top-floor private lounge with skyline views. Lush terraces, a grand central staircase and layers of greenery and timber aim to soften the building’s scale and reconnect it with the city.

The opening is being hailed as a significant private investment in midtown and a key activation of a major city gateway, just as the new Metro Tunnel is set to pour hundreds of thousands more commuters into the CBD each week.

Executive chef Sarah Chan, known for her work on The Espy’s Mya Tiger, leads the entire food program. Her brief is to bring a “high-energy, communal style of dining” influenced by her South-East Asian heritage to every level of the venue.

On the ground floor, Chan and head chef Kim Kim have created a menu of “flavour-packed pub classics” alongside pizzas and share plates, with an 18-metre central bar and large beer garden designed for city workers, sports fans and pre-event crowds. Live music, DJs and big screens for major games will round out the offering.

Level two is home to PAST / PORT, a 160-seat restaurant where Chan and head chef Liam Lee showcase Australian produce through dishes inspired by Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Menu highlights range from tom yum prawn dumplings and crying tiger steak tartare to Balinese crispy duck, spanner crab pad thai and chilli caramel eggplant, with Chan’s deeply personal Sarawak laksa offered as a weekday off-menu special.

Above, the PAST / PORT rooftop cocktail bar and outdoor terrace extends the experience with snacks, cocktails and city views, while additional floors cater for private dining, events and large functions for up to 300 guests. The level five lounge, FIVE, is pitched as one of Melbourne’s most exclusive rooms, with butler-style service for up to 50 people.

Sand Hill Road director Matt Mullins described the Waterside as the group’s “most ambitious project”, saying the aim was to stay true to the soul of a Melbourne pub while setting “a new benchmark for world-class hospitality experiences” across the building’s many levels.

The Waterside Hotel public bar and beer garden opened to the public on November 14, with PAST / PORT dining following on November 21. The venue will trade seven days a week, from lunch until late. •