Sydney's newest eat street at Barangaroo is taking shape with more than 75 local and international outlets looking to make 13,000 cups of coffee for the estimated 28,000 daily visitors.
The area, known as Barangaroo South Retail, is expecting 8.6 million people a year to eat, drink, get a haircut and promenade through the area that is larger than the Queen Victoria Building.
Leasing agents say it will rival China Town for the variety of offerings in prize locations along the waterfront.
Lend Lease is developing the $6 billion project at the western end of the city where there will be a mixture of residents and financial industry office workers from the new headquarters of Westpac, HSBC Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG, among others. Law firms will also be present.
The estimated number of visits to the area, including the headland and indigenous centres, is 18 million a year. The developer is yet to apply for alcohol licences but, once all development applications have been approved, the bars will operate under the standard licence regulations. The individual operators can apply for later closing times.
Along the waterfront and near the park there will be 2200 residents in low-rise apartments, which all sold within an hour of the plans being released, and an estimated 28,000 office workers spread across three commercial towers.
There will be an array of eateries, from small hole-in-the-wall coffee bars to three-storey high-end dining venues. Function rooms will be available in the planned ''six star'' hotel and casino complex being developed by James Packer's Crown group.
Retail leasing agents said Crown was also targeting very high-end retailers such as Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vuitton among others for its hotel's retail precinct.
However, department stores, chain restaurants and generic supermarkets are not part of the plan. Instead, whole food groceries and groups such as US-based Eataly, which is a providore, fresh food and eat-in retailer, among others, being targeted.
Gary Horwitz, head of retail, and Andrew Wilson, Barangaroo South's managing director, expect the retail area to be mostly leased by mid-next year, with the first opening of the office towers planned for 2016.
Mr Horwitz said demand from overseas food and beverage groups had been strong, with providores, fresh food and well-known chefs all showing an interest.
There will be seven retail precincts, including a canteen area along the water's edge, technology outlets so people can charge their phone and a laneway to rival those of Melbourne.
The first ''big name'' tenant will be made public in coming weeks.
''Waterfront Place will be tree-lined as it looks out across to Darling Harbour, with indoor-outdoor restaurants offering share plates and al fresco dining to bustling Chinese, Malaysian, Mexican, among many others, restaurants,'' Mr Horwitz said.
''The Cloud, an iconic three-storey area, will be much sought after with its proximity to the waterfront and new hotel.''
Work will also start on a new ferry terminal that will connect to an upgraded Circular Quay, while rail commuters will be able to walk from Wynyard to the new Hickson Place and Lime Street connections.
Mr Wilson said that as with other large cities, the new residents are bringing in new services such as medical centres, gyms and day care.
''We have appointed Allied Health for our health and wellbeing precinct and are talking to fitness operators and other service retailers,'' Mr Wilson said.
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