Palisade Hotel to re-open with food and accommodation

Since 2008 the Palisade Hotel at Millers Point has sat empty, prime real estate with a once prized food reputation creating one of the great mysteries of Sydney's hospitality boom.

That mystique continued in recent months when the pub sold and the agent declined to name its new owner, who reportedly paid about $20 million.

But details are slowly emerging. The Palisade will be born again in late August, combining boutique accommodation with a ground floor bar and eatery, designer-stylist Sibella Court signed to transform the hotel.

A spokeswoman for the project, contacted by Good Food, confirmed businessman Greg Walker's involvement, overseeing the reboot in his role as a director.

"But the building's owner is [entrepreneur] Richard Sapsford," she adds.

Specific details on its overall concept will be announced in coming weeks, and while Court played her cards close to her chest on specifics, she hopes it will have a "Soho House feel" but is keen for the building to respect its history and "nod to the past".

The timing is excellent, with the building – where chefs Brian Sudek and Annie Parmentier once ran its prized restaurant – chalking up its centenary this year.

When it was built in 1915, for port workers and the local community, it was the highest building in Sydney.