Mary's tipped to open 'epic' venue at Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter

Is Newtown-born cult food brand Mary's headed east, with a food and music mega venue poised to open at the Entertainment Quarter?

Mary's is understood to have zeroed in on two sites at the Moore Park development, the first slated to be a home to its famed American-style burgers.

Mary's has also moved on the sprawling live music site of Max Watt's, on Errol Flynn Boulevard.

The Mary's team is no stranger to live music, having rebooted The Lansdowne Hotel as a music venue in 2017, a program they ran there until earlier this year, calling last drinks when their lease expired.

Co-owners Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham also relaunched Sydney live music venue The Basement as Mary's Underground in 2019.

As word spread about the Moore Park move on Sydney eat streets, those familiar with Mary's plans for EQ describe them as "epic".

But a spokeswoman for the group says: "Nothing is signed at the moment… we just honestly don't have anything to share."

But with hospitality megagroup Merivale having taken up residency at the Sydney Cricket Ground, next door to EQ, Mary's would be a coup for the Moore Park precinct, which is set to be bolstered by the Sydney Swans' redevelopment of the Royal Hall of Industries.

EQ is starting to turn its food fortunes, with a number of higher profile operators beginning to eye the precinct again. Last year the pub site where P.J. Gallagher's operated was revamped and reopened as Watson's, Michael Watson (Wats On Events) and business partner, West Tigers director Danny Stapleton, behind the venture.

With its established markets, Mary's burgers and music sound like a promising addition.