Private dining in Sydney takes off for microweddings, big milestones and everything in between

Everything from first birthday parties to hen's nights are being celebrated at a Mosman restaurant's private room with French farmhouse-chic trappings and views over Chowder Bay. It's part of a swing among Sydneysiders towards booking private dining rooms, as they seek out COVID-safe but elaborate ways to mark big occasions.

It's not a cheap exercise, with most rooms requiring minimum spends of at least $1000. But whether it's because we cooked enough hot dinners in the last two years to last us a lifetime, or due to the "roaring 20s" post-lockdown mood that's still with us, booking private dining rooms for even casual get-togethers has become increasingly popular.

Solotel, which operates six restaurants and dozens of pubs in Sydney, says there's been an uptick in inquiries in the last three months at Aria, Chiswick Woollahra and Chophouse Sydney.

"At Aria, private dining enquiries are up almost 70 per cent over the last two months," says CEO Elliot Solomon.

Solomon attributes this to people planning events over spring and summer, the new financial year ushering in new corporate budgets, and people adapting to the approach of "living with" COVID.

Many operators sense people craving intimate or more elevated experiences after missing out on gatherings with friends and family during the worst of the pandemic.

"People… have noticed it's not about having 100 people. Sometimes something intimate is really special," says Alena Rayrolles of Bistro L'heritage, the French restaurant in Mosman that's hosted christenings, 50th birthdays and engagement parties in its private room.

She says the space, a whitewashed former naval drill hall, "feels like a room in your home somehow, but you've got your own private chef and service happening".

Since opening in December 2020, bookings of the restaurant's 26-seat private room have steadily increased, before noticeably jumping about eight weeks ago. Right now, the room is booked three times a week, but from September to November that number will double.

Micro-weddings are a big driver of the increase, says Rayrolles, as people decide to go ahead with nuptials that may have been delayed several times due to lockdowns. She began noticing these bookings around April after the first Omicron wave had subsided.

A small number of her guests also feel safer celebrating big occasions surrounded by those they know, rather than being in the main restaurant dining room.

Once the preserve of super exclusive or pricey restaurants, private dining rooms are becoming more common at venues of all shapes and sizes.

Woolloomooloo restaurant Viand, which opened in March in a 1930s building, is anchored by an open kitchen that provides theatre for the Thai cooking. But it also includes a private room on a mezzanine, because chef-owner Annita Potter says it's the done thing in Europe and Asia, where she's worked most of her career.

"So many of my favourite memories are eating in a PDR [private dining room]," she says.

"It also made sense with COVID and where we are: people wanting to have a more private experience. It all just tied in together."

New CBD venue Porter House will open next month with not one but four private dining rooms, including two equipped with fireplaces and lounge chairs.

"There has been a real lack of private dining spaces in the CBD," says Erin Proud, director of guest experience at Porter House. "We wanted to cater to those [people] after a private but informal working lunch experience, through to [offering] more generous, versatile spaces that allow for pre- and post-dinner drinks and dining within the same room."

Even brunch destination The Grounds of Alexandria boasts three private dining spaces, serving everything from high tea to shared feasts after dark.

The latest and greatest private dining rooms in Sydney

Bistro L'Heritage

Overlooking sparkling Chowder Bay in Mosman, Bistro L'heritage offers classic French fare in the old Navy drill hall. The weatherboard bones of this heritage-listed building have been given a French touch with chandeliers and long linen curtains. The venue offers two private dining rooms with windows that overlook Sydney Harbour. All the French favourites are here, with chicken liver pâté flambéed with cognac, a poisson du jour, and a selection of French cheeses.

7b Chowder Bay Road, Mosman, 02 9968 1658, heritage.com.au

MuMu

Behind the tangerine glow of Merivale's newest Asian fusion restaurant are two starkly contrasted teal private dining rooms, still with that retro funk from the main restaurant. Each has the capacity for 16 people. The two group menus for groups of 10 or more traverse South-East Asia, featuring Cambodian crudité dish prahok ktis, and a spanner crab and cuttlefish nasi goreng. A larger group menu features lobster cooked in fish sauce and brown butter, and a pandan tres leches cake.

330 George Street, Sydney, 02 9114 7393, merivale.com/venues/mumu

Viand

Rattan chairs and walls lined with timber wine shelves make a sleek backdrop for the assertive Thai flavours of Annita Potter's banquet menu. Green mango, mint, makrut lime, nutmeg tumble with fried prawns, marron and duck in an eight-dish showcase. While the room is upstairs away from the action of Viand's open kitchen, there is a copper curtain that gives some privacy without being a death-knell for atmosphere.

41 Crown Street, Woolloomooloo, 02 8590 0873, viand.club

Luke's Kitchen

If you want a private dining room that's intimate and sleek, newly opened Luke's Kitchen in the Kimpton Margot hotel has you covered. Descend into chef Luke Mangan's "cellar", where degustation lunches, dinners, and wine tastings can be booked.

339 Pitt Street, Sydney, 02 8027 8088, lukemangan.com

Topikos

When Bondi's Public Bar transformed into the classy coastal Greek venue Topikos earlier this year, the private dining rooms got a face-lift too. Groups of up to 30 people sitting and 80 people standing are catered for in surrounds that channel Greek island chic. The menu is perfect for sharing, with saganaki all the way from Greece, slow-roasted lamb shoulder and hot loukoumades as stand-outs.

180 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach, 02 9132 5777, topikos.com.au

The Grounds of Alexandria

This Sydney brunch stalwart has taken its signature decor-heavy approach to the private dining offerings. Six to eight people can enjoy a private high tea in their own greenhouse, adorned with colourful candles and fresh flowers. House-made raspberry and rosewater jam accompanies classic scones and a variety of other high tea classics. Those wanting a moodier experience can book their "lock in" private dining room for a candle-lit mediterranean dinner.

Building 7a, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria, 02 9699 2225, thegrounds.com.au