Rancho Seltzo pop-up to open in Bondi venue that once housed The Pacific Club

All eyes are on Bondi this month with the reopening of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar.

Now, talk on its beachside eat streets has turned to the space that once housed The Pacific Club.

The luxe empty restaurant space on Campbell Parade has just been snapped up by House Made Hospitality, operators of the sprawling Hinchcliff House at Circular Quay, and the soon-to-open Promenade Bondi Beach restaurant at the revamped Bondi Pavilion.

Before the end of December, House Made Hospitality will open a pop-up, Rancho Seltzo, in the former digs of The Pacific Club, which opened in 2018 with a lush interior designed by Michael McCann, but suffered a bumpy ride before closing and sliding into liquidation in July 2022.

"Now we're in, we can really see what great architectural bones it has," says Scott Brown, director at House Made Hospitality.

The plan is to run Rancho Seltzo through to late autumn. If it takes, it will become a long-term Bondi addition. "We're open-minded about whether it'll continue or if we'll [pivot and refit]," Brown says.

There will be a few short-term additions to the interior for the Rancho Seltzo pop-up, with pastel hues inspired by the work of US celebrity photographer Slim Aarons.

Rancho Seltzo hits some good local notes. Bondi Brewing Co has teamed up as a partner in the pop-up, and House Made beverage director Jason Williams will punch out a "resort-style" drinks list inspired by California and Mexico, with Seltzer slushies part of the line-up. Food will lean on Baja California "with Mediterranean influences".