Trailblazing Sydney fine-diner Tetsuya’s announces reprieve from closure of Kent Street site

When Tetsuya’s announced on Instagram it was accepting bookings beyond August, the post was typical of hundreds that restaurants put out on social media daily.

Except this one was from the famed Australian temple of fine dining – the very restaurant that was expected to close its doors in a few weeks, after 22 years.

What’s going on with Tetsuya’s and its long-touted move? The official word is that the relocation from the Kent Street site has been postponed.

A spokeswoman confirmed the reprieve is due to delays in finding a new venue and that the restaurant would continue to operate at its current site until the end of the year.

Staff have told Good Food that owner Tetsuya Wakuda has kept them in the dark on where the restaurant is headed.

There has certainly been no shortage of time in which to find a new home: the Kent Street building sold in 2018.

Wakuda, who was reported as a part-owner of the site, and other private joint owners, reaped $53 million from the sale.

With the site now slated for redevelopment, Wakuda has toured potential locations across Sydney over the years.

He was spotted looking at real estate in Chippendale, and inner-west diners hoped he might relocate back to Rozelle, where Tetsuya’s operated prior to its city move in 2000.

There was a hot, short-lived rumour linking the Japanese-born chef with a landmark restaurant on Sydney Harbour.

Tetsuya certainly has a lot on his plate overseas, having recently opened spin-off Wakuda restaurants in Singapore and Las Vegas. He also has plans for a venture in Dubai.

What’s the next step for Tetsuya’s Sydney? Only Wakuda knows, and he couldn’t be reached for comment before publication.