Hugos Kings Cross to Reopen as Pop-Up Next Year

Back in August last year, we lost a treasured jewel in the Kings Cross nightclub crown when Hugos called last drinks for the final time, with owner Dave Evans claiming that Sydney's lockout laws had made operating a nightclub impossible in the precinct. But according to The Daily Telegraph, that jewel has been found, polished, and ready to make a stunning re-entry to Sydney's bar scene in February next year.

Eric Jury, owner and operator of Double Bay's Casablanca, has paid money to bring Hugo's back to life, albeit with a few minor changes to the club-slash-bar-pizza joint Sydney night owls knew and loved. Jury — who told The Tele he believes that the lockout laws have actually made the Bayswater Road area a nicer place — will be reopening Hugos as a pop-up bar initially, in order to dip his toe into the bathtub that is post-lockout Kings Cross. The plan will then be to open again as a permanent fixture next August, depending on how much business is drummed up in the probationary period.

With Casablanca shutting down next year to make way for continued residential development in Double Bay, Jury is looking to bring back the Hugos vibe of drinking, dancing and generally enjoying your life whilst adhering to a strict dress code — a vision that is likely to induce a mild, elation-induced panic attack in Sydneysiders who love dressing up to get down.

Although Jury's version of Hugo's might not be exactly how it's remembered by past patrons, it's a rare occasion that we get to report on a bar that's actually reopening (rather than closing) in Kings Cross.