Overview
The good ol' Marly has bid farewell to its upstairs neighbour Miss Peaches and is about to welcome something much quirkier in her place. The Newtown boozer's first floor space will soon be home to the weird and wonderful Cuckoo — a kooky bar inspired by Germany's alpine resorts.
Venture on up and you'll feel a bit like Alice tumbling into the rabbit hole. Brought to life by hospitality group Solotel with help from International Worldwide (the creatives behind the recently renovated George Hotel, The Duke, The Old Fitz) and Monster Children, Cuckoo is filled with knick-knacks, a lounge room bar pulled straight from your opa's house and constant sounds from the collection of cuckoo clocks adorning the walls. It even has a bouldering wall, so you can really pretend you're climbing up Zugspitze.
The quirkiness is also embraced wholeheartedly by the drinks list, which boasts plenty of house-infused schnapps, alongside crafty concoctions like the cardamom, sour apple and ginger-laced Apfelschorle cocktail. Meanwhile, taps are pouring Germanic-style beers from local breweries like Batch and Wayward — try yours in a stein or in the glass shoey the team's calling Das Boot.
Das Boot
Sticking with the theme, Cuckoo's food offering is filled with German classics like schnitzel, sausage and spätzle, though, thanks to a dedicated, fully-stocked condiment station, the house-made pretzels might just steal the show.
Cuckoo officially opens to the public on Friday, October 18, with a rollicking launch party from 6pm. You can RSVP over here.
Cuckoo will open above The Marlborough Hotel, 145 King Street, Newtown, on Friday, October 18.