Manly Pavilion Could Be Sydney's Next Big Waterfront Revamp

One of Sydney’s prime pieces of culinary real estate is about to come under new ownership. Three years after being placed into liquidation, the legendary Manly Pavilion looks poised to make a comeback, with a new mystery owner finalising legal documentation on the property.

After Reported by Good Food, the Roads and Maritime Services announced that receiver Grant Thorton had "identified a preferred replacement tenant for the remaining term of the 25-year lease." The new owner hasn't been revealed, and GF put the rumoured sale price at $6.2 million, but we'll just sit tight for now. Early frontrunners for the site Cafe Sydney apparently pulled out of the race before tenders were lodged, and Merivale's Justin Hemmes himself had reportedly shown interest in the Manly Pavilion.

The newfound interest in the site makes sense given Sydney’s enduring love of waterside dining, which was recently driven home by the success of the Coogee Pavilion. The brainchild of Hemmes and the Merivale hospitality group, the three-storey beachfront location includes a restaurant, a coffee spot and a rooftop bar with panoramic views. Since its 2014 opening, the site has quickly become one of Coogee’s premiere hotspots, and could easily serve as inspiration for what might be in store for Manly.

In its heyday, Manly Pavilion was considered one of Sydney’s finest restaurants, winning a Michelin Star as well as the 2011 Best Restaurant Award from the SMH Good Food Guide. Its demise was one of several in the city’s high-end restaurant world, with closures attributed to changing tastes and tighter economic conditions. At the time it shut down, Manly Pavilion's owners were more than $590,000 in debt.

Interest has swirled around the location for some time now, although forward momentum has been stifled by a number of issues, including the death of one of the owners and concerns over a nearby colony of penguins.

Via Good Food.

By Tom Clift and Shannon Connellan.