Quay Quarter Lanes Will Turn This Circular Quay Block Into a New Food Precinct

This year has seen an explosion of dining precincts open within Sydney's major developments. In 2019 alone, our city has welcomed the Barrack Place laneway and the Green Square dining precinct in the Infinity Building, as well as Darling Square's final retailers within Electric Treat Street and the Exchange Building's Maker's Dozen food hall. Not to mention two major announcements for 2020 openings within the South Eveleigh precinct.

Next up is Quay Quarter Lanes, which will open as part of the massive new Quay Quarter Sydney precinct in late 2020. It'll be located on Loftus Lane — between Young and Loftus streets behind Customs House — in Circular Quay, and will span specialty cafes, all-day restaurants and late-night bars, plus boutique shops and 106 luxury apartments up top. Once completed, it will boast 20 retailers all up.

The only restaurant to be announced so far is by New Zealand restaurateur Scott Brown — he's responsible for Auckland's much loved Italian restaurant Amano. Brown's new sustainable and seasonal concept will open within the heritage-listed Hinchcliff House on Young Street. The sizeable four-storey old wool store covers 1000 square metres will be restored as part of the project — as will Circular Quay's second remaining wool store, Gallipoli Club.

Sydney-based Wiradjuri-Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones has been commissioned to create a site-specific installation for the laneway — his work aims to draw attention to issues including climate change, land management and the disappearance of unique Aboriginal languages and cultures.

The food-filled space is set just across from the Quay Quarter Tower, the precinct's 50-storey glass skyscraper, which is slated for a late 2022 opening. It's all part of a $2.7 billion development by AMP Capital — which is also looking after the $140-million Marrickville Metro upgrade and its own massive dining precinct.

Once finished, the Quarter Quay Sydney precinct will span 11,000-square-metres (or over two city blocks) of prime Circular Quay real estate. By its 2022 completion date, over 50 retail tenancies will be included in the precinct.

Quay Quarter Lanes is set to open to the public in late 2020, and the full Quarter Quay Sydney precinct will open by late 2022.