Sydney's New Darling Square Food Precinct Steam Mill Lane Is Now Open
The first round of food and retail vendors have moved into the Haymarket laneway, with Belles Hot Chicken, 8bit and The Sandwich Shop among them.
After many months of announcements, Sydney's new food-filled laneway has finally opened its doors. Steam Mill Lane marks the first opening for Darling Square's new food and retail precinct, which we've been gearing up for since back in September last year.
Of the restaurants that open this week, possibly the most exciting is the arrival of Melbourne's famed burger joint, 8bit. It's brought to you by hatted chef Shayne McCallum and Alan Sam, and the 130-seat diner will be the pair's biggest venue yet. Sydneysiders can expect mega burgers, loaded hot dogs and over-the-top shakes to be paired with vintage arcade machines and lots of hip-hop.
Joining 8bit this week is Belles Hot Chicken's third Sydney outpost, The Sandwich Shop number two, Sichuan eatery Ricefields, modern Italian restaurant Il Bacio, bubble tea cafe Gong Cha and Matcha-ya.
But it's not just food. These eateries are joined by a few boutique retail shops, including travel and leisure store Alifehaus, streetwear brand Pict and Men's Culture Barber. The laneway also boasts a permanent light installation by Adelaide-based artist Peta Kruger — she's created eight neon-lit artworks that take inspiration from 'nightlife cityscapes' and light up the lane at night.
The second round of openings will happen in May, with Bexley gyro shop Gyradiko, Marrickville Pork Roll, poke joint Fishbowl, Tokyo-style street food vendor BangBang and Edition Coffee Roasters all due to open.
Steam Mill Lane sits within the precinct's new 8000-square-metre retail space, which will eventually house approximately 80 new restaurants, cafes and shops. Darling Square has direct access to to Darling Harbour via The Goods Line and is part of Lendlease's 20-hectare development around the area — along with ICC Sydney and Sofitel Darling Harbour.
The precinct has already locked in some pretty big names — but even though Darling Square will house around 2500 CommBank employees, 3000 residents and 1300 students, it will be interesting to see how the new area flourishes, especially considering its proximity to Barangaroo.
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