Babylon Rooftop & Garden Bar

Overview

Take the lift in Westfield Sydney up to level seven and you'll find this massive 1200-square-metre Middle Eastern restaurant and bar, Babylon, where an impressive calibre of hospitality vets are waiting to wine and dine you.

Babylon Rooftop & Garden Bar has a cool 800-person capacity and a bustling kitchen producing hearty eats inspired by the street eats of Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and Egypt. The extensive 20+ dish bar menu features the likes of lamb skewers, whole wood roasted chicken, spiced fried cauliflower and meze aplenty — including hummus with macadamias and dukkah; and harissa king prawn skewers. 

The restaurant centres on a custom-built mangal (Turkish grill) and two rotisseries. Expect both eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences on the menu here, with share plates split between flora, fauna and ocean. There's pan-roasted Murray cod with mussel saffron sauce and sorrel, and a huge slow-cooked lamb shoulder. Enjoy it all with the house-made bread, which comes paired with za'atar-spiced butter.

There are numerous private dining spaces at Babylon Rooftop & Garden Bar, including the extremely opulent lantern room which can host 50 guests cocktail style and the dimly lit Larsa room with rich velvet curtains which is perfect for groups of up to twenty. 

The fit-out is the work of Queensland architects Hogg & Lamb and Woy Woy interior stylists Stewart + Highfield. As the venue's name suggests, it takes inspiration from the metropolis of old, with the rooftop terrace modelled on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Its many opulent features include Italian travertine archways, velvet upholstery, spotted gum timber and marble finishes throughout — used in the dark gold bar, verde fusion tabletops and black stone terrace floor.

Images: Steven Woodburn

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