Bentley Restaurant + Bar

Bentley Restaurant + Bar, fine dining and cellar in Sydney's CBD

Bentley Restaurant + Bar is a fine dining restaurant and wine bar located in Sydney's CBD, Australia. It is part of The Bentley Group, the hospitality group founded by chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, which brings together several venues in the city. The restaurant opened in March 2006 in a former pub in Surry Hills and has since established itself as one of the country's most influential establishments, as noted in its own presentation and in reviews by food critics.

A career recognised by critics

Bentley Restaurant + Bar's offering is built around creative cuisine and a singular cellar. In 2007 it was named 'Best New Restaurant' at the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide Awards, and it has since maintained two chef's hats and one wine glass in the same guide. In 2013 the restaurant moved from Surry Hills to a larger, grander space at the Paradox Sydney in the CBD, with a contemporary interior designed by Melbourne architect Pascale Gomes-McNabb. In 2018 the venue renovated its bar area to give it a more defined identity.

The cellar has been repeatedly recognised at the Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards, with three wine glasses and awards for the country's best aperitif and digestif lists. In 2016 it was inducted into the 'Hall of Fame' of these awards. The wine list won the best wine list of the year award in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide in 2007, 2012 and 2016.

The people behind it

Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt are the co-owners of The Bentley Group. Savage has twice been named 'Chef of the Year' by the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide (2005 and 2015) and is the author of the cookbook Bentley: Contemporary Cuisine. Hildebrandt, one of Australia's most awarded sommeliers, has received the title of 'Sommelier of the Year' twice from Gourmet Traveller and twice from the Sydney Morning Herald. Both run several restaurants in Sydney.

The group and its venues

The Bentley Group operates several establishments in Sydney. In addition to Bentley Restaurant + Bar, the group runs King Clarence, Eleven Barrack, Watermans, Ashe and Vespertine. The offering includes event and space services, gift cards and a programme of cultural and culinary activities.

Current status of the venue

The restaurant's website states that Bentley Restaurant + Bar has closed its chapter at 27 O'Connell Street after more than twenty years of operation. The group keeps other venues open and announces that it will share its new projects soon.

Locations and venues

Main venue: 27 O'Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Eleven Barrack venue: 11 Barrack Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Watermans venue: R1/88 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW 2000