After three decades of dreaming and dozens of declined offers, celebrity chef Curtis Stone has finally committed to opening his first restaurant on home soil — a 100-seat harbourside dining room and separate rooftop bar on the upper floors of the incoming Waldorf Astoria Sydney at Circular Quay, set to launch in 2027.
The Los Angeles-based Australian chef, whose Hollywood restaurant and butcher shop Gwen holds a Michelin star, confirmed the project after years of speculation within hospitality circles. The announcement ends what Stone describes as a lifelong ambition.
"You always dream of doing a restaurant back home. I've been dreaming about it for 30 years," Stone said.
Why Curtis Stone Said Yes to Sydney
Stone has been approached many times over the years to open an Australian venture but repeatedly turned down those offers — until billionaire couple Andrew and Nicola Forrest came calling. The Forrests own the Sydney Waldorf Astoria through their property company Fiveight, and it will be the first Australian outpost for the globally recognised hotel brand.
What won Stone over was not simply the prestige of the address, but the Forrests' stated intention to create a "legacy project, a gift back to Sydney." The brief they handed the chef was deliberately open-ended: produce something "distinctly Australian" and "super special." What that looks like in practice has been left entirely to Stone.
The restaurant, whose name Stone is keeping under wraps until trademark protection is secured, will be contemporary Australian in style, with an à la carte menu — a format Stone says he learned to value after opening with a tasting-only menu at one of his US venues and recognising the importance of diner flexibility.
"We've got some of the best seafood in the world, beautiful fruit and vegetables, probably the best meat in the world, and stuff no one else has in our native ingredients," Stone said, signalling that Australian produce will form the backbone of the menu. Cooking over fire will be central to his approach.
The Venue: Views That Steal the Show
The restaurant will occupy the 24th floor of the Waldorf Astoria Sydney, with the rooftop bar positioned one level higher on the 25th floor. A grand brass staircase is already in place inside the dining room as fit-out work progresses ahead of the 2027 opening.
The setting offers sweeping views across Sydney Harbour, taking in the Opera House, the jagged foreshore and stretches of native bushland — scenery that Stone acknowledges will be a defining feature of the experience.
As for the hotel's famous culinary heritage, there are no plans to put the iconic Waldorf salad on the restaurant menu, though Stone conceded it could surface on the bar menu or in the hotel's downstairs lounge, Peacock Alley. Another Waldorf classic — eggs Benedict — may also find a home somewhere within the property.
A Chef Who Never Fully Left Home
Stone's connection to Australia has never really been severed despite his years in Los Angeles. He got his start working at the Southern Cross Hotel in his hometown of Melbourne — "before it was torn down. Not because of me," he quipped — before heading to London, where he rose rapidly through the kitchen ranks under celebrated British chef Marco Pierre White.
In the years since, he has remained a familiar face on Australian screens through his long-running ambassador role with Coles and earlier through the television series Surfing the Menu, in which he explored the breadth of Australian produce. He also operates an event business in Melbourne, meaning he is already crossing the Pacific every six to eight weeks. That travel frequency, he says, will increase significantly as the 2027 opening draws closer.
Addressing Scepticism About Hotel Restaurant Partnerships
Sydney diners have had reason to be cautious about high-profile chef and hotel tie-ups in recent times, with several prominent partnerships dissolving after relatively short periods. Stone is aware of that scepticism and says he has structured his arrangement differently, confirming he has signed a "longer term" deal — though he declined to specify its exact length.
The chef's Michelin-starred track record in the competitive US market, combined with his existing familiarity with the Waldorf brand and its culinary culture, appears to have been a key factor in bringing both sides to the table. Reports that Stone was in discussions with the hotel group had circulated in industry circles for some time before the formal announcement, with his team having previously deflected questions about any such partnership.
For Stone, the project represents something more personal than a business deal — a homecoming, decades in the making, with one of the most spectacular dining rooms in the Southern Hemisphere as its backdrop.
