Brasserie Astoria and Mott 32 to Open at Darling Harbour in Spring 2027
Swedish chef Bjorn Frantzén's Brasserie Astoria and Hong Kong-born Mott 32 will anchor a new dining precinct at Sydney's Darling Harbour, part of a $2 billion Harbourside redevelopment. Both open in spring 2027, alongside a third restaurant, Avio Mare.
A three-Michelin-star chef headline suite of luxury restaurants is coming to Darling Harbour in Sydney, with Swedish chef Bjorn Frantzén's Brasserie Astoria and Hong Kong-born Mott 32 set to open at the Harbourside centre in spring 2027. The pair will anchor a $2 billion redevelopment of the complex.
A third restaurant, Avio Mare, will open alongside them. All three sit under Steelhead Hospitality, the platform led by Mott 32 co-founder Matt Reid.
What is opening
Frantzén is the only chef in the world to hold three Michelin stars across three separate restaurants. Brasserie Astoria calls itself an "international power brasserie", leans on retro glamour and has a flambe trolley roving the dining room.
Mott 32 is known for its 42-day-aged applewood-roasted Peking duck and luxurious interiors. It has expanded internationally from Singapore to Seoul.
Avio Mare will serve food inspired by the Tyrrhenian, Ionian, Adriatic and Aegean seas, cooked over an open fire. "The parallel here is Firedoor," Reid said.
Dim sum, without trolleys
Reid confirmed the 290-seat Mott 32 will serve dim sum. That is welcome news for a city that has lost yum cha institutions in recent years, including Marigold and Zilver, which is now in Chatswood.
Do not expect trolleys or stacked baskets. Every piece is cooked a la minute, Reid said. The quail egg in the siu mai, for example, is timed so precisely that it uses cooking methods inspired by molecular gastronomists.
"We like to disrupt, we like to innovate, there's an obsession with flavour," Reid said.
A site once dismissed
Mott 32 has scouted Sydney sites for a few years and previously came close to opening in the CBD. When the Harbourside site came up, Reid sought opinions. "When I spoke to people here, they said no … that's not the place to go," he said.
The redevelopment plans changed his mind. The $2 billion project will add 280 luxury apartments and 25 retailers, 90 per cent of them food and beverage operators.
Reid said the precinct will have the critical mass to succeed as a dining destination. He pointed to the new Sydney Fish Market nearby as another encouraging sign.
Other openings
Representatives for Frantzén's operation were not available to comment on Brasserie Astoria. A branch is also opening in Perth next year. Én by Björn Frantzén is due to open in the middle of next year at Crown Sydney, on the nearby Barangaroo waterfront.
Mott 32 also has a Crown connection. It is slated to open at Crown's Southbank premises in Melbourne in 2027. Reid said the Australian branches will share a dark, moody theme but have their own identity.
Mott 32 Sydney, Brasserie Astoria and Avio Mare will all open in spring 2027.
