Lobster nuggets with finger lime are now on the menu at Erskineville’s Kurrajong Hotel, a heritage corner pub where former MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris is culinary director of the group behind the new Park Street Bistro.
The pub reopened in September 2025 after a multi-million-dollar renovation, following years closed. It sits at the corner of Swanson and Park streets, and the bistro was designed for locals and visitors alike.
A Pub with a Long Past
Council archives hold building plans for the Kurrajong dated August 1938, so the corner has been a drinking spot for a long time. The renovation aimed to keep the heritage details while adding what Calombaris described as warmth, style and fresh energy. Upstairs, a boutique accommodation space called Kurrajong House now takes up the top floor.
What Lands on the Table
Diners are greeted with French onion soup popcorn, according to The Urban List. From there, the menu leans on bistro classics with a twist. Think lobster nuggets with crème fraîche and finger lime, or chicken cotoletta with celeriac remoulade. The announcement also lists crab tagliolini with a crustacean jus and steak tartare with potato crisps, while premium Angus steak and a cocktail list round things out. Executive chef Francesco Castellana runs the kitchen, and he has worked at Vue de Monde and Per Se.
The Group Behind It
Park Street Bistro is the first Sydney project for Harbour Hospitality Group. Calombaris leads it as culinary director, alongside chief executive Terry Soukoulis. The announcement says Calombaris has always liked the Kurrajong because it feels familiar and welcoming, and that the project was about respecting the building’s character while making it relevant today.
From MasterChef to a Hard Few Years
Many Australians know Calombaris from MasterChef Australia, where he was a judge from 2009 to 2019. Before and alongside the show, he built the Made Establishment group, which included The Press Club, Hellenic Republic, Gazi, Jimmy Grants and the Yo-Chi frozen yoghurt chain.
Then came a difficult stretch. The group self-reported underpayments of about $7.8 million, covering work between 2011 and 2017. More than 500 current and former staff were repaid, and the Fair Work Ombudsman ordered a $200,000 contrition payment. At the time, Calombaris said he was devastated and that fixing the underpayments was his highest priority. In February 2020, 22 companies in the group entered voluntary administration under KordaMentha. Twelve Melbourne venues stopped trading straight away, putting more than 400 jobs at risk. Yo-Chi kept going.
Rebuilding, One Venue at a Time
Since then, his projects have been smaller. He worked at Hotel Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, then moved to Sydney in 2024 to take a creative role at the Greek restaurant Alpha.
This year has been a busy one. He joined I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in January as the final intruder and was eliminated in mid-February. He took part in the Flavours of Greece program at Melbourne’s Antipodes Festival, held Feb. 28 to March 1, and ran a one-month pop-up called Auto Greek at Ovolo South Yarra from Feb. 27. Reports earlier this year also said he plans his first Adelaide restaurant, in Norwood, with restaurateur George Kasimatis. That venue was tipped to open in late 2026.
What It Means for the Neighbourhood
Does a pub need a famous name to matter to its street? Probably not. But after years of sitting quiet, the Kurrajong is serving food and pouring drinks on a busy Erskineville corner again, and for locals that may be the bigger story.
Published Date 05-October-2026
