Dave Evans hasn't stepped foot in Kings Cross since Hugo's Lounge slid into receivership in 2015.

The restaurateur pointed his finger firmly in the direction of Sydney's lock-out laws at the time of its closure, and nothing has changed.

"There's nothing left there for me, the area was decimated, it's not on my radar. I left and I've never been back," Evans says.

Still, he's hopeful the new operators in the space will make it in the face of draconian restrictions.

The Flamingo Lounge opens the weekend of September 23 in the former Hugo's Lounge space. Designer Josh Clapp from Steel + Stitch has taken design cues from Cuban art deco architecture for the Miami-inspired discotheque and terrace.

While Flamingo's menu includes pizza, foodies will have to wait a few more weeks for another new venture sliding into the building.

Peter Lew and Nicole Galloway (Fei Jai, Barrio Chino) will open a new Mexican restaurant concept in the former site of Hugo's Bar Pizza in October.