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Jacksons on George is back and it’s nothing like the grungy CBD pub you remember

Forget the sticky carpets. It’s waiters in white jackets, sunset views from the rooftop, and a house jazz band at the three-level venue, which opens today.

Scott Bolles
Scott Bolles

After a five-year hiatus, Jacksons on George – the Sydney CBD venue affectionately known for its sticky floors and pub grub – opens today, reborn as a three-level mega venue with a glam rooftop bar, smart bistro and ground-floor public bar with tables spilling onto George Street. It’s within Lendlease’s massive Circular Quay development, Sydney Place.

The facade of the new Jacksons on George.
1 / 9The facade of the new Jacksons on George.Tom Ferguson
Southern rock lobster mornay with chives and tarragon is on the menu at Jacksons on George’s bistro.
2 / 9Southern rock lobster mornay with chives and tarragon is on the menu at Jacksons on George’s bistro.Jason Loucas
The rooftop bar at Jacksons on George by day.
3 / 9The rooftop bar at Jacksons on George by day.Toby Peet
But sunset will be when the rooftop really comes to life, Maurice Terzini predicts.
4 / 9But sunset will be when the rooftop really comes to life, Maurice Terzini predicts.Toby Peet
The ground-floor public bar.
5 / 9The ground-floor public bar.Tom Ferguson
The public bar’s $26 Aussie burger.
6 / 9The public bar’s $26 Aussie burger.Jason Loucas
Bistro George on the first floor.
7 / 9Bistro George on the first floor.Tom Ferguson
Passionfruit tart is on the menu at the bistro.
8 / 9Passionfruit tart is on the menu at the bistro.Jason Lucas
The striking new face of Jacksons on George.
9 / 9The striking new face of Jacksons on George.Tom Ferguson

Jacksons’ creative director, Maurice Terzini, says waitstaff will wear white jackets on all three of its levels, including the bar.

“I know what people will say: ‘What a bunch of yuppies’,” the founder of Bondi’s upmarket Icebergs Dining Room says with a laugh. “But I don’t think traditional Australian pubs were always as egalitarian as they made out they were. We want Jacksons to be inclusive of everyone. We want it to be a modern-day public bar where a tradie is next to a politician.”

The pitch might be inclusive and egalitarian, but the public bar food hasn’t been dumbed down. Public bar customers will be able to snack on $18 duck and mustard-fruit sausage rolls and $26 Aussie burgers while downing a beer.

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Terzini and his partner in the venture, DTL Entertainment Group, have had the luxury of starting from scratch, the building rising on site of the notoriously grungy pub, Jacksons on George, which originally opened in 1986.

The duck and mustard-fruit sausage roll served at the Public Bar.
The duck and mustard-fruit sausage roll served at the Public Bar.Jason Loucas

“We really looked at Euro hotels and bistros for inspiration,” Terzini says. “There’s art, food and music in the one venue. I don’t think there’s a more urban Sydney rooftop in the city. It’s in this incredible architectural canyon. It’s going to be all about the sunsets.”

The “urban” rooftop at Jacksons on George.
The “urban” rooftop at Jacksons on George.Toby Peet

Jacksons GM Michael Broome is excited about the food by head chef Steven Sinclair (ex-Icebergs). “Steven has unleashed his wealth of experience on each menu, weaving together Jackson’s signature style of European-influenced bistro dishes with classic Aussie fare across all three dining spaces.”

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At its first-floor eatery, Bistro George, he’ll serve everything from coral trout doused in a limocello beurre blanc, salmon gravlax (Terzini’s tribute to Melbourne’s France-Soir, which you can eat on any of the three floors), and passionfruit tart.

With the advantage of a late licence (it closes at 2am), Terzini says Bistro George will “transition” after dinner service on Friday and Saturday into a bar with a house jazz band and a pruned menu.

Despite a near quarter-century run in Sydney and a posse of venue launches, Jacksons is Terzini’s first involvement in the CBD. “It’s exciting − the opportunity to look after so many people [the venue is licensed for 600]. [It’s] somewhere you can grab some salmon gravlax and glass of red; that’s what it’s all about for me.”

France-Soir-inspired Ora King salmon gravlax at Jacksons on George.
France-Soir-inspired Ora King salmon gravlax at Jacksons on George.Jason Loucas

Public Bar daily 10am-late; Bistro George daily noon-11pm; Rooftop 3pm-midnight but from September 16 noon-midnight; Late night bar opening September 22, Fri-Sat 11pm-late.

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Scott BollesScott Bolles writes the weekly Short Black column in Good Food.

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Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/goodfood/sydney-eating-out/jacksons-on-george-is-back-and-it-s-nothing-like-the-grungy-cbd-pub-you-remember-20230908-p5e34i.html