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.

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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.

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.

“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.”

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.”

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.”

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.

176 George Street, Sydney, jacksonsongeorge.com.au