Nostalgia is a big buzzword at The Waratah, the intriguing neighbourhood bar and dining room that opens in Darlinghurst on Wednesday, December 6. It’s on show with the menu, which includes a starter of potato scallops – amped-up with real scallop – and a fairy bread ice-cream sandwich with sour honey.

Co-owner Cynthia Litster repeatedly uses the word nostalgia when describing the venue, a Tardis on the corner of Liverpool and Victoria streets that squeezes in 120 people.

The bar’s opening is good news for Darlinghurst, a once-thriving nightlife hub that has, over the years, lost some of its sheen. In 2020 The Green Park Hotel closed after 127 years, followed by ground-breaking bar Eau de Vie not long after, and this year Kissue and Meraki Arts Bar on Oxford Street shut.

There is, though, excitment around the opening of The Waratah beyond its location. Its ground floor is a classic bar where Litster’s business partner Evan Stroeve will serve up a signature Waratah Spritz on tap. It’s made with Rhubi Mistelle, Archie Rose vodka, watermelon wine, vanilla and a lemon myrtle garnish. Stroeve has a trophy cabinet of bartending awards including Australia’s Best Bartender for his time at South Eveleigh’s Re, and a CV that sweeps from influential bars Shady Pines Saloon and the now-closed Bulletin Place.

“I grew up in the country, and I’ve always wanted my first bar to be one that reconnects people with it,” Stroeve says. “I’m infatuated with the idea of presenting our country in a way that we can be proud of, not only on a global scale, but in a local, colloquial and accessible way. The Waratah is a venue that you can come and enjoy, feel comfortable and welcome, but also leave feeling encouraged.”

There are nine seats around the bar, Litster says: “Evan’s mum [Wendy Stroeve] has hand-drawn sketches of local buildings for the walls; it’s really moody and cosy. Upstairs is brighter.”

The first floor includes a terrace bar and a dining room under the watch of chef Lewin White (ex Icebergs Dining Room & Bar). White will deliver contemporary counter pub-style meals at the ground floor bar, getting a little more serious in the first-floor dining room.

As well as the scallops and fairy bread ice-cream sandwich, the opening menu dresses tuna tartare up for show with rose petals, and juggles both nostalgia and modern technique with a “fermented” diane sauce served with a wagyu rump cap.

White has known Alex Prichard, the executive chef at Icebergs who helped shape The Waratah’s food philosophy, kitchen and menu, for a decade. “Alex added the elevated touches,” White says of their collaboration.

The Waratah will source much of its produce directly from NSW growers and First Nations provedores as part of its promise to “tell a story of modern Australia”.

Open Wed-Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun midday-10pm.

308-310 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, thewaratahsydney.com