When Wunderlich Lane recently popped up on Google Maps for the first time, it marked a rare addition to the historic inner suburb of Redfern. The development’s first restaurant, Island Radio, opens on Thursday, signalling the birth of a new dining precinct for Sydney.

From the team behind chef’s hatted Tilda and Lana restaurants in the CBD, Island Radio is the first in an aggressive launch schedule from high-profile hospitality operators at Wunderlich Lane, a $500 million redevelopment of the old Redfern Mall that will also include a hotel and retail stores.

On December 5, the team from The Apollo at Potts Point will open Olympus, followed before Christmas by Regina La Pizzeria, from the chef-owner at Pyrmont fine diner LuMi. A 15-seat omakase, R by Raita Noda, will follow in January, as well as Bar Julius and a rooftop restaurant from the crew at Bistecca and The Gidley.

It’s a lot to digest for Redfern. Justin Newton, co-owner at Island Radio, believes Wunderlich Lane – which sits on the southern side of Cleveland Street, between Baptist and Marriott Streets – will transform the suburb.

“Sometimes it just takes one development,” Newton says. So confident are Newton and his Island Radio partners in the prospects of Wunderlich Lane, they’ll double down and open a second venue, Baptist Street Rec. Club, early 2025.

Newton explains the creation of a pedestrian lane creates a shopping and dining area shielded from the busy Cleveland Street arterial.

He says Island Radio is a “fun”, South-East Asian eatery with a DJ booth and a menu with punchy noodle dishes, ox tongue skewers and suckling pig.

“I like the area and think this precinct is going to transform it.”

Olympus co-owner, Jonathan Barthelmess

“We took some of our inspiration from Bali’s beach clubs,” Newton says. “I like the area and think this precinct is going to transform it,” says Olympus co-owner, Jonathan Barthelmess.

Olympus has recruited one of the rising stars of Sydney food, head chef Ozge Kalvo (Baba’s Place, Ester), who, along with general manager Ronnie Gorman, will steer a restaurant located in an impressive atrium space with a gliding glass canopy.

It’s a smart roof. Barthelmess explains that if it rains, it automatically shuts. Humidity too high? The roof opens and lets in some fresh air.

“The object is to keep it open as much as possible, but if it gets too noisy, it’ll close,” he says. A 50-year-old bougainvillea was trucked in from Bowral, then lowered in by crane.

“The food will be more traditional than Apollo,” Barthelmess says. “Olympus is the taverna you dream of finding at the heart of a bustling Greek village, here in Sydney.”

The Wunderlich name has been kicking around long before its recent arrival on Google Maps. The precinct’s moniker is a nod to the Wunderlich family factory, which occupied the site from 1890. Redfern Mall was constructed in the 1980s, and Harris Farm and Coles are already up and trading in this latest redevelopment. The Eve Hotel opens in early 2025, along with more restaurants and bars.