After closing in Potts Point in 2023, Turkish restaurant Izgara has been reborn in the CBD after patrons demand its return

It shut up shop in Potts Point late last year, but it’s back by popular demand, in Sydney’s CBD. “There is no Turkish restaurant like it,” says Izgara founder and chef Efe Topuzlu.

Surprise move, great food: Turkish fare on offer at Izgara. Picture: Instagram

Four months after closing its doors in Potts Point, in a surprise move Turkish restaurant Izgara has reopened in a new location.

Izgara has taken the place of Above Bar in the CBD, and counts restaurants King Clarence, Palazzo Salato and Papa Gedes as neighbours.

Izgara co-founder and chef Efe Topuzlu said the restaurant concept, which is modelled on the traditional ocakbasi restaurants of Istanbul where the chefs cook inside in front of diners, was his “dream” and he was encouraged to revive it after emails from customers.

“We didn’t plan to make a move straight away because we were frustrated it didn’t turn out the way we planned,” said Topuzlu, adding they put their focus into opening their second Turkish bakery Malika Bakehouse in Surry Hills.

“But we kept getting emails and messages on social media saying we should come back again … there is no Turkish concept like ours in Sydney.”

Chef and owner Efe Topuzlu and Ozgur Sefkatli, at the new home of restaurant, Izgara, in Sydney's CBD. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Topuzlu said the reason for Izgara’s closure, after a year in operation at Potts Point, was due to the cost of running a restaurant increasing while people’s spending habits decreased.
“We signed the lease [in Potts Point] before lockdown. Potts Point was buzzing and we were so eager to bring elevated Turkish to the Eastern Suburbs,” he said.

“But then the whole industry changed and we got hit with the industry’s reality.

“We were busy on a Friday and Saturday night, but we would come back on Tuesday and I would drive my car to work and no one would be on the streets.

“It’s not the best experience for the diner because ambience is very important in our venues.

“Izgara was our dream project. We created something we were proud of and sometimes the timing wasn’t right.”

Meaning grill in Turkish, Izgara focus on meat and vegetables cooked by the chef in front of guests. Source: Instagram

The move to the CBD, which offers are more relaxed version of the concept, has seen the demand for the venue to open on Mondays and also introduce a lunch service.

“As an operator you never sacrifice of quality but we’ve removed high end meats to make it more approachable,” Topuzlu said.

“The venue is more compact but the focus is still on the chargrilled meat. But we’ve also added more vegan and vegetarian dishes.”

Highlights on the Izgara, which means grill in Turkish, menu include street food Kokoreç, Saslik Kebab served with eggplant puree and crispy potato, Yamba prawns with dill and herb oil, and Lamb Köfte.

It comes after another Sydney restaurant found new life in a new location: despite positive feedback from customers, after just six months Walsh Bay’s Peruvian restaurant Lima closed because of rising costs, but since moving to a smaller location on Bondi Beach has become a bustling venue.

BANK REFURB WITH FOOD FACELIFT

Newtown’s neighbourhood pub The Bank has not just undergone a renovation to introduce a new garden bar and dining space, it’s also been given a foodie facelift by a former Chiswick and Opera Bar chef.

Following in the footsteps of fellow Solotel-owned pub The Erko – which last year successfully launched a new menu with Chiswick’s Ethan Robinson – The Bank has undergone a transformation.

There’s a new garden bar and grill-style pub menu for The Bank. Picture: Supplied

Head chef Quan Nguyen has introduced a new pub menu which focuses on local seasonal produce cooked over charcoal, and an emphasis on sharing.

Originally from New Zealand, Nguyen began his Australian career at Opera Bar before joining the team at Matt Moran’s Chiswick and becoming senior sous chef.

New menu standouts include share-style dishes such as charred corn ribs with harissa and shaved manchego, wood-fired prawns and also a 1kg, grain-fed T-bone that can be cut to share.

Reflecting the communal dining experience, the new bar menu includes more cocktail jugs such as the little Sicily, which is made with limoncello, peach wine, mandarin, and topped with bubbles.

Solotel’s food and beverage director Joshua Hillary said the decision to revamp the pub, which it acquired in 2012, came off the success of introducing a new food vision at The Erko in Erskineville. “We want The Bank to be multifaceted,” he said.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

A new distillery has opened up in a first for Rouse Hill.

Producing premium spirits like gin and vodka, Hills Distilling Co is the first locally-owned distillery and along with its cellar door experience will incorporate a rotating menu of handmade dumplings from Chef Sebastian Tan’s Macquarie Park restaurant Jinja.

Emily Teelow, Paul Fear and Sarah Fogerty, at the Hills Distilling Co, Rouse Hill — the first distillery in the Hills area. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

During gin masterclasses, Italian bites such as cheese and charcuterie are supplied by Chef Alex Keene from Italian restaurant Sarinos.

The distillery is the project of hospitality group Momento Hospitality, which opened its first venue — a bottle shop — in Baulkham Hills in 1976.

The idea to distil their own spirits came during Covid, when the group started a drive-through bottle shop at one of their venues and constantly sold out of their ready-to-drink cocktails.

General Manager Mirza Baig said the group then decided to make their own spirits, which could be used behind the bars at some of their venues.

“We got the bartenders together and decided to try to make something ourselves … and because it was local, it would be affordable compared to the imported spirits,” Baig said.

The decision to keep the distillery in the area was to support the local community.

“The reason stay in the area is not only because there is a huge population here, but also to give back to the community,” he said.

ANOTHER SLICE OF THE ACTION

Pizza. And Greek. And then, pizza.

One of the founders of Crust Pizza has returned to the slice after conquering the Greek food world.

Peter Augoustis — who was one of the directors of Crust Pizza, which sold to the Retail Food Group in 2012 for $24m — is stepping back into the world of casual pizzas after he launched Zeus Street Greek.

photos of Crust Founder Peter Augoustis' and his new venue, Divide8 Pizza. Supplied

The food mogul has opened a boutique takeaway pizza restaurant, Divide8, in Sydney’s east.

The difference to his initial pizza start-up?

The Waverley-based venue focuses on locally-sourced and sustainable ingredients.

“When you franchise and get into large-scale growth, you start getting away from humble origins like using the butcher down the road,” Augoustis said.

But the local ingredients don’t come with an inflated cost: Divide8 (named after the eight slices pizzas are divided into) offers a happy hour, Tuesday to Thursday, from 5pm to 6pm, where the pizzas cost $15.

HUMBLE TWIST ON HOT CROSS BUN

Variety is the spice of life, and the team at iconic Surry Hills bakery Humble have nailed the brief this year.

They’ve produced three different hot cross buns to choose from, including a classic HCB and a dulce de leche custard-filled bun.

But the intriguing standout is the Reu-bun.

Humble's Hot Cross Reu-bun. Picture: Caroline McCredie

A festive Easter twist on a classic Reuben sandwich, the Humble version cleverly mirrors the spice we know and love in a Hot Cross Bun, with the sinus-whacking heat of a healthy dollop of horseradish cream.

Add the smoky richness of pastrami — smoked right next door at Humble’s sister restaurant Porteño — the sharp sourness of mustard and sauerkraut, and a garnish of skewered cornichon pickle and the Reu-bun has the makings of a mind-bending and refreshingly different Easter treat.

The Reu-bun is being served up at both Humble bakeries: 50 Holt St, Surry Hills and 16 Loftus St, Circular Quay, until April 1.