City laneway bar 1000 Island to close, with new owner, the man behind Cry Baby Bar, set to relaunch the venue next month

A popular laneway bar will serve last drinks next month, but a new owner is planning to relaunch the space – complete with a very unique feature.

City bar 1000 Island is closing its doors next month. Picture: Facebook.

The owners of a popular laneway bar have revealed they’re calling last drinks later this month.

But the city venue, 1000 Island, in Solomon Street, won’t be closed for long, with its new owner Jon Di Pinto – the man behind neighbouring nightspot Cry Baby – planning to revive the space before the end of the year.

Mr Di Pinto said the yet-to-be-named venue will be an extension of Cry Baby, once visited by Hollywood star Zac Efron, with the two bars connected “through an opening in the wall”.

“So you will be able to walk between the venues, it’s going to be cohesive with Cry Baby, just a little less chaos and an 80s vibe,” he said.

Cry baby bar in Adelaide. Picture: Facebook

One of 1000 Island’s owner-operators, Dan Vaughan, said they weren’t planning to close the bar, which had been trading well in recent months.

But Mr Vaughan said the quartet of owners, including Josh Dolman, Ash Wilson, Rob Denisoff, had received an offer which was “significant” and too good to refuse.

The bar, which first opened in 2019, will now serve last drinks on November 19.

“We’ve all been busy with other projects … so when we got the offer we all looked at each other and thought, ‘Is it time?’,” said Mr Vaughan, who also runs Pastel Wine Bar in North Adelaide.

“I think it’s a win for everyone, we’ve had four fantastic years and we’re really proud of what we’ve built.”

City bar 1000 Island has been open for four years. Picture: Facebook.

The owners of City bar 1000 Island said they already looking to bring the brand back at a new larger location. Picture: Facebook.

The quartet also own Sunny’s Pizza, located next door, which will remain open for business.

Mr Vaughan said they were also hoping to bring the 1000 Island brand back at a new, bigger site next year.

He said they were already looking at a couple of locations in the city and hope to secure one in the coming weeks.

“One of the things that slightly hamstrung us was the size of the venue.

People want to boogie on the weekend so we want to give our customers a comfortable experience. That’s the next step,” he said.

Originally published as City laneway bar 1000 Island to close, with new owner, the man behind Cry Baby Bar, set to relaunch the venue next month