Plans for New York style rooftop bar with mezzanine to boost Manly’s small bar scene
He’s worked in some of the coolest venues around the world, but now Matt Clifton is looking to revolutionise the small bar scene in Manly with a new rooftop bar and mezzanine.
Manly
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Manly could have a bar scene to rival Sydney’s CBD or Melbourne, says the man behind the suburb’s latest new venue which has seen patrons queuing for more than an hour to get in during its few weeks of opening.
Matt Clifton — who also owns Donny’s Bar and InSitu — opened The Cumberland in Central Ave last month, and has bold plans to add several bars onto the back of Donny’s, including a New York loft-style rooftop bar.
“Manly is not at the same level as Sydney’s CBD or Melbourne in terms of its bar scene, but it has the potential,” Mr Clifton said.
“More small bars will increase the desirability of the place.”
He is keen to add to his collection of quirky small bars. The latest, The Cumberland, is a prohibition inspired drinking den with vintage furnishings, and a secret entrance.
It is only accessible through a 1920s fridge door, at the back of a tiny deli on Central Ave.
Mr Clifton said he wanted to create a quality venue with a point of difference and said it was attracting a broad age range from those in their 30s through to their 60s.
His next project, which has been in the works for some time, is a rooftop bar with a retractable roof and a mezzanine, which — if it gets the go ahead — may just have the wow factor to tempt people to come across from the city for a night out, he said.
“It’s a statement piece,” Mr Clifton said.
There would be multiple bars and two entrances, one from Sydney Rd and the other Market Lane, the entrance to Donny’s.
The first floor would be a rooftop with a mezzanine.
Mr Clifton, a former Merivale operations manager, said Manly already had a variety of quality bars but he was aiming for a niche market, offering something a little different and he was prepared to invest heavily.
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He said he had faith that Manly as a suburb had a lot of pull power and that having worked and travelled around the world, it was somewhere he was willing to invest a lot of money.
“Manly is a place I’m proud of and where I call home,” he said.
“I have travelled quite widely, but Manly is still up there as my number one spot.”
Mr Clifton said the planning process has had its challenges and he was still negotiating final details with the new landlord.
But he said he would like to get the project started as soon as possible