Back to the future: 1980s restaurant The Lazy Lobster returns to Brighton-Le-Sands

A beloved restaurant, which used to book out six months in advance, is returning to intense fanfare decades after it dominated the local hospitality scene. Go behind the scenes ahead of the reopening.

Bill Mougios is at the helm again. Picture: Jonathan Ng

A beloved seafood restaurant from the 1980s is returning to Brighton-Le-Sands to intense fanfare, decades after it dominated the hospitality scene in southern Sydney.

Following weeks of speculation, owner and renowned Greek restaurateur Bill Mougios will reopen The Lazy Lobster on Monday night, serving up favourites from the original menu, along with seasonal specials, right next door to its former haunt on the Grand Parade.

Ever since the iconic red lobster sign reappeared one month ago, staff have received 30 to 40 calls a day from locals clamouring to make bookings and inquiries for the elusive opening night.

The excitement might seem excessive, but former customers would remember a time when tables were booked out six months in advance and staff knew diners on a first-name basis during the restaurant’s heyday in the ’80s.

Mr Mougios opened and ran the venue before it changed hands and closed in the mid-1990s. Decades later, he promises the new Lazy Lobster would still have its family-friendly charm.

Owner Bill Mougios toasts to the new restaurant before it opens next Monday. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The old Lazy Lobster on the Grand Parade.

The new Lazy Lobster will open next door to the former site, in the old Eurobay restaurant venue. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“A lot of people used to come here as kids and now they are in their 30s and 40s … so they have become the people that are going to come back and they remember what we were doing (in the ’80s),” Mr Mougios said.

“One man (an old customer) called me the other night and said ‘I want my table every week’.

A sneak peek of the new menu. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“My belief is, or my philosophy is, the return of the customer is my profit. So I’ll make it affordable for people and they’re going to come back.”

Although the old palm-tree wallpaper and Hawaiian decor have been swapped out for a more modern look, old favourites like the seafood platter, snapper tail, Sydney oysters and linguine prawn pasta will be back on the slimmed-down menu.

Mr Mougios said he decided to take the plunge and reopen the restaurant after noticing affordable seafood options dwindling in the area, where he also runs Bay Vista, the Grand Roxy and Meet the Greek.

The goal remains to serve as many fresh, local ingredients as possible straight from the Sydney fish markets and to keep prices down, especially as locals “do it tough” during the cost-of-living crisis.

Remnants of the Eurobay restaurant have been incorporated into the decor. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Mr Mougios said the new Lazy Lobster would be welcoming and family-oriented. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“We’re not going to go into that modernised thing where you serve one prawn … and pay top dollar,” he said.

“We’re not opening a seafood restaurant hitting people over the head with prices … people come here to enjoy seafood, for it to be affordable, and to come back again.”

The Lazy Lobster will seat 70 to 80 people in the former Eurobay site and will be open for dinner from Monday to Saturday, with a special lunch and dinner offer on Sunday.