Sydney icon Tetsuya’s will close permanently after 35-year run
One of Sydney’s best chefs has revealed why his restaurant, a staple of the city’s dining scene, is closing after 35 years.
Iconic Sydney restaurant Tetsuya’s will permanently close on July 31 after a 35-year run.
The fine dining establishment, best known for its eight-course degustation menu, announced the news on Monday, sending a ripple of sorrow through the city’s foodie community.
Chef and owner Tetsuya Wakuda said plans to relocate the restaurant to a new site had fallen through, leading to the ultimate decision to close permanently.
Wakuda had been exploring potential new locations for the restaurant since the Kent Street site was earmarked for development after its sale in 2018.
“Our plans to relocate Tetsuya’s to a new site after it closes at the end of July have unfortunately not worked out and I have made the very difficult decision to permanently close the restaurant,” Wakuda said in a statement.
“We have spent the last 18 months planning the move and the new restaurant so this was not an easy decision, but sometimes things just don’t go to plan.”
Originally arriving in Australia in 1982 with limited culinary experience, Wakuda quickly rose in the culinary world, opening Tetsuya’s in 1989 in Rozelle, which became famous for its fusion of Japanese and French cuisines.
The restaurant gained critical acclaim and multiple awards, making both the restaurant and Wakuda famous internationally.
Tetsuya’s signature dish, confit ocean trout, became iconic in the culinary scene and had attracted some big names over its three-decade span.
Wakuda expanded his culinary ventures globally, including a brief stint in London and more successful establishments in Singapore and Las Vegas and Dubai.
Despite his international success, the Sydney restaurant had struggled in recent years.
Staff uncertainty about the restaurant’s future grew as relocation plans remained unclear, leading to the departure of executive chef Josh Raine in February.