Sydney’s Palm Beach has long been a summer magnet for visiting Hollywood celebrities and even the occasional European royal, but this week the attention is on its own 77-year-old grand dame, the born-again Barrenjoey Boatshed.

Formerly part of the giant Boathouse Group stable (which has numerous venues from Patonga to Rose Bay), the site was snapped up last August by seasoned hospitality operator Rob Domjen and restaurateur and publican Ben May, who was cashed-up after the sale of his Manly Wharf Hotel. On Thursday, February 15, it reopens as The Joey.

“The Joey is the locals’ term for the wave at the north end of Palm Beach under Barrenjoey headland,” May explains.

The old boat shed, a Palm Beach landmark since 1947, is within Governor Phillip Park and has undergone a $7 million rebuild “from the water up”. May and Domjen deliberately steered away from a decorative beach vibe with its interior design.

“It’s still coastal but more refined and grown-up,” May says. Expect custom tables, cork ceilings, leather banquettes and mid-century-style chairs.

While you can still rock up to its front garden and back deck areas, there’s a more serious approach to the new dining room. “We don’t want it to be seen as a cafe,” May says. “It’s too good a site not to take the food seriously.”

French chef Guillaume Dubois (ex ESQ Bar & Dining and Reign at the QVB) will oversee a menu featuring lobster frites, king crab with chilli and garlic and snapper with fresh herbs and lemon.

You’ll still be able to grab a quick burger or pizza in the garden and deck areas. Eventually, the venue will add a small caravan with a takeaway kiosk menu.

May and Domjen have also taken over the wharf, with longer-term plans to allow boating customers to book a berth, or make grab-and-go takeaway orders.

May, who took his Sydney venue Mrs Sippy to Bali and co-owns the Burleigh Pavilion on the Gold Coast, says the food pitch is similar to the latter venue.

“Having [previously] lived up here on northern beaches, and having lots of friends who still live up here, they feel there is the need for something like this, something fresh and a little elevated,” May says.

Domjen says locals were invited to pre-opening sunset drinks on Sunday, offering an early look at the venue. “After being closed for around four years, it was great to have all those familiar faces back there, enjoying such a beautiful space.”

Open breakfast and lunch Sun-Thu; breakfast, lunch and dinner Fri-Sat

Governor Phillip Park, Palm Beach, thejoeypalmbeach.com.au