Two giants of Sydney’s restaurant scene are headed to The Crown at Barangaroo, with one of the city’s most iconic restaurants making its triumphant return after a three-year closure.

Wishful whispers of a Golden Century renaissance have been swirling practically since news broke of the Sussex Street closure. Today, the Wong family announced that the OG GC will be back with its XO pipis, mountains of snow crab and pillowy fried bread at its new home in Barangaroo. 

Not to be outdone, Golden Century will be joined by Bondi stalwart, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. Restaurateur Maurice Terzini is branching out of the east and into the CBD with the opening of Icebergs Harbour Bar. 

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In an Instagram post on Thursday morning, the Golden Century Group announced the end of its tenure at The Star in Pyrmont, with the closure of its satellite restaurant The Century planned for December 28.

The much-anticipated reopening of Golden Century will bring back original Sussex Street menu favourites like live lobster cooked two ways, abalone steamboat, Peking duck, salt and pepper squid, a yum cha lunch offering and, naturally, tender pipis doused in a rich XO gravy.

For decades, Golden Century was a go-to destination for its unmatched late-night dining experience and fast-paced service into the wee hours. Have you even had a night out in Sydney if you didn’t end up surrounded by seafood tanks and empty bottles of Tsingtao? The new GC will move into a fresh setting on The Crown’s level three in early 2025. 

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Also making a splash at The Crown will be the reimagined Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, the Bondi icon that has long been synonymous with the Sydney long lunch. Icebergs Harbour Bar will showcase the talents of Terzini’s bar team when it takes over the TWR lobby bar and terrace in December 2024. 

Famous for its stunning views of Bondi Beach and its elegant, relaxed atmosphere, Icebergs will bring the essence of waterfront dining to the city’s urban landscape. The opening of the new venue at Crown marks a big step in the expansion of Icebergs after the group announced it will be opening an Icebergs venue at Sydney Airport in 2025.

Together, Golden Century and Icebergs represent two pillars of Sydney’s dining culture – Golden Century with its deep-rooted tradition and mastery of Cantonese cuisine; and Icebergs with its contemporary, coastal sensibility. In a town that as tough for restaurants to survive in as Sydney, with its ever-changing tides and trends, the two restaurants prove that sometimes, it pays to be a rock.

Icebergs Harbour Bar will open at The Crown Sydney in December 2024, followed by Golden Century in early 2025. 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo.