Former Adgemis venue reborn as Chinese-Australian restaurant with Calombaris menu
A venue once linked to embattled Sydney pub owner Jon Adgemis is set for a revival, with a new Chinese-Australian restaurant opening under different management.
Independent operator Linchpin Hospitality, has taken over the Empire Hotel in Annandale and will officially launch Double Happy Chinese Restaurant this week. The restaurant’s menu will be curated by celebrity chef George Calombaris and feature Australian-Chinese classics such as beef and black bean, sweet and sour pork, and honey and lemon chicken.
“We wanted something casual enough for a midweek dinner, but special enough to bring the in-laws to for a celebration,” Calombaris said. “The Australian-Chinese style of restaurant has a nostalgia that resonates with so many people.”
Dale’s Pizza will also open within the venue with a range of woodfired pizzas.
Linchpin Hospitality has been managing several former Adgemis-owned venues, including Hotel Diplomat in Potts Point, which is set to reopen in the coming months and Exchange Hotel in Balmain, scheduled for a winter relaunch. The group is also involved with new hotel projects at Claridge House in Darlinghurst and the former Noah’s Backpackers site in Bondi Beach.
Meanwhile, Solotel Group has taken over three former Public Hospitality Group venues—the Norfolk in Redfern, Camelia Grove Hotel in Alexandria, and Oxford House in Paddington.
Adgemis, whose company ran into financial trouble in 2024, now has only a landlord-tenant relationship with Linchpin and holds no operational role in the business.
Jonathan Jackson, 3rd February 2025
