Chris Lucas brings Grill Americano to Sydney's Chifley Square
Celebrated Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas is set to bring his acclaimed Grill Americano to Sydney, taking over the entire ground floor of the iconic No. 1 Chifley Square building. The move marks a significant expansion for Lucas, who already has a presence in Sydney with Chin Chin in Surry Hills.
“I fell in love with the building years ago when I was staying at the Wentworth Hotel next door,” Lucas says of the curved, 1950s building, formerly known as Qantas House. The building’s glass façade will provide Grill Americano Sydney with prominent street frontage when it opens in September.
Lucas is joining a growing number of grill-style restaurants already established. Recent additions include Eleven Barrack from the team behind Bentley Bar + Restaurant, and The Grill at The International in Martin Place, which recently received two Good Food hats. Grill Americano will also find itself in close proximity to Rockpool Bar & Grill.
Lucas is no stranger to navigating heritage buildings, having successfully launched Chin Chin in the historic Griffiths Teas building in 2017. His wife and design director, Sarah Lucas, fresh from the launch of Maison Batard in Melbourne, will oversee the Sydney restaurant's interior design.
The location is opposite the new Martin Place metro station entrance.
Grill Americano will offer a unique take on the traditional grill. “I didn’t want it to be too masculine,” Lucas told Good Food. “More than half our clientele [in Melbourne] are women. It’s not a blokey steakhouse.”
While a strong meat program will be a feature, Grill Americano, as the name suggests, will draw inspiration from both American and Italian culinary traditions. “I always admired those big New York brasserie grills,” Lucas said, “but I’ve also drawn a lot of inspiration from Harry’s Bar in Venice, with that almost mid-century style of food presentation and waiters in white jackets.”
The menu will feature dishes ranging from wagyu eye-fillet and bistecca alla pizzaiola to signature items like spanner crab linguine aglio e olio, which will make the journey north.
“Sydney has a bigger kitchen, so we’re going to dial up our pasta section,” Lucas said. “It’ll have an oyster and crustacea bar, which we don’t have in Melbourne.” A wine program featuring 7000 to 8000 bottles, many already cellared, is also planned.
Lucas has been actively expanding his hospitality group, with the addition of Canberra restaurant Carlotta late last year. He describes Melbourne as “a Eurocentric city” and says Grill Americano Sydney will inherit some of that influence. While the restaurant’s signature dark blue colour palette will be retained, Lucas emphasizes that it will embrace its new Sydney home.
Jonathan Jackson, 20th February 2025
