Eastside Grill is a homage to the NY Meatpackers warehouse dining experience. Dark, sexy and theatrical, the restaurant features a finely crafted bespoke interior. A leather panelled-bar sits affront the bronze back bar display. A custom brass light fixture, a runway of herringbone flooring and a backdrop by famous Belgian born artist Caratoes all marrying the existing raw structure of this 100 year old building with the classic elements of a New York grill.

Briefed by the developer to create a space that is a homage to his favourite city and dining experience, the heritage listed Old Rum warehouse on Kensington Street has so much inherent character that the elements for a US / Japanese fusion grill marry beautifully to create a dark and theatrical customer experience. Leaving the bones of the building exposed and inserting the main design features like a stage set adds to the experience.

The planning of the space presented particular challenges as the brief was to condense the kitchen as much as possible to ensure a greater volume of space for the front of house. We worked closely with the head chef to ensure as much food theatre as possible was exposed but hiding the things that shouldn’t be seen as well as positioning the services to limited exit points from the building.

Designed by Giant Design
Photography by Andrew Worssam Photography