Christopher Pearce
It’s rare for an Australian restaurant opening to cause a shift in the global culinary conversation, but that’s what happened when Josh Niland and his wife Julie opened Saint Peter, in Sydney’s Paddington, in 2016. The seafood eatery, which pioneered Niland’s “scale-to-tail” approach of cooking with almost every part of the fish, grows in international (and local) esteem each year. It’s one of Australia’s finest restaurants, and it’s become an important participant in the global seafood and fishery sustainability conversation.
And now, after two years of eager anticipation, Josh and Julie Niland’s Saint Peter has finally opened in Paddington’s iconic and long-vacant Grand National Hotel, in one of the most exciting new openings (or in this case, re-openings) of 2024.
The restaurant’s opening will be followed by the unveiling of the 14-bedroom boutique hotel later this year. More than doubling in size from its original Oxford Street home, the 40-seat dining room is joined by a 30-seat bar and private dining on the ground floor. The room features kitchen-side seating, as well as a custom-made chef’s table for six guests that captures all the action from the pass. The addition of the bar will see Niland serve Sydney rock oysters and a best-of menu from the Fish Butchery; while the restaurant will be a continuation of Niland’s elegant nose-to-scale approach to sustainable seafood. Dinner features a set menu, with an à la carte offering at lunchtime.
Earlier this year, the Nilands announced Fish Butchery’s Oxford Street outpost and Charcoal Fish in Rose Bay would close to make way for their ambitious Grand National Hotel plans and relocation of Saint Peter.
“We are excited about the challenge ahead of not just moving into a beautiful home for Saint Peter but also expanding our expression of hospitality to a wonderful bar and boutique hotel,” says Niland in a statement before Saint Peter’s relocation. “The luxury accommodation has been so beautifully designed that you will think you are in Paris – until you see the quintessentially Paddington rooftops and beautiful gum trees out your window.”
Saint Peter has now reopened in the Grand National Hotel in Paddington. Reservations for Saint Peter are now open for August and September.
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