Coming Soon: The Reine Team To Open Prive, a New Venue in the Safe Deposit Building

Though founded in Sydney, Rebecca Yazbek’s Edition Hospitality (formerly Nomad Group) has become a custodian of some of Melbourne’s great historic buildings. In 2023, it transformed the Cathedral Room of Melbourne’s former stock exchange into Reine, one of the city’s most impressive dining rooms. And at the end of 2025, it took over one of Melbourne’s oldest restaurants, Florentino.

In 2025, the group also signed a lease to the ground floor of the former Safe Deposit Building at 90 Queen Street. The 1890 heritage-listed, William Pitt-designed building, which was also formerly part of the Melbourne Stock Exchange, is right around the corner from Reine and the grand diner’s adjoining wine bar La Rue.

Come mid-July, it will be home to Prive, a two-part venue with interiors designed by a team led by Stacey King, who also oversaw the design for Reine and La Rue. The new venue is divided into two distinct spaces. Turn right when you enter, and you’ll find a private dining space with room for up to 32 people that will “be a sort of extension of Reine and La Rue”, says group culinary director Michael Greenlaw. Head left and wander into Bar Prive, a moody 24-seat cocktail bar open to the public.

Overseeing the drinks is group bar manager Felix Woods, whose 15-year career includes time at some of Melbourne’s best cocktail bars including The Everleigh, Above Board, Black Pearl and Romeo Lane. “We want a through-line connecting [Reine and La Rue to Prive], so there will be a familiar tone, but at the same time it absolutely has to be its own thing,” Woods says.

“Reine’s bar is there to support the food and the overall experience, and there’s a lot to compete with. At Prive we’ll have the luxury of being able to tone things down a bit visually, let the drinks speak for themselves, and explore more subtle flavours that might otherwise get missed in the bustle of a grand dining room.”

Cocktails will be classically styled, less maximalist than at Reine and incorporate spirits from small local and European producers. He’s particularly excited about two drinks that are “both long overdue a revival”: a Sazerac and a Kir Royale.

With classic drinks will come classic bar snacks from Greenlaw and Reine and La Rue executive chef Andy Roche. The Prive kitchen will turn out Reine’s duck liver and foie gras parfait and new small plates including a French dip baguette that nods to the New York French restaurants that initially inspired Reine.

Reine already has a sibling bar, but Woods says the cocktail program at Bar Prive will be “worlds away from La Rue”. La Rue is typically a place where diners bookend a meal at Reine, and while people will certainly do the same with Bar Prive, the bar is very much designed to stand on its own.

Prive will open at 90 Queen Street, Melbourne, in July.

Bookings open Wednesday June 10.

@prive.melbourne