When Broadsheet’s Dan Cunningham visited newly opened Pyrmont cafe The Goodsline in 2021, he wrote that “the cafe’s centrepiece, a 360-degree marble-topped bar, acts like a central nervous system, sending out coffee and pastries to sharply dressed patrons.”

The Pyrmont cafe – opened by Jack Hanna, co-creator of The Grounds of Alexandria and The Grounds of Sydney – is on the ground floor of a relatively new commercial building near the harbour end of one of Sydney’s former industrial suburbs.

Its name honours the history of the area, which was home to CSR sugar company in the 1870s, with a transport line to take goods from Darling Harbour to Parramatta and beyond. “The idea for this place was to be a station or a stop,” said Hanna at the time of opening.

Never miss a Sydney moment. Make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter today.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Less than a year later, The Goodsline has taken out the award for best cafe design in the Australia-Pacific region at the global Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.

The cafe’s design, by Sydney architecture firm Luchetti Krelle, features a shaded, plant-filled courtyard and industrial interiors that pay homage to transport, with elements including carriage-style seating and huge hopper windows. It has a “handsome blend of art deco and industrial elements, with Persian runners and moody pendant lighting to create an effect that’s both timeless and transporting,” wrote Cunningham in 2021.

Of the 24 Australian restaurants, bars, beachside diners and neighbourhood eateries that made the shortlist, five Aussie venues came out on top. In Victoria, vegan diner Lona Misa won the hotel category in the Australia and Pacific region; South Yarra tea bar Yugen won best surface design in the region; and lavish butcher Victor Churchill won best standalone venue in the Australia and Pacific region. The biggest award for an Aussie venue was for subterranean cocktail bar Curious, which won best ceiling in the world.

The awards ceremony for the London-based Restaurant Bar & Design Awards 2022 will take place in October. This year’s judging panel included designers, editors and hospitality experts, including Merivale’s Emma Palmer, restaurateur Scott Pickett (Smith St Bistro, Longrain, Chancery Lane), and Good Atelier founder Aaron Crinis (Glorietta, Glory Days).

restaurantandbardesignawards.com