Coming Soon: Parisian Cool and “Light-Touch” French Cooking to Hit the Old Bar Julius Site

The team behind The Apollo, Cho Cho San and Olympus is expanding its Redfern footprint by opening two venues within the former Lottie and Bar Julius dining rooms in November. We got the details on Japanese rooftop spot Tenjo last week, and now we’re meeting Baptiste, a neighbourhood French restaurant on the ground floor.

“We’re opening it up, so you’ll be able to walk in off the street,” says the group’s co-founder Jonathan Barthelmess. “So it’s not a hotel restaurant, it’s a restaurant attached to a hotel.”

Where French food can lean richer, Baptiste is keeping it simple. “Whatever we do is going to be traditional classic bistro dishes, but just with a really light touch. Neighbourhood French. Inexpensive. Drop-in anytime of the day.”

In a job change that maintains his exact commute time, Olympus chef Luke Papalia (ex-Pilu at Freshwater, Norma’s Deli) is joining as head chef, taking on Barthelmess’s menu that flows from 7am till late. There’s fresh goat’s cheese and baguettes baked on-site, crudités and buttery tart shells filled with caramelised onions and olives. A substantial salad section brings classics like nicoise, caesar and lyonnais, while a seasonally changing offal dish could prove as big a winner as the fried lamb brains at Olympus.

“There’s rotisserie chicken, steak frites and butcher’s cut steak on rotation, and a big focus on oysters,” adds Barthelmess. Marron is poached and tuna steaks come au poivre, both served under a mess of pomme allumettes (French fries as thin as matchsticks). “There’s going to be a lunch set menu if you want that – just really simple, tasty, elegant French food.” To finish, three classics: crème caramel, profiteroles and rum baba.

When the Liquid & Larder team debuted the space as Bar Julius, glossy red tiles framed an off-street entrance, and artist Louise Olsen’s Still Life was blown up, printed and stretched across a double-arched Barrisol ceiling. At Baptiste, you’ll enter a new doorway straight off the street, where tables will be scattered across the footpath. The windows will be dropped down to street level, so the bistro “feels like it’s part of the neighbourhood”, while a new curation of art and antiques will join Olsen’s piece. “It will feel very different,” says Barthelmess. “There’s a lot of mirror going into the space, a lot of wine bottles and a big gantry over the bar.”

Expect a dedicated oyster bar and a bar-top wine bucket, stocked with the day’s by-the-glass offering. Bottles from here and afar will join specials from the team’s cellar, curated by co-founder Sam Christie. Matt Whiley’s cocktails complete the drinks list, best explored during one of the two daily happy hours, at 4pm and 10pm.

While Baptiste will stand on its own, The Eve is a key part of the restaurant. Newspapers from around the world will be stacked at the entrance, and guests will find breakfast inside. It’s hoped that, after licensing is sorted, drinks in the lobby become a reality, too. “We just want to embrace it. We love the guys at the hotel, we believe in it, we just want to work with them to make it as good as it can be.” 

Baptiste will open at 8 Baptiste Street, Redfern, in November 2026.

@baptisterestaurant