Just In: Bobbie’s, Neil Perry’s “First Real Bar”, Has Closed

Final drinks have been poured at Bobbie’s , the Double Bay basement bar Neil Perry opened in September last year in partnership with his wife Samantha Perry and longtime friends Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson (the couple behind spectacular New York bars Dante and Caffe Dante ).

“Linden and I have mutually agreed to close Bobbie’s,” Neil said in a statement. “Linden’s US-based hospitality group, Dante, is expanding rapidly, with multiple new venues planned across America in the next 18 months. Our landlords are in discussions with prospective operators interested in taking over the space.”

The news comes following reporting in the AFR speculating over the future of Bobbie’s and a floor in Song Bird’s second-floor space. The Perrys opened the multistorey Cantonese restaurant around the same time, in the Gaden House building above. Since those reports, diners have voiced concerns Song Bird is closing, according to Perry.

“Song Bird is absolutely not closing,” Neil said. “The article referenced ongoing discussions with our landlords about strategically realigning operations within Gaden House, where we currently operate across four floors.”

One floor of Song Bird will be “relinquished and repurposed as a private office tenancy”, after the size of the restaurant proved trickier than expected. This takes the seating down to 140, coinciding with a new menu that includes flavours from across Asia. “Song Bird will now be the ideal size to manage and a key part of the Margaret Family Precinct moving forward.”