When Belles Hot Chicken opened in Melbourne’s Fitzroy in 2014, it read like a recipe for success: Nashville-style fried chicken, natural wine and two top chefs. And it was – the diner, founded by Morgan McGlone (Sunday) and Aaron Turner (Igni), expanded to multiple locations in Melbourne and up to Sydney. And while its founding chefs have departed the business, and it’s stripped back to have just two eateries in each city – in Sydney they’re in Barangaroo and Forest Lodge’s Tramsheds – this spicy chicken joint is still going strong.

Now, Sydney’s original Belles, which opened in Barangaroo in 2016, has had a makeover in an effort to return it to its neighbourhood-diner roots. The canteen-style set-up remains, but designer Vicki Punch (Grana, Lana) has taken cues from ’70s American diners, lining the walls and counter with wood panelling and vintage brown tiles, installing shiny chrome sconce lighting, and swapping out timber tables for long tile-topped tables with accompanying stools. For new owner Joss Jenner-Leuthart, the revamp isn’t about launching a new version of Belles – it’s more an effort to realign the diner with its roots.

“In my mind, we’re growing Belles to where it should have always grown – the home of comfort,” Jenner-Leuthart, a New Zealand-born restaurateur and self-described Belles “fanboy”, tells Broadsheet. “We quietly shed ourselves of venues that weren’t right for our vision of returning to our neighbourhood roots – such as in Sydney’s Darling Square – and slowly renovated our existing homes … to claim the place for comfort food, comfort drinks, neighbourhood hospitality and good vibes.”

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Piping from the speakers is Belles Hot Radio, which streams live from Paris into every Belles venue. It’s in collaboration with DJ Etienne Tron, the founder of France’s Secousse radio. “It’s a little disco, little soul, a splash of hip-hop and rap, even a little house-y and wild in the evening, but guaranteed feel-good vibes at all times,” Jenner-Leuthart says, hinting at future in-venue live sets.

For now, the menu is remaining the same – that crunchy fried chicken with your choice of heat level (including original, hot, “really hot” and “really f**kin hot”) is the centrepiece, with sides like fries, potato and gravy, and mac’n’cheese. There’s also the famous Belles Bucket of 16 wings with your choice of heat, four sides and four sauces, plus a spicy chicken sandwich.

The drinks menu, though, has been “dialled up significantly” according to Jenner-Leuthart, with its natural wine menu expanded. It’s packed with mainly Australian pours by makers such as Gentle Folk, The Other Right, Momento Mori and Das Juice, as well as a handful of bottles from France’s Beaujolais region and Italy. There are also new boozy slushies, including a version inspired by whisky and coke, as well as a beer brewed with Adelaide’s Pirate Life.

“Belles was born in a Fitzroy diner,” says Jenner-Leuthart. “The original Belles Fitzroy vibe was pure block party. A hang-out, a place to get up to mischief – more than just a spot to hit the chicken. Vinyl and disco ball spinning, equal parts hot chicken and booze, low lighting, high energy and absolutely no pretence – just pure unadulterated indulgence. A little diner, a little American, a little Fitzroy.”

Belles Hot Chicken Barangaroo
5/33 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo

Hours:
Daily 11.30am–9.30pm

belleshotchicken.com
@belleshotchicken

Additional reporting by Sarah Norris.