The Taphouse in Darlinghurst will reopen on September 13 with Chinese food, craft beers and a refreshed rooftop bar.

Sydney group Applejack Hospitality, known for hatted North Sydney restaurant RAFI and Surry Hills pub Forrester’s, took just three months to sharpen up the interiors after the former tenant went into liquidation in May.

“It was too good of an opportunity to pass up,” Applejack co-founder and director Hamish Watts told Good Food.

“It’s got such amazing character, with beautiful timber flooring and original ceilings, so we tried to keep as much of that as we could.”

The ground floor will feel familiar to regulars, retaining its “moody, comfortable” character with a long marble bar, pressed tin ceilings and original 1920s wood staircase. Upstairs, there’ll be space for DJs, parties and trivia.

Watts says the refreshed rooftop channels the feeling of a Parisian summer with a fresh lick of blue paint, white picnic tables and linen umbrellas.

Head chef Sam Ng arrives from Hong Kong fine-dining restaurant The Praya to create pub-friendly riffs on casual Cantonese dishes, like cruller prawn toast with sweet and sour sauce and Jang’s egg noodles with crispy pork belly.

There’ll also be some Singaporean classics on the menu, like black pepper crab.

“We hope to share our part in celebrating the world’s greatest cuisine,” says Applejack culinary director Patrick Friesen, who previously worked with Ng at Brisbane Cantonese restaurant Stanley.

Friesen says Cantonese food brings a sense of comfort and familiarity to the menu, two essential elements for a great pub feed.

“Have you ever tried salt and pepper squid with a beer? It’s a fantastic combo,” he says.

The Taphouse will retain its commitment to craft beer, with 20 taps of local brews from the likes of Philter, Freshwater Brewing and Mountain Culture.

The pub became an early pioneer of craft beer when Stomping Ground founders Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone changed the Palace Hotel into The Local Taphouse in 2008.

Brothers Josh and James Thorpe took over in 2017 and introduced the first iteration of Odd Culture on the second floor in 2018.

James Thorpe split from his brother to found Odd Culture Group in 2020, and now runs the hatted Newtown restaurant of the same name.

Open Mon-Wed 4pm-11pm; Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri-Sat noon-1am; Sun 11.30am-11pm
122 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst