Watermans, a vibrant Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, is now open in Barangaroo – steps from Sydney Harbour. The 120-seat venue, which features both indoor and alfresco spaces, is from The Bentley Group, led by sommelier Nick Hildebrandt and chef Brent Savage. If those names ring a bell, the dynamite duo is behind some of Sydney’s hottest restaurants, including King Clarence, Bentley Restaurant and Bar and the recently opened Eleven Barrack.
It’s not the first Barangaroo venue for the group; their flagship seafood restaurant Cirrus lured in diners from 2016 until it closed last year.
Expect bold, robust and technicolour dishes inspired by Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Lebanon at Watermans. Executive chef Darryl Martin is leading the kitchen, drawing on his time cooking in Marrickville’s now-closed Barzaari.
Hildebrandt says: “2025 has been a huge year for The Bentley Group. We started the year with the launch of Eleven Barrack, and we’re ending it back in Barangaroo with Watermans, right in time for summer.”
Savage adds: “I’m thrilled to welcome Darryl into The Bentley Group family. The menu for Watermans is inspired by the cuisine of the Levant and highlights the best of Australian produce. It has a strong emphasis on vegetable-forward dishes, and it’s been fun to collaborate with Darryl, whose cooking I’ve long admired, especially his work at Barzaari.”
The opening menu features wood-fired sourdough pita with nigella seeds; tiropita with creamy feta, bahri date and a caper leaf; hummus with green zhoug and mint; labneh with salted cucumber, pomegranate and lemon jam; raw tuna with watermelon, yoghurt and fig leaf oil; and wood-fired scallops with pomegranate, brown butter and sesame praline.
More substantial dishes include whole wood-fired flounder with broad beans and smoked tomato savoro; roasted chicken with preserved lemon, parsley and green olive; and lamb shoulder with harissa, black lime, cinnamon and toum. If you feel like something sweet, try the halva ice cream with date granita and muscovado vinegar, or the brik bougatsa with cherry jam and aniseed sorbet.
And because this is a Nick Hildebrandt spot, you can expect the wine to be excellent – including an incredible 2024 Zafeirakis Malagousia from Greece’s Thessaly region.
Watermans doesn’t have set dining times, and there are no out-by times, meaning you won’t have to scull your glass of wine before you’re ready to leave. You can settle in for the long run and not feel rushed. How good.
Address: 88 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney, Australia 2000
Find out more here.
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