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[title]It’s not a stretch to say that Bondi’s Icebergs Dining Room and Bar is as synonymous with the famous stretch of golden sand that it overlooks as the surfers gliding on the waves. Which isn’t surprising, seeing as Maurice Terzini’s sleek restaurant first opened its doors to the beautiful people of Bondi two decades ago in 2002.
Now, after a seven-month-long restoration, the coastal Italian venue has swung open its doors once again, reopening on its 20th anniversary – to the day. If that doesn’t call for a bottle of Champagne to be popped, we don’t know what does.
In a harmonious move, Terzini has collaborated with the original design team who brought his vision to life all those years ago, Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering from Rome’s Lazzarini Pickering Architetti. Together they’ve brought us Icebergs 2.0, making sure that the renos were in line with the original ethos for the venue, while bringing it into the now.
So, what’s different about the new Icebergs? Well, for one, there's a new 50-seat Pacific Dining Room, which sits where the former terrace space used to, bringing diners more of those uninterrupted ocean views they love. Inspired by the moods of the ocean, the interior has lots of cool sea greens and ocean blues, and in the summer months, the white tablecloths will be swept away, to show off the new custom-tiled tables made by one of the oldest tilers in Italy outside Florence. There’s new lighting, a huge seafood glass counter, and wine fridges in the dining room allowing waiters to serve all wines chilled. Plus, Icebergs is launching its Sunset Lunch, which kicks off every Sunday at 4pm, taking guests on a long lunch to the Mediterranean with music to match.
Of course, the world-class views – of the beach and the very ’gramable azure pool – are just the same. And you can still expect to find the elegant coastal Italian food that Icebergs is renowned for. It’s just served in a fresh new space.
As for Maurice, he’s grateful for the restorations, saying, “I see how fortunate I am. This opportunity doesn’t come around often. There are restaurants all around the world, but how many of them become institutions? To be a custodian of a place like this, it’s a body of work, it’s about dedication.”
Love Icebergs? You can now take a piece of the restaurant home with you. Terzini and the team have created a tribute book in celebration of the 20th anniversary called Icebergs Dining Room and Bar 2002–2022. It looks back on the food, drinks, architecture, parties and more from the last two decades, featuring recipes of former chefs including Karen Martini and Orazio D'Elia.
Icebergs 2.0, we’ll raise a glass for you today. Here’s to the next 20 years.