Quay

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Restaurant That Defined an Era

From its perch at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks, Quay spent more than two decades as one of the most celebrated addresses in Australian dining. The story began in 1988 as Bilson's, and in 1999 the restaurant was reborn as Quay — a name that would go on to represent the very peak of Modern Australian cuisine on the world stage.

Under the stewardship of chef Peter Gilmore and restaurateur Leon Fink, the kitchen operated with a quiet, unwavering commitment to craft and flavour. That commitment did not go unnoticed. Quay appeared in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list five consecutive times, reaching as high as 26th in the world in 2011 — a remarkable achievement for any restaurant, and a singular one for Australia.

More Than a View

The setting alone was extraordinary: floor-to-ceiling windows framing Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, and the Bridge in one unbroken panorama. But Quay was never coasting on its postcard address. Every service was shaped by the same intention that had guided the restaurant from its earliest days — care for the people in the room and for the food placed before them.

For guests, Quay was where milestones were marked and new experiences discovered. It was a room that took Modern Australian cooking seriously as a discipline, not a marketing category, and in doing so helped define what that cuisine could mean at its most considered.

The Final Chapter

Quay served its last guests and has now permanently closed. In a farewell message, Peter Gilmore and Leon Fink expressed deep gratitude to everyone who passed through the doors over the years. The team's sister restaurants — Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House, OTTO Ristorante on Woolloomooloo Wharf, OTTO Brisbane, and Beach Byron Bay — carry the same spirit of hospitality forward.

Quay's legacy is the standard it set: that Modern Australian fine dining, at its best, belongs in any conversation about the world's great restaurants.