In Sydney’s former industrial heartland has emerged South Eveleigh, a new dining and drinking precinct, brimming with some of Sydney’s most celebrated culinary forces. 

Once home to a collection of railway sheds, developer Mirvac has beautifully restored the heritage buildings, retaining hundreds of original artefacts that tell the history of an Australian manufacturing heyday; still housing a working blacksmith on site. 

Some of Australia’s most dynamic and innovative restaurateurs and operators have chosen South Eveleigh as their home due to the history, culture and unique opportunity to be a part of shaping this vibrant new destination. One of these is Re, the pioneering new bar from hospitality heavyweights Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar).

Located within the newly-restored South Eveleigh precinct, Re is a regenerative drinking experience with a sustainability ethos that pushed boundaries. 

First brought to life at Scout, Whiley’s drive brought a sharp focus to sustainability within ingredients, leading the way with innovation and taste while minimising waste. At Re, Whiley is pushing this mentality to new heights, breaking boundaries with everything from materials and glassware, to the light fittings, ingredients and garnishes, to what goes into the bin. Sustainability is to be at the core of this new endeavour in Sydney’s new and exciting precinct. 

While not proclaiming zero-waste from the get-go, Re sees itself as a framework for the industry, reframing how bars talk about and implement sustainability practises. They want to lead by example, showing ways that a venue can be built and maintained with recycled materials to run smoothly, with minimal impact on the environment. 

“We want to show how you can have an impact, so that other venues can look at us, then do the same”, says Whiley. “Yes Re is built on waste, but it’s this really incredible, refined space with heritage character. We want to change people’s expectations of what low-waste means, and encourage others to build and operate this way.”

Even the drinks showcase innovative techniques that are still developing in a working world of growing sustainability. Served in reclaimed Maison Balzac glasses – that perfect marriage between recycling and world-class luxury – the cocktail list looks classic and elegant, with a side of surprise. Expect things like a martini with white truffle and olive leaves, a Sbagliato with rhubarb, a rockmelon-infused margarita… drinks that are familiar and beloved, but with a hint of something new.

The flavours found on Re’s drinks list take their cue from produce salvaged from local markets and used in creative ways to create flavour bomb sensations. The Wimbledon Gimlet cocktail sees excess strawberries pickled then mixed into a vodka base mixed with milk-wine cordial for a drink that is reminiscent of strawberries and cream; banana skins form the base of a syrup that goes into the BP + B Old Fashioned, flavoured with peanut butter and burnt butter; salvaged mushrooms find their way into an umami-rich base for the Play That Funghi Music, a Manhattan-style cocktail featuring blackcurrant-leaf vermouth, honey dashi and ant tamari.

Some of Sydney’s best bartenders are joining Whiley behind the bar, including Evan Stroeve (Bulletin Place), Jake Downe (This Must Be The Place; Scout London) and Ho Song (Cantina OK; PS40). Along with an exceptional level of service, charm and banter, this sparkling crew of drink wizards have creative license to work on the “Re – search” drinks, which are built around a changing theme.

For the opening menu they’re going with an intergalactic theme, using elements from our universe and matching with their earthly counterparts. The Milky Way, for example, matches cocoa butter and rum with scents of raspberry and citrus that mimic elements found in the centre of our galaxy. While the Mars reads simply as “Bulleit, Silicon, Magnesium, Iron”.

And of course, the team can still mix a classic, with a stocked back bar, Yulli’s on tap and Wildflower in the fridges, plus Champagne and Italian sparkling and house rosé, orange and red wine by Latta Vino served from 10L goon bags designed to reduce wastage.

The food, meanwhile, overseen by Icebergs head chef Alex Pritchard, has a strong snack focus, with an eye on sustainable and reclaimed produce, and enough tweaks to keep things interesting. Think puffed beef tendons with togarashi, house pickles, or bug tamales with schmaltz for smalls, and eggplant ceviche with salvaged padron peppers or air-fried corn ribs with miso butter for something more substantial. Perhaps the biggest draws, though, are the “Egg & Chips” – a decadent mix of ’nduja and salt-and-vinegar chips with a 63-degree egg – and the St John Rarebit, a dish taking its cue from the celebrated sandwich at the esteemed London restaurant with flavours of cheddar, Worcestershire sauce and Guinness together in one package.

Whiley says: “Never has this subject been more important. Food waste costs our economy $20 billion a year – more than five-million tonnes of food ends up in landfill; one in five bags of groceries winds up in the bin. We have a responsibility to look hard at what we’re not using and find ways to make it desirable. At Re, we’ll showcase this through our bar program, but also build a platform geared towards change on a global level. The time is now”.

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