All the way back in 2016, the NSW government announced that Sydney Fish Market – the third-largest fish market in the world – would be relocating to a sparkly new site just around the corner. Unsurprisingly, the news was met with a heap of hype, but relocating Australia’s biggest fish market is no small job. After a good few years of back-and-forth, a $750-million upgrade project was given the green light back in 2020, and now, a list of vendors for the new site has been announced. From what we know so far, it looks like SFM 2.0 is going to be a good one.
Designed by the renowned Danish architecture firm 3XN, the new Sydney Fish Market is expected to attract six million people every year, and the city’s favourite shops and eateries want in on the action. According to the NSW Government, almost all retail spaces at the new site (which is due to open in 2025) have been filled, with big Sydney names like Luke Nguyen and Trippas White set to open new venues in the waterside precinct thanks to $600 million in contracts that have just been awarded to local suppliers.
So far, the confirmed brands due to open their doors at the new Sydney Fish Market include affordable Malaysian fave Ho Jiak, Cow and the Moon (one of Sydney’s best gelato purveyors), Nanjing Dumplings (who are responsible for some of the best dishes in Chinatown) and the Inner West brunch institution that is Dirty Red. Plus, celebrity chef Luke Nguyen is due to open a flagship Southeast Asian restaurant, Trippas White (the people behind Bar 83, Me Gal and Centennial Homestead, to name a few) are launching a new casual eatery with lobster rolls aplenty, and all of our fish market faves (Claudio’s Seafood, Getfish, and Christies Seafood) will be setting up shop in shiny new stores.
The redesign of Sydney Fish Market is a key element in the transformation of Blackwattle Bay, which will also welcome 300 new homes, a heap of new shops, and 6000 square metres of public space including shiny new cycling links and a huge new waterfront park. The revamped area will open up directly onto a new waterfront boardwalk, which is set to stretch around Sydney Harbour for 15 kilometres, connecting Woolloomooloo in the city’s heart to Rozelle Bay in the Inner West. Walk, sushi, repeat? It’s looking pretty do-able in 2025.
You can learn more about the new Sydney Fish Market over here.
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