Soho House, the world's most popular members' club and an endearing symbol of London’s society, is finally coming to Sydney after many years of speculation to shake up the city’s social scene.
The brand beloved by creative industry elites and Hollywood stars will establish itself on the backstreets of Darlinghurst, with construction on the permanent Sydney House entering its next phase at 256 Crown Street, on the corner of Foley Street. The group has now confirmed it’s eyeing a 2028 opening for Australia’s first permanent postcode.
RELATED: Soho House Melbourne Cancelled After $12.5 Million Mansion Refurbishment's Rejection
Sydney firm Tonkin Zulaikha Greer has been brought in to design the addition, retaining the original heritage-listed brick facade while stacking two new metal-clad levels on top.
Five storeys in total, the fit-out will pack in a rooftop, multiple bars, club-only floors, indoor and outdoor members' areas and that cabaret space.
City of Sydney planning documents have revealed that Australia’s first brick-and-mortar Soho House will boast all the amenities you would expect of a launch of this calibre: a pool, gym and dedicated creative studio space, alongside the food and drink venues which, no doubt, every PR agency from here to Manly are already locking away weekends for.
Capacity has been approved for up to 973 patrons between 6 pm and 10 pm, with indoor areas licensed to run until midnight and the rooftop cut off at 10 pm for an initial one-year trial. Numbers worth remembering next time someone tells you Sydney's lockout-era caution is dead.
Founded in 1995 above Cafe Boheme on London's Greek Street by Nick Jones, Soho House built its name as a members' club for the people with the enviable task of shaping much of the city’s social culture – its film, music, art, fashion, media – rather than the CBD crowd that private clubs traditionally catered to.
The Sydney build also lands mid-shakeup for the brand itself. Soho House delisted from public markets last year in a $3.9 billion sale to a Ron Burkle-led consortium that includes Ashton Kutcher, Goldman Sachs, and Apollo Global Management — and Melbourne is reportedly back on the table too, reviving ambitions the brand parked back in 2023 when it pivoted to Sydney instead.
Of course, applications for the Sydney House aren't open yet, and pricing hasn't been announced. So there’s nothing to report beyond a 2028 hard launch. Whether joining now buys any priority when the Sydney House applications open is still unclear – Soho House hasn't said. And there's no reason to assume the bouncer will remember your name, anyway.