Popular Sydney restaurant announces shock closure after 20 years: ‘There were onerous days but it’s time to fly’

A long-running Sydney restaurant will close its doors next month – but there are clear hints that it might not be the end of the road for the revered establishment.

Flying Fish, which has been operating out of The Star since 2018, has announced it will finish its tenure at this location on Saturday, April 11.

Prior to moving to The Star, the award-winning restaurant first opened in 2004 and for many years was based at Jones Bay Wharf.

An announcement on the restaurant’s website confirmed that they would soon depart the current Pyrmont casino location.

‘Flying Fish will conclude service at The Star on Saturday 11 April 2026,’ the notice began.

‘For more than two decades, Flying Fish has been a proud part of Sydney’s dining landscape,’ the statement continued.

‘Over the past eight years, it has operated as a hospitality partner of The Star, earning a reputation for exceptional seafood, warm service and memorable dining experiences.’

The notice added that they were ‘immensely proud’ of their work during their time at this location and ‘deeply grateful for The Star’s partnership and support over this period’.

Heartfelt thanks were also extended to past and present diners, as well as staff.

But perhaps the most optimistic sign came in the final line of the notice, which hinted that a new iteration of Flying Fish may be on the horizon.

‘As this chapter comes to a close, Flying Fish looks forward to the next chapter. Stay tuned for what’s next,’ the notice teasingly concluded.

Indeed, Flying Fish co-owner Con Dedes told Good Food that they had already begun looking for a new venue.

‘We’ve had eight great years at The Star, there were some onerous days during COVID, but it’s time to fly again,’ Con told the Australian food publication.

Although the co-owner didn’t specify where the new venue might be located, all indications are that it will be somewhere nearby in the inner city.

‘We’re looking at sites in the Sydney CBD to relocate,’ Con confirmed.

Flying Fish has always been renowned for its seafood-oriented menu, offering small plates like spanner crab toast, yellowfin tuna crudo and barbecued octopus, as well as large plates like blue swimmer crab spaghetti and barbecued line-caught snapper.

The restaurant, currently helmed by head chef Neville Dsouza, has collected a slew of accolades over the years for both its food and wine.

Flying Fish’s departure from The Star is the latest in a line of high-profile venues to exit the casino and entertainment complex.

Their upcoming exit follows The Century by Golden Century, which closed in December 2024. 

Before that, degustation-only venue Ele by Federico & Karl also left the precinct in 2023 after a 14-month run. That same venue had earlier been the home of Momofuku Seiobo for a decade, but they too have since moved on.

Nevertheless, premium Japanese restaurant Sokyo is one of the remaining stalwarts that continues to operate inside The Star.