Much-loved Sydney restaurant Abdul’s announces its shock closure after 60 years in Surry Hills
An iconic Sydney restaurant has abruptly closed its doors after six decades of serving celebrity chefs, stars and footy legends.
Abdul’s Lebanese Restaurant, a cornerstone of Surry Hills’ culinary scene, has closed, marking the end of an era for generations of loyal patrons.
Founded in 1968 by Dib Ghazal, who migrated from Lebanon just four years earlier, Abdul’s began as a humble sandwich shop and Arabic sweets store on the corner of Elizabeth and Cleveland streets before becoming a beloved institution.
Dib’s wife, Nizam, famously kneaded dough for fresh bread while Dib fried falafels, a dish that would soon become a household name in Australia.
In its early years, Abdul’s was a revelation.
Queues snaked down Elizabeth Street as customers flocked to taste falafel and traditional Lebanese bread for the first time.
The restaurant is widely credited with introducing these staples to the Australian palate, paving the way for Middle Eastern cuisine to flourish nationwide.
Over the decades, Abdul’s evolved but never lost its rustic charm.
The Ghazal family kept Abdul’s a family affair across three generations, with children helping prepare tabbouleh after school and greeting customers
Legendary rugby league coach Wayne Bennett and celebrated chef Matt Moran are pictured sitting down for a meal at the restaurant in 2021
Abdul’s Lebanese Restaurant (pictured) has suddenly closed its doors in Surry Hills
The venue featured a bustling takeaway counter alongside a dining room adorned with private cushion rooms for floor seating and belly dancing performances on weekends.
The Ghazal family kept Abdul’s a family affair across three generations, with children helping prepare tabbouleh after school and greeting customers with the warmth that became the restaurant’s hallmark.
Abdul’s drew a number of well-known celebrities to its dining rooms over the years, including legendary rugby league coach Wayne Bennett and celebrated chef Matt Moran who were pictured dining together in 2021.
While no reason was given for its sudden closure, community discussions point to a mix of factors: the end of the lease, the owner’s health, and plans to convert the site into a gym.
A farewell message on Abdul’s website thanked Sydney for decades of patronage, calling the closure ‘the end of a chapter in the city’s food history’.
Long-time patron Andy Davis said he had been eating at Abdul’s since 1976, even travelling from the North Shore to visit the popular establishment.
‘You only had to check the photo wall to see how many famous people had eaten there,’ he wrote on Facebook.
‘The food hasn’t changed in the 50 years I’ve been coming here. What am I going to do now? It’s my favourite!’
Abdul’s started as a humble sandwich shop and Arabic sweets store
The menu barely changed since the restaurant opened in 1968 in the inner west of Sydney
Another said the closure underscored the changing face of Surry Hills, where rising rents and redevelopment have claimed several long-standing venues.
‘How sad! All the iconic landmarks of Surry Hills are disappearing,’ one said.
‘I’ve been going there since high school for nearly 50 years,’ another local wrote.
Another described the closure as the ‘end of an era’ for the inner-city dining scene.
‘That’s so sad. I loved their food and the people. I thought they would be there forever,’ they wrote online.
It’s not the first iconic Sydney venue to close this summer.
In December, the owners of Chinese Noodle House in Haymarket announced it was shutting down on Christmas Day after their landlord did not renew the restaurant’s lease.
