Solotel is set to reopen The Norfolk in Redfern on 23 April, after months of closure.
Solotel will reopen The Norfolk in inner Sydney in late April. The pub is one of a few Public Hospitality assets Solotel acquired the management agreements of at the end of 2024. While the others have been operating as they are, The Norfolk was most in need of attention, particularly as it was lacking a ground floor public bar offer, and was effectively only operating its courtyard offer.
Solotel CEO Elliot Solomon told Australian Hotelier that he and the team were keen to revive a pub that has been a big part of a lot of inner-city social outings for the last 15 years, going back to the Drink N Dine days, with the House of Crabs offer.
“The Norfolk was one of the first really cool, new-style pubs in Sydney; which Drink N Dine think did so well. So I had a personal connection to it, but so many people in Solotel have really fond memories of the Norfolk as well,” stated Solomon.
Now Solotel is looking to leave its own mark loved by a lot of people in Sydney.
“I think that legacy of being one of coolest contemporary yet classic Sydney pubs is a really good base for us in that, we want it to reopen the pub as the sort of the local that everyone wants. It is a local pub, but it’s a very cool local pub – really contemporary, really on the cutting edge of what a pub should be in today’s world,” said Solomon.
“Everyone can see that there has been this real desire and revival of pub culture in Sydney. People love that classic, homely, like truly Australian experience. But at the same time, it’s not just, cheap draft beer and house wine. The offer is really considered.”
The offer
Starting with the food, Toby Wilson, who headed up the highly popular Rico’s Tacos in the courtyard – which will remain – has now been appointed executive chef of the venue. Solomon said he’d been looking for an opportunity to work with Wilson for some time.
“I just think he’s such a fantastic chef. He knows what he’s doing, the food is really great. He plates really good food,” said Solomon.
The menu will be based around a casual, contemporary Australian offering, with little hints of nostalgia – think a pork and fennel sausage roll that will be sold by the inch; beef and VB party pies; an Aussie rissole burger with beetroot, cheddar, lettuce, caramelised onion and chips; plus a roast chicken and sage roll with a side of dipping gravy.
The pub is also partnering with local businesses on menu items, to further entrench itself in the local community. The daily-baked focaccia for The Norfolk’s French onion dip will be care of Goodways Deli; while the gelati boys from Ciccone & Sons will be teaming up with Goodways to deliver the Goodways Deli X Ciccone & Sons Lamington Ice Cream Sandwich.
For the drinks menu, local brewing favourites, Yulli’s Brews, have brewed a dark lager exclusively for The Norfolk. The drinks list will also focus on a lot of natural wines by the glass, as well cocktails focused around vermouth and Amaro.
“It’s all well-considered, but not pretentious,” stated Solomon.
Building accommodation infrastructure
The Norfolk also has an upstairs accommodation component, that is the next stage of work’s for the venue that Solotel will focus on, with a reopening date yet to be announced. Across the four Public Hospitality venues Solotel acquired – The Norfolk, Camelia Grove Hotel, The Strand and Oxford House – Solotel has now tripled its accommodation room capacity, with well over 100 rooms. Solomon said it was a big part of the appeal of the venues.
“It’s never been sort of a core part of our business… and it’s definitely been something that we’ve been exploring how we can bring more accommodation revenue back,” said the CEO.
“Now we’ve got well over 100 rooms across the group, and that gives us the opportunity to have the proper infrastructure for growth. We’ve got some really fantastic people in group roles now for accommodation, so we’ve got the capability now to really grow.”
For now though, Solotel is focused on getting the venues in order and getting to know their micro-communities better.
