THE ORIANA OPENS AT SYDNEY’S OVERSEAS PASSENGER TERMINAL
-Four Levels. One Destination. Made for Sydney.
Media release posted Tuesday 19 May,2026
Today, Sydney’s harbourfront welcomes a new flagship hospitality destination with the opening of The Oriana, a four-level venue within the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. Marking a significant evolution of the site, The Oriana transforms Squires Landing and the former Quay restaurant space to create one connected, multi-experience destination, designed for the way Sydney dines, drinks and gathers today.
The Oriana takes its name from the SS Oriana, one of the first great ocean liners to arrive at Circular Quay in the 1960s, reflecting the site’s long history as a place of arrival, departure and shared experience. For decades, the Overseas Passenger Terminal has been where travellers arrive, locals gather, and moments unfold against Sydney Harbour. The Oriana continues that legacy, reimagining it as a layered, social destination.
Rather than a single offering, The Oriana has been conceived as a venue that moves with its guests – transitioning seamlessly from day to night, and from casual to elevated, across one continuous harbourfront experience. Spanning four distinct levels, the venue is designed around a simple idea: guests don’t just visit, they move through it.
On the ground floor, The Oriana Beer Garden is an open-air harbourside space made for long lunches, casual drinks and major sporting moments by the water. A large permanent LED screen will make the space a go-to destination for the FIFA World Cup, Grand Finals, and major live sporting events, pairing big-screen energy with one of Sydney’s most iconic backdrops.
On Level 1, The Oriana Pub brings a livelier, more social atmosphere, with refreshed bars, integrated AV and DJ capability allowing the room to shift from relaxed daytime dining into late-night energy. From 9pm, the space leans into its late-night personality with Martinis after 9, a curated martini list designed for the start of something bigger or one final drink, against front-row views of Sydney after dark.
On Level 2, The Oriana Restaurant offers a refined yet relaxed dining room overlooking the harbour, with a menu led by seasonal NSW produce, seafood and coastal flavours. Opening from Friday 22 May, The Oriana Restaurant will offer guests the choice of an à la carte menu or Vivid set menu, with select window tables reserved for the set menu experience.
On Level 3, The Oriana Harbour Room provides a dedicated events and private dining space for corporate gatherings, weddings, celebrations and milestone occasions, with flexible layouts and sweeping views over Circular Quay.
At its core, The Oriana represents a modern expression of Australian pub culture – familiar, social and energetic – elevated through design, produce, and setting. Across all levels, menus are intentionally approachable, balancing elevated pub classics with premium, seasonal NSW produce, with a strong focus on seafood and share-style dining anchored to Sydney Harbour.
Hero dishes across the venue reflect this duality. At pub level, Sydney rock oysters with house hot sauce, a signature Oriana seafood platter, tiger prawn rolls, salt and pepper squid and classic schnitzel and burger offerings sit alongside light bites such as burrata or charred cauliflower, designed for generous, social dining. In the restaurant, the offering is elevated with chilled seafood platters featuring Bluefin tuna crudo, king crab and Southern rock lobster, Hokkaido scallops with finger lime or beurre blanc and Osietra caviar, Murray River cod with butter emulsion and lobster tagliatelle, all grounded in NSW produce and coastal influence.
The transformation includes a complete rebrand and repositioning across all four levels, with upgrades spanning refreshed bars, kitchens, AV infrastructure, lighting, furniture, carpets, curtains, and layered styling throughout. Warm timbers, bronze finishes, and textured materials run consistently across the venue, creating cohesion while allowing each level to shift in tone – from open and sunlit at ground level to more intimate and atmospheric as guests move upward. At its centre is a design language drawn from Sydney Harbour itself – its light, movement, and materiality – expressed through walnut timbers, antique bronze, soft textiles and finishes that create a space that feels both elevated and social.
Opening just in time for Vivid Sydney, The Oriana will become one of the city’s key harbourfront destinations for the festival with views over the illuminated waterfront. During Vivid, the venue will host live music across the week, with soloists Monday to Thursday from 6pm, Friday performances from 4pm followed by DJs from 5pm on Level 1, Saturday duos from 4pm with DJs from 5pm, and Sunday soloists from 2pm. Post-Vivid live music will continue Thursday to Saturday, with timings to be confirmed.
The Vivid program will also include a Four Pillars outdoor pop-up bar overlooking the Harbour Bridge, serving Bloody Shiraz and Yuzu & Peach gin spritzes. Guests dining on Level 1 can also add on a 15-minute tableside Martini Trolley experience, with Olive Leaf Gin Mini Martinis and a snack served to the table.
Positioned between Circular Quay, The Rocks and Sydney’s cultural precinct, The Oriana is grounded in its location and distinctly Sydney: harbour-led, experience-driven, and designed for the way the city comes together.
THE ORIANA
Location: Northern end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay, The Rocks
Website: www.OrianaSydney.com.au
Capacity: Approx. 1500 total across all areas / levels | Restaurant capacity is 150 seated
Pub opening hours:
Monday – Friday 12:00pm – late
Saturday & Sunday 11:00am – late
Restaurant opening hours (during VIVID):
7 nights: 5pm – 10pm / Restaurant post-vivid hours will be shared soon
