Better streets and spaces

New cafe serves a slice of park life

Hyde Park is home to a contemporary hangout with an alfresco dining area.

Hyde Park cafe

A stylish open plan cafe with outdoor seating for up to 90 people is now serving Sydney coffee-lovers in a beautifully landscaped corner of Hyde Park.

The City of Sydney built the new cafe, paved courtyard, terraced gardens, bathrooms, paths and park entryways after the former kiosk was demolished to make way for significant accessibility upgrades by Transport for NSW at the neighbouring Museum train station.

We worked with Transport for NSW to ensure a smooth transition between the new lift lobby, station and cafe. A new accessible path also connects Museum station to Hyde Park and the Anzac Memorial.

Hydeaway cafe opens to the public
Hydeaway cafe opens to the public

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the new cafe and landscaped areas are sensitive to the heritage of the site and transition visitors from the busy street to a tranquil park setting.

“What’s been achieved is a striking building nestled amongst beautiful, tiered landscaping with numerous nods to the history of the site, including golden sandstone. This cafe will provide a quiet place for lunch while being just metres from the city,” the Lord Mayor said.

“It was an extremely challenging project to build over an operating train station, and I am proud to see the architects, Andrew Burns, recognised with a prestigious award for design excellence.”

Andrew Burns Architecture, Turf Design Studio and Environmental Partnership designed the project and it was built by Structus and QMC Group.

The cafe won a 2022 NSW Architecture Award for small project architecture.

This project is part of Hyde Park upgrades totalling more than $20 million carried out over the last 8 years.

On the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth streets, the operator has named the cafe Hydeaway.

Published 17 November 2022, updated 2 December 2022

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