A Subterranean Feast for the Senses: Good Luck Restaurant Lounge in Sydney’s CBD.

Hold onto your chopsticks because Merivale has done it again. Tucked away in the basement of Sydney’s historic Burns Philp & Co Building, Good Luck Restaurant Lounge is serving up a delicious slice of nostalgia with a contemporary touch. This sprawling 200-seat venue is a love letter to 1970s underground dining scenes from New York to Tokyo and Hong Kong, and it’s pretty fabulous.

The brainchild of Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes, Good Luck has been three years in the making. “Good Luck is a venue that’s very close to my heart,” Hemmes shares. “I wanted to create a sensory experience that takes people on a journey of delight and wonder. The design completely delivers on that brief.”

Interior architecture firm Akin Atelier, led by Kelvin Ho, worked closely with the Merivale design team to bring this vision to life. The result is a space that Ho describes as “a collision of the homespun and the opulent, suggestions of Bruce Lee movie sets, Hong Kong diners, late nights in Tokyo and neon infused karaoke bars.”

As you descend into this kitsch-tastic wonderland from the street, you’re greeted by a cheeky ‘Get Lucky’ neon sign setting the tone for the visual feast that awaits. The venue’s floorplan unfolds as a series of interconnected spaces, each with its own character. There’s the bustling main dining room, a red neon-lit cocktail bar, private and semi-private dining rooms and glass brick wine rooms.

The design team has layered kitsch opulence over the heritage setting, creating a space that’s at once nostalgic and fresh. There’s plenty of 70s chic and high-gloss burl joinery rubbing shoulders with dining chairs dressed in deadstock florals, and rose-hued vinyl banquettes paired with tabletops in a rainbow of red, aqua, pink, and jade. It’s a bit like your grandma’s living room got a haute couture makeover, and I am here for it!

Merivale’s Design Director, Nasim Koerting, spills the tea on their treasure hunt: “We sourced unique and vintage pieces from around the world, many locally too. The chandeliers are handmade in Italy from Murano glass that are designed to make you feel like you’ve stepped into another era.” The commitment to detail at every touch-point, from the fitout to the objects, borders on obsession. Even the chopsticks sport the most perfect shade of lipstick-red that lifts the scheme. And don’t even get me started on how faultless the lighting feels everywhere you turn—an obsession for Hemmes and something he personally gets involved with for every Merivale venue.

In a World of Its Own: Her Melbourne by Dion Hall.

It's hard to walk past Her Melbourne without stopping in for a drink. Glowing from the sidewalk behind a fluted glass front with apricot awnings above, the exterior echoes the French boulevards the Bistro is modelled on.

The kitchen, designed to feel as if it were cast in place, is a monolithic presence clad entirely in jade green Portuguese tiles. This striking backdrop frames Executive Chef Mike Eggert’s team as they prepare Asian-inflected fare, adding to the theatre of the dining experience.

Adding to the whimsical atmosphere are two commissioned artworks by Sydney-based artist Bridget Stehli. A wall-hung carpet in the private dining room and a classical oil painting in the main dining room both depict a ragdoll kitten, playfully tying into the ‘Good Luck’ theme. It’s unexpected, it’s whimsical, and it’s absolutely purr-fect for the space.

Good Luck Restaurant Lounge is a sensory journey that transports you to a fantastical realm where vintage glamour meets contemporary touches—a bit like a design time machine. It is a space that invites exploration and promises a new experience with every visit.

Bonnie Bar & Restaurant in Paris by Jordane Arrivetz.

Bonnie's interior has a space-age edge, with rounded forms and psychedelic accents. Chubby tan leather couches sit atop a stainless steel frame, complemented by matching steel floor lamps, side tables and shagtastic orange carpet.

[Images courtesy of Akin Atelier. Photography by Tim Salisbury.]