In downtown Sydney, within the basement of the Overseas Union Bank building, lies a little underground oasis called the Spice Cellar. A unique lounge bar and club focused on late night drinking, dining and entertainment, Spice Cellar was created with a vision to fill a void for discerning Sydney-siders.
Reckless Republic co-owners Murat Kilic and Warren Faulkner relocated SPICE to the Spice Cellar in October 2011. Reckless Republic are the pioneers of the longest running and most recognised after-hours club. Established in 2004, SPICE is now a clubbing institution for underground music in Australia.
The Spice Cellar is owner operated by Murat Kilic and his partner, Rebecca Alder, who have travelled the world extensively and adopted a love of the late night lifestyle. Inspired by tapas eateries in Barcelona, cocktail bars in Amsterdam and nightclubs in Berlin, the Spice Cellar seamlessly fuses music, drinks, art, fashion, design and food.
The walls of Spice Cellar pop with Anthony Lister’s artwork, while the sounds that surround them come from legendary figures such as Moodymann and Claude Von Stroke and music director Murat Kilic who unleashes his lifelong music endeavour via his artist bookings and iconic sunrise DJ sets every Sunday morning.
Their mission in bringing Spice Cellar to life has been to bring Sydney-siders culinary and musical delights that cannot be found anywhere else. A playground for adults; the perfect destination for late night dining and entertainment, Spice Cellar transforms from lounge and tapas bar during the week to nightclub over the weekend.
Having carefully curated every aspect of The Spice Cellar, the pair’s personal belongings including shelves of books, an 1896 gramophone and the handcrafted wooden animals dotted around the venue all make up part of the décor.
This family-run business brings together the talents of ex-Rum Diaries chef Daniel Brown in the kitchen. The cocktails have been designed by Julien Serna (The Fern and ex-Hemmesphere) and are named after significant song titles. A forward thinking soundscape to accompany spice infused cocktails and tapas dishes all served in the cocoon-like surrounds of a historic bank basement (Wine Banc’s old sunken cellar).
To accompany midweek dining, all drinks run two-for-one from 5pm-7pm daily, offering the perfect after work destination. The zing in each cocktail comes from using only the finest and freshest ingredients including home-made ginger beer and fresh juices. This holistic approach sees all ingredients chosen as much for their health and nutritious values as their taste. From Szechuan pepper to goji berry reduction, spices add a wonderful layer of depth to the menu, with new specials featured each week.
Renowned for his healthy and flavoursome cooking, Daniel Brown treats each tapas plate like a work of art.
The Spice Cellar regularly attracts big name international DJs as well as hosting contemporary live music and DJ Degustation that combines music from some of Sydney’s finest DJs with a five course tapas style degustation with matching beverages for each course.
The new events programme also includes an intriguing Fashion and Art Degustation, seeing cutting edge artists and designers showcase their collections with live models and installations in the venue over the course of the evening.
The venue itself is a Pandora’s Box of nooks and casual settings, with scattered lounge seating and coffee tables offering a wide variety of options and set-ups for events, parties and launches, with food and drink menus customised to every budget and scale.
You might not even know it’s there from the street – but perhaps as you walk by you’ll catch a sniff of spice-laden air or a hint of jazzy tunes wafting up from the basement on to the sidewalk. The Spice Cellar’s secrets are out – come downstairs and taste them.
The Spice Cellar – Unique, European, Underground
Basement Level – 58 Elizabeth Street Sydney 2000
Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday 4pm – Midnight
Friday 4pm – 6am
Saturday 10pm till very very late
