27 October, 2021

“Bucket list” venue Melbourne Sky Bar sets opening date

After five years of planning and development, Yarra Hotel Group has set a date for the grand opening of its brand new venue, Sky Bar Melbourne.

Located on the 40th floor of the Oakwood Premier Melbourne property, Sky Bar Melbourne offers a sky-high dining and bar experience like no other with two venue options: Sky Bar Lounge and five-star restaurant, Strato.

Sitting in the clouds 140 metres above the ground, the venue was set to open this year in conjunction with the hotel, but with all things COVID and construction lockdowns, it is now expected to open to the public in March 2022.

With views reaching far over Port Phillip Bay, across the Yarra River, CBD skyline and beyond, Sky Bar Melbourne aims to provide guests with a quintessential Melbournian experience and a very good reason to visit the CBD again, post-pandemic.

Upon arrival at 202 Normanby Street in Southbank, guests enter the venue via a private entry located in the lobby of Oakwood Premier, where they will step out of the elevator and into a projection artwork developed by the team at The Sequence Group showcasing birdseye views of Melbourne across the floor and mirrored walls.

The dizzying foyer allows guests to experience the height of Sky Bar from the moment they arrive at the venue, acting as a glass floor sitting above the bustling city.

Sky Bar Lounge, which can host up to 70 people, boasts a 16-metre stone bar with an illuminated glass brick frame, a star-like chandelier made of glass dripping from the ceiling and an alfresco terrace.

Sky Bar Lounge

With seven-metre-tall glass windows, guests can enjoy views of the city skyline whilst munching appetisers, seasonal cocktails, wines and locally crafted beers.

Strato, the restaurant, is romantically modern, seating up to 60 guests and providing exceptional views of Port Phillip Bay.

The concept of the menu is based on five elements; atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere (water), the cryosphere (ice and permafrost), the lithosphere (earth’s upper rocky layer) and the biosphere (living things).

Creative cooking techniques will bring seemingly everyday ingredients into exciting food creations and patrons can expect a little theatre in the presentation of their dishes with promises of smoke, vapour, embers, levitation and nitrogen.

Within the restaurant sits five concave booths separated from the main dining area and on the north side of the venue, between the main lounge and the restaurant is an additional VIP area. Strato also has its own bar.

Above both areas sits Level 41, an exclusive dining space dedicated to supporting special occasions, private functions and VIPs who need privacy with a view.

VIP area

Norman Khan, managing director of Yarra Hotel Group and HOSPMEN, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to open SkyBar Melbourne and for people to experience this exquisite venue!

“Our vision for this venue has been to show off our amazing city in all its glory – from the spectacular city skyline to showcasing local artists, foods, wines, beers and distilleries.

“We know the past 18 months have been hard and dining out is dearly missed. We have put a lot of effort into making Sky Bar Melbourne an entire experience and the venue has been developed by a team of people who are passionate about hospitality.

“Guests will see this from the moment they step out of the elevator! We’re proud to be providing a bucket list experience for locals and travellers and we see Sky Bar Melbourne as the perfect place to absorb the best this incredible city has to offer.”

Featured image source: Strato (supplied)

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