Mudgee's most renowned restaurant to close and evolve into a wine bar

The Zin House is being transformed into a more accessible, fun and flexible dining venue.

Zin Food + Wine House is permanently closing in December, so check out our guide to the best Mudgee restaurants and the best Mudgee wineries.

Mudgee is one of our readers’ favourite destinations, and for good reason. Brimming with excellent wineries, quaint accommodation and top-notch restaurants, this charming wine region is well worth a long weekend away. One of the biggest drawcards to the Central West region of NSW is The Zin House at Lowe Family Wine Co., an award-winning, fine dining eatery with a menu leaning heavily on fresh produce from the onsite garden and the local region. Now, the popular restaurant is set to close its doors at the end of 2025, reopening in January 2026 with a new dining concept.

A couple grazing on share plates — The Zin House will re-launch as Zin – Food & Wine. (Image: Monique Lovick)

Soon to be known as Zin – Food & Wine, the new concept will offer a more informal, communal and wine-led experience. Kim Currie, Owner and Director of Zin – Food & Wine shared her excitement for the development. “We are so proud of everything that we have achieved with The Zin House since we opened back in 2014. Despite the amazing success we’ve had, we want to continue to be innovative and do something new."

Zin – Food & Wine will pivot away from the fine-dining, six-course, three-hour-long lunches it became renowned for, instead offering a grazing menu with a set selection of farm-to-table share dishes paired with a ‘choose their own adventure’ medley of Lowe wines. The experience is set to be more accessible, fun and flexible, with all seating at communal tables and guests being able to enjoy the best of the property in just an hour or stay and graze well into the afternoon.

The exterior of Zin House, soon to be Zin - Food & Wine — The regional restaurant and food garden on the Lowe vineyard. (Image: Monique Lovick)

Currie shared that the change is tied to how her cooking has evolved over the years. “My approach to cooking and dining has changed since I started The Zin House. I want to make great food that is inclusive and accessible, not just for ‘special occasions’. Guests can choose to be with us for a short meal or longer, more relaxed sittings. They can explore, pair, experiment and enjoy at their leisure."

A woman grazing on share plates — The grazing menu will showcase a set selection of farm-to-table share dishes. (Image: Monique Lovick)

The menu will change seasonally, with frequent additions shaped by what’s growing in the garden. The $95 per person experience includes a grazing selection of food and three tastings (60ml) of wine or non-alcoholic beverages. Guests can also order additional drinks from the bar.

“We are so grateful to everyone who has dined with us over the past 10 years, and we invite them to come back and experience something very different, but equally as delicious," says Kim.

Bookings are now open.

Opening hours

Fridays and Saturdays: 11 am to 8pm

Sunday and Monday: 11 am to 5 pm.

This winter, these secret Sydney harbour suites are the staycation we’ve been looking for.

Whether it’s the crisscrossing ferries or the white sails of the Opera House rising out of blue depths, Australia’s biggest city lives for its harbour. But while locals might glance at that watery expanse on their daily commute across the Bridge, it can still be hard to truly connect with Sydney’s maritime soul. The secret: seeing the harbour eye-to-eye, right at water level. And what better place to submerge yourself in that energy than sleeping there? That’s where Pier One Sydney Harbour comes in (and with new all-inclusive bed and breakfast benefits, there’s even more to love).

All-inclusive VIP benefits

Who Is Elijah Amenities at Pier One Sydney Harbour — Book in for the all-inclusive VIP treatment.

The hard truth is that it will be very difficult to tear yourself away from your ultra-luxurious harbour home-away-from-home to explore the city. If you want to make leaving even harder, opt for Pier One’s all-inclusive VIP treatment.

The Bed and Breakfast with Suite Benefits package turns up the volume on what is already the ultimate staycation, with complimentary valet parking, daily breakfast for two and turndown service. The biggest perk? Enjoy a bottle of French champagne every day during your whole stay

Pier One Sydney Harbour

The five-star Pier One Sydney Harbour is quite literally old Sydney through and through. Built on what was once a working cargo wharf and the passenger terminal for those heading to the North Shore before the bridge was constructed, the heritage building sits right between the tangle of cobblestones, pubs and alleyways of The Rocks and the historic docking zone of Walsh Bay – at the centre of the city’s old sea trade.

If knowing the hotel’s history isn’t enough to get your sea-longing going, the interior design certainly will. As soon as you step up to the concierge desk in the lobby of the restored building – which underwent a $15 million redevelopment in 2019 – you’re immersed in Sydney’s seafaring tale. Weathered wood panelling and white marble floors surround you, while loop lighting installations hover above the bar island just beyond, ringed with stools ready for intimate, martini-tinted conversations. Steel rivets and timber beams speak to its past, and glass-walled views anchor you firmly in the present-day life on the harbour.

Pier One Suites

Pier One Sydney Harbour admiral suite — Enjoy incredible views from your suite.

Across the 189 rooms and suites built on and over the water, the maritime theme continues. Sculptural aged brass fittings, exposed girders, colour schemes that evoke shifting currents, and mirrors that reflect ripples that – depending on your booking – sit just metres from your pillow.

United on theme yet unique in set-up, each room or suite is different. On the ground floor, dog-friendly rooms with direct access to the pier are all prepped for pampered pups, while others have views and even balconies overlooking Walsh Bay, the Bridge and the Harbour.

But the 19 suites step things up even more. Gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows, or get even closer. Your private balcony is made for sipping a Nespresso coffee on as the sun comes up – or soaking in the bathtub of the Admiral Suite on the deck, a drink from the locally stocked mini bar in hand. This mini bar was recently completely transformed, so you have more Aussie favourites to choose from, including alcohol and snacks.

Dining at Pier One

Pier Bar Pier One Sydney Harbour — Settle in for an afternoon of good drinks and views.

Once you’re checked in, start your afternoon with a spritz at PIER BAR – or arrive by boat via the private pontoon if the occasion calls for it – and settle into one of the cabanas. Weekdays bring Happy Hour (or ‘sunset hour’ at Pier One); weekends bring the DJs. After an even sweeter experience? The Everyday Creamery and Matcha Kiosk is slinging mango and vanilla soft serve – classic and those spiked with Midori and gin alike.

PIER Dining is an ode to contemporary Australian flavours across the terrace, pier and dining room. On its seafood-leaning menu are Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula, potato scallops with salmon roe and crème fraîche, chicken with melting sundried tomato butter, vodka rigatoni with Shark Bay prawns. And the ‘Pierlova’ – that’s pavlova with chocolate, dulce de leche and banana is worth saving room for. Make sure to ask for the wine list – it’s 100 per cent Australian drops.

Around town

luna park, sydney opera house and sydney harbour bridge — Explore the neighbourhood during your stay. (Credit: Destination NSW)

If you’re strong enough to polish off just one last pastry from the breakfast buffet and walk out the door, we applaud you. Luna Park across the harbour beckons with its wide grin, while a glance upward might spur you to climb the Bridge’s famous iron arches. The Opera House – just across Circular Quay from the Museum of Contemporary Art – sings out for a concert.

You’ll want to book ahead for those hot-ticket performances at Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company, just a few minutes’ walk south of the hotel. Ten minutes further brings you to the waterfront bars, restaurants and clubs of Barangaroo, or the karaoke, gardens and dim sum of Chinatown further afield.

Keep the mellow of your weekend getaway going with a stop at Barangaroo Reserve, watching the yachts go by – all before returning for that Sydney sundowner at Pier One.

Ready to make that Pier One stay a reality? Book the ultimate Sydney staycation at pieronesydneyharbour.com.au

Mudgee’s most renowned restaurant to close and evolve into a wine bar

The Zin House is being transformed into a more accessible, fun and flexible dining venue.

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The secret Sydney suite life: a luxury under-the-radar stay right on the harbour