Erkineville pub The Imperial is set to open rooftop bar Imperial UP on 15 July after the venue underwent a $6 million redevelopment.
The cocktail bar features a 200-seat courtyard, quasi-classical sculptures and gold mirror-clad pizza ovens.
“We have designed a whole level of Imperial as a cocktail bar that acts like your own personal indoor-outdoor living room,” says Fraser Short of the Sydney Collective. “Imagine a little Italian trattoria that loves disco and has a very cool lounge room.”
UP will focus on Italian cuisine with the menu featuring small bites to start off with along with pasta, Milanese and pizza – think a Margarita with San Marzano tomatoes and fior di latte alongside a New York pepperoni with cheddar.
The menu also includes a ‘pronto’ section, which includes fried school prawns with saffron aioli; bruschetta with buffalo mozzarella; salumi with mortadella and Lombardi pickled chillies; and a prawn Caesar salad with pickled onion, radish and parmesan-ranch dressing.
UP will also offer dessert, spanning from lemon meringue pie to pistachio praline and Italian meringue.