Catalina is less a restaurant and more a living postcard of Sydney Harbour life — where seaplanes skim the horizon, yachts drift lazily in the bay, and the tide seems to set the pace of the day. It’s a place where effortless coastal elegance meets the art of fine dining, and where every seat feels like the best in the house because the water is always in view.
Since its founding in 1994 by Sydney dining icons Michael and Judy McMahon, Catalina has been more than a setting for great meals — it has been a stage for memorable moments. The late Michael McMahon’s vision was simple yet profound: to create Sydney’s favourite waterfront destination where guests could savour exceptional food with an extraordinary view. The restaurant occupies a slender, modernist structure that seems to hover above the harbour, offering panoramic vistas of glittering water and sky.
Inside, the interior strikes a refined balance between relaxed luxury and contemporary restraint. In a recent refurbishment, Sydney’s own Bedbrook + Bunting — led by creative practitioners including interior architect Tom Bunting — breathed new life into the space with a refresh that honors Catalina’s coastal context while uplifting the dining experience with thoughtful materials and finishes. This update preserves the venue’s minimalist roots while introducing subtle, luxe touches — think rich timber floors, light-textured walls, and accents that play in harmony with natural light and harbour reflections.
The design remains intentionally pared back, a near-neutral canvas that ensures nothing competes with the million-dollar backdrop. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame that view like a piece of living art, while elegant public spaces lean into polished surfaces and clean lines that feel both modern and timeless.
Catalina feels quintessentially Australian: chic but unpretentious, worldly yet deeply connected to place.
Interior Design
Bedbrook + Bunting
Design
Fritz Hansen Series 7 Chairs
