NOW EXPERIENCING:The Caterpillar Club
Drinks Directory|Date night|Sydney|Sydney – CBD

The Caterpillar Club

Thursday: 5:00 PM – 4:00 AM
92 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000
Phone
No phone
Website
swillhouse.com
Instagram
@thecaterpillarclubsydney

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 24 Apr 2024

By
David Matthews

Inside The Caterpillar Club in Sydney

A mile-long bar, 10,000-strong record collection, late-night supper menu and retooled retro cocktails make the Caterpillar Club one of Sydney’s most exciting openings in years.

The bar and vinyl collection at The Caterpillar Club
Why you goBy now, Swillhouse needs no introduction. The hospitality powerhouse behind such heavy-hitters as Shady Pines Saloon, Restaurant Hubert, The Baxter Inn, Le Foote, Alberto’s and Frankie’s (RIP), there’s no Sydney group more renowned for its experiential venues. The back end of 2023 saw another addition to their line-up with the opening of the Caterpillar Club, an underground music bar occupying a basement on Pitt Street, right in the middle of the city. The pitch? What they’re calling one of the world’s largest private record collections, spinning from doors open through to 3:00am or 4:00am, a kitchen helmed by Isobel Whelan-Little (the renowned former chef of LP’s Quality Meats) and a cocktail list that unironically celebrates maligned retro classics, from enormous frozen Strawberry Daiquiris to Lychee Martinis. Add a fit-out that incorporates a seemingly never-ending bar counter, bow-tied ’tenders, acres of art from Allie Webb and a hidden tiki room, and the CBD is back in a big way.
Why you stayEntering the Caterpillar Club is an event in itself. There’s the marble façade opening onto a soft-lit, red-carpeted bentwood staircase for starters. Descend the stairs, swing open the door where intimate red-leather booths flank the entrance, then the bar appears and just keeps going, and going, and going. On a busy night (and, let’s face it, that’s every night) the search for a seat is like treading a catwalk, all eyes on you as you make your entrance. Nab a bar stool or a booth set for two and drinks come out quick, especially when you pick a Zombie Highball or a Southside Spritz, both on tap. Friends joining? Move to the back where tables fill the room and the supper menu, headlined by flank steak with beef-fat chips and a smoked cheeseburger, gets a workout. Then there’s the live stage complementing the vinyl collection, and that’s all before the secret bar out back even opens. All up? So much to see, and the late-night licence means there’s plenty of time to do it.
Red banquettes and art inside Sydney's Caterpillar Club
A Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri served at The Caterpillar Club
What drink to orderThere’s a lot to keep you occupied on the drinks front, especially if you want to run hard at the wine list. There may be only eight by-the-glass options, but they hit hard with the likes of tropical, easy-drinking Cantina Giardino Vino Bianco on for $20 a glass. Then there’s the bottles, with plenty of big-name Champagne, plus cult natural producers in the non-fizzy stakes, including Cos and Frank Cornelissen from Italy, and Queensland’s Radikon. You’re here for cocktails, though. Take your pick from the fruit-forward Martinis and there’s depth to balance the naff – think pink peppercorn to temper the watermelon or limoncello to rein in the lychee. A Piña Colada features fresh coconut sorbet, while the Strawberry Daiquiri throws native bitters into the mix. And even if the latter is served as a frozen mountainous mass in an overloaded martini glass, the addition of an extra straw makes sharing simple. Win.
What to pair it withThe supper menu keeps things snacky, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it a meal. Start with Oysters Caterpillar for a fresh spin on oysters Kilpatrick, the bacon checked by bonito vinegar. Add fish fingers of crumbed blue-eye cod with yoghurt tartare for a crisp follow-up, then move to a tuna melt on brioche, a cheese and spinach hand pie or a crab and avocado cocktail daintily plated on lettuce leaves. For mains, the flank steak with beef-fat chips and peppercorn sauce is a fine pick, but the order of the day is surely the burger, featuring dry-aged and smoked beef cooked rare, oozy cheddar, pickles and special sauce on a bun smothered in sesame seeds. Just don’t forget the knickerbocker glory – essentially a sundae stacked with passionfruit curd and hazelnut praline – for pudding.
Food served at The Caterpillar Club
The decor at The Caterpillar Club in Sydney
Why we love itSydney’s CBD, particularly when it comes to late-night bars, has been languishing for too long. With the reopening of Jackson’s on George, and the Caterpillar Club close behind, though, Sydney is finally landing some venues keen to keep the city pumping early into the morning. What’s more, the supper club menu keeps rolling through. The music is a factor, too, with funk, soul, world and jazz on high rotation, while the bar’s sheer size, energy and commitment to revelry creates the impression that the party is nowhere other than right here right now and you’re in the thick of it.
Don’t leave withoutThis is where things get interesting. Anyone who spent a bit of time at Frankie’s – Swillhouse’s now-shuttered late-night rock ’n’ roll dive bar – will be familiar with the legendary Fun Room, a tiny hidden bar accessed through a fire escape. The Caterpillar Club continues this spirit, tiki-style, with the Bamboo Room, a bar up the back where the walls and ceiling are thatched, lamps are fringed with seagrass, and rum- and fruit-driven concoctions are the name of the game. It’s also the only place to order the Caterpillar Downfall cocktail. What’s in it, you ask? There’s only one way to find out.
Authour image
David MatthewsDavid Matthews is a bar and restaurant critic who has written for Australia’s leading food publications, including Gourmet Traveller and Good Food.
Tags
Drinks DirectorySydneyKiller cocktailsTop notch wine listGreat tunesMeal and a bevRestaurantA+ spirits listDate nightSydney – CBDParty vibesAfter work drinksBar
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