- A Kew restaurant was once the home to George Calombaris' Hellenic Republic
- The property is now home to Cotham Dining
- A Sorrento icon has also hit the market, an hour and a half from Melbourne
In the latest wrap-up of Melbourne’s commercial real estate activity, the famed Morgan’s Sorrento Restaurant and Bar leasehold goes to market and the former home to Hellenic Republic expects offers in the vicinity of $5 million.
Former home to George Calombaris restaurant for sale
A hospitality building at 26-28 Cotham Road in Kew has been listed for sale with Fitzroy’s, with expressions of interest closing 30 March.
The building is on a large 515 square metre, triple-fronted site with on-site parking and rear access, located within the Kew Junction Activity Centre with an allowable height of up to 18 metres (STCA).
The property is expecting to see offers north of $4.6 million, and was previously the home of Hellenic Republic, operated by high-profile chef George Calombaris and his hospitality group Made Establishment.
The 635 square metre, two storey building is being offered with a 6+6+6 year lease to chefs Ayhan Erkoc and Federico Perez Lopez for their popular Cotham Dining restaurant and Nazar Wine Bar, both operating under the one lease, returning $196,266 per annum plus GST (as at 15 November 2023).
Cotham Dining brings together the former Panama Dining Room and Feast of Merit chefs with a seasonal menu heavy on charcoals and woodfires, drawing on the large family meals of their respective Turkish and Colombian heritages.
The venue seats 150 on the ground floor and holds 100 on the second floor.
Morgan’s Sorrento comes to market after a decade
Melbourne publican Julian Gerner is bowing out of the hospitality industry with the leasehold sale of Morgan’s Sorrento Restaurant and Bar.
Gerner purchased Morgan’s Sorrento in 2013, prior to this, he owned and operated a number of hospitality venues across Melbourne as director of Public House Group and Melbourne Pub Group.
The restaurant sits between two historic buildings, Koonya Hotel and Morgan’s, and has 40 metres of frontage to the Sorrento waterfront.
CBRE’s Scott Callow and Mathew George are managing the sale via an Expressions of Interest campaign closing 21 April 2023.
“Sorrento is a tourism destination that continues to skyrocket, as do median house prices and population growth,” Callow said.
“Morgan’s has historically been a strong trading business and the opportunity exists for a new owner to reposition the business to include breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and functions including weddings. The restaurant retains its General Hotel Licence which is a key to the future of this beachfront hospitality operation.”
$3 million has been invested into Morgan’s Sorrento, including a major refurbishment in 2018 that included upgrading all services and equipment.
“As someone who has seen it all, the good, the bad, and some of the ugly, it is time to try something fresh. I love Sorrento, I love Morgan’s and I love the hospitality industry, but the time has come for me to close this chapter in my life, and I am looking forward to whatever life brings next,” Gerner said.
