Awaba House lease awarded to The Catering Group ahead of mid-2026 opening

newy.com.au – Lake Macquarie City Council has granted Sydney hospitality operator The Catering Group a lease to run the rebuilt Awaba House, the lakeside venue slated to open in mid-2026.

Awaba House is nearing completion almost six years after a fire in August 2019 gutted the building, the heritage façade and iconic round portico retained and the rest rebuilt as a modern restaurant and function space beside the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang, and the MAC yapang Sculpture Park.

Council said it had awarded The Catering Group a five year lease with a five year option, as it seeks to make the restored building a regional destination for dining and events. Lake Macquarie Mayor Adam Shultz said it had been “fantastic to see the building taking shape in the countdown to its opening in mid-2026”, and welcomed the direction outlined by the new operator.

The Catering Group was founded in 2019 by Greg Barclay and chef Adham Aston and operates five venues in Sydney, including the Lantern Club at Roselands and Iluka on Baywater at Wentworth Point. Council said Aston had previously worked alongside Jamie Oliver, Justin North and Gareth Howard, and in the kitchen at the former two-hatted Becasse restaurant in Sydney’s CBD.

Barclay said the site stood out for its setting and history, describing “something magnetic about its lakeside setting” and “a rich story behind the building’s heritage”. He said the group planned to “showcase the best of regional NSW, with menus built around local growers, artisans and native Australian ingredients created by the landscape around us”.

Visitors could expect “sun-soaked brunches by the water, long lunches that feel like mini getaways and intimate open-air dinners where the lake becomes part of the atmosphere”, Barclay said, adding that the alfresco deck would be “one of those rare spots where you can watch the light change over the water and never want to leave”.

Council said the venue included a 120-seat restaurant overlooking the lake that could be converted into a function room for up to 120 people, with design features including a curved rammed-earth wall, a deck on the north-eastern corner and an atrium charting the site’s history. Barclay said the venue’s flexibility would allow it to host “everything from boutique weddings to open-air dinners, community events and live music sessions”.

Final fit-out and installation of the commercial kitchen is due to take place early next year, ahead of a grand opening in mid-2026, with council to provide further updates when bookings open for dining and functions.