Esca Group has opened new Japanese rooftop bar Joji above the Cartier watch boutique in Sydney CBD.
Food will be served until 1:30am with chef Paul Farag curated an elevated menu of playful Japanese snacks.
The bar has a rotating music program throughout the week, enhanced by smart acoustic design.

There are plenty of hidden door bars in Sydney if you know where to look, but a speakeasy rooftop bar is a rare get for an ever-changing Sydney.

Joji comes from one of our most dependable hospitality teams, Esca Group, with the new venue pushed as a Japanese-flavoured rooftop bar with food served past midnight, a rotating music program and an inventive drinks list that’s fun, approachable and affordable.

With hatted restaurants like Nour and AALIA in their back pocket, Joji is the group’s very first bar with chef Paul Farag showing plenty of creative flair on a menu full of elevated Japanese snacks like crispy rice with smoked eel and shichimi ($16 each), sticky curry bread filled with Japanese curry sauce ($12 each), and a brilliantly creamy scallop and bug sando ($32) destined to become one of Sydney’s most talked-about treats.

Joji’s menu is very much a premium take on common Japanese snacks, especially things you would buy if you were having a kombini dinner (that is, stocking up on the surprising delicacies of Japanese convenience stores). The curry bread with Japanese curry is a perfect example, presenting similarly to those curry buns you’d find in a Lawson or Family Mart in Tokyo, but with a premium twist. The bun is perfectly sticky and glazed, tasting a bit like a fluffy doughnut that oozes with thick, caramelised and piping hot Japanese curry.

*King prawn with bonito cream and pickled ginger is one of the standout snacks at Joji (photo supplied).*

At a recent opening night for media and guests, our favourite bite was the simple king prawn with bonito cream and pickled ginger ($18 each). Served in a lettuce cup, the prawn is served warm at just the right temperature, it’s thick, plump and juicy body offset with the fresh lettuce which is sweetened by the bonito cream. It’s a stunning two-bite snack and pairs well with selections from the bar’s extensive cocktail menu.

The signature Bamboo cocktail, a build of Tequila with tomato and apricot, should go down well on a breezy Sunday afternoon while out on the bar’s wraparound balcony, which looks over the frenetic corner of George Street and King Street. But the entire space is stunning, with a pocky, textural ceiling designed for acoustics, helping absorb some sound from the rotating DJs so guests can hold a conversation no matter how loud it gets.

*Joji’s acoustic design means guests can hold conversation despite a constant stream of music (photo supplied).*

There are also several distinct spaces, including a swanky lounge area on one side, and chef’s table-style counter seating on the other side of the bar with guests looking directly over the hard-working robata grill with its constant merry-go-round of yakitori like the sweet quail and pork jowl tsukune ($18 each) and heavily charred eggplant skewers with black sesame ($12 each).

Owner and Esca Group co-founder Ibby Moubadder was on hand to launch Joji to a group of media earlier this week, telling of the perfect location which was formerly just a slab of concrete on top of the Cartier watch boutique in Sydney CBD. That concrete has now become of Sydney’s most stylish cocktail bars, arriving just in time for the summer holidays with a central location that’s an easy walk from Martin Place and Wynyard stations.

How to find the entrance to Joji

The entrance to Joji is a bit hard to find at first. Start at the Cartier boutique on the corner of George and King Streets and walk around to the back of the building. You’ll find a little alcove behind a sliding door and two elevators. Simply press the button for rooftop and head on up to level 5. The elevator will bring you right into Joji.

Joji

Address: Level 5, 388 George Street, Sydney
Contact: (02) 8353 9788
Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday (4am – 2am); Wednesday – Friday (12pm – 2am); Saturday – Sunday (4pm – 2am)

jojisydney.com