Take a peek behind the scenes of our $5 million renovation

5 minutes read

The long-awaited reopening of The Exchange Hotel approaches, after an extensive $5 million renovation, here’s a look behind the scenes at what the community can expect from Newcastle’s newest pub. With a team of industry leading talent working tirelessly on the project for the past 9 months, the brand new offering promises to be world class, bringing a whole new level of entertainment, food, cocktails and atmosphere to the Newcastle community. A state-of-the-art live music space featuring local and international bands, a brand new cocktail bar and house-made pizza and pasta are just a few of the tasty treats on the menu when the venue opens its doors in September, read on to find out exactly what all the hype is about!

Creating a world class offering with something for absolutely everyone

The first step in planning the amazing new offering was taking a good hard look at Newcastle and the community and zoning in on who the customers are and what they want.

We asked ourselves, ‘How can we give our locals exactly what they want, plus a little something extra that they didn’t even realise they were missing?’ and once we answered this question the rest flowed from there.

A team of builders, architects, chefs, interior and graphic designers and advisors has been working around the clock for the past 9 months perfecting the new offering. It’s all about creating this great space where our locals can feel at home, there is always something going on and everyone can enjoy some aspect of our offering.

The Exchange will have something for everyone, whether it’s watching a local or international band live at The X, cocktails on the balcony with friends, wood-fired pizza with friends or family, or catching the game with mates.

Food and cocktails from award winning professionals

With hospitality stars such as celebrity chef Phil Davenport and internationally acclaimed mixologist Brent Tozer heading the team designing The Exchange’s new food and drink offerings, it’s little wonder the long-awaited reveal of these mystery menus has stirred up such a hype in the community.

The Exchange Kitchen will have a really diverse offering where you’ll be able to enjoy anything from authentic homemade pasta and wood-fired pizza to all your favourite pub classics.

We have also welcomed on board Franco Malgioglio who brings over 23 years of experience in creating and perfecting his own signature pizza dough which is honestly mind-blowingly delicious, we can’t wait for everyone to try it!

Swill Bar brings a whole new level to Newcastle’s cocktail game

The introduction of a cocktail bar on the first floor promises to bring a brand-new experience to the community, with unique ingredients and recipes designed in-house, courtesy of ‘Best Cocktail Suntory Australia’ winner Brent Tozer.

The value Brent brings to the venue is an absolute game-changer, he just has this fantastic ability to envision these great new cocktails, and when you taste them it’s impossible to imagine no one has ever come up with such an incredible flavour combination before.

With Brent on board the skill level of the entire front of house team has been taken to a whole new level. All bar staff will be skilled in infusing their own spirits, creating new flavours and have such a strong knowledge of the drinks they are making, it just adds that extra element of great service and positive culture.

Newcastle’s home of sport and biggest privately held screen in the Southern Hemisphere

Not only will The Exchange have a brand new TAB but we will also be the proud providers of the biggest privately held screen in the Southern Hemisphere. Whether it’s grand final footy, the UFC or any sport, we have you covered.

We will be playing absolutely everything, all sports, all day, every day, we are bringing in a lot of big HD screens and our guarantee is that whatever sport you’re into, we will have your favourites playing round the clock.

This new focus goes hand in hand with the inclusion of a brand-new TAB. We heard the locals and we listened, so we’re bringing back the TAB in the new Sports Bar, inclusive of 3 x 75 inch TV screens.

The biggest bands right here at your local pub

Newcastle has always had a vibrant live music scene with local talent aplenty, and now The Exchange’s new state-of-the-art live music space, Live at The X, promises to bring a whole new element to the area.

“This space provides a really exciting opportunity, we know the Newcastle community loves live music, and with The X we plan to bring the live music scene to a whole new level.” General Manager, Gareth Rattley said.

“Obviously we have restrictions in place at the moment, but we intend on having live music multiple nights a week, featuring everything from the biggest bands around to the best local talent, this space is just going to bring the Newcastle music scene to a whole new level.” Gareth said.

In the meantime, you can still catch soloists and duos Live at the X on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. With a sound system pulled straight out of the Sydney Opera House, and fine tuned acoustics, the sound experience promises to be perfect.

The Exchange opens on the 21st of September, sign up to our Newsletter here for more announcements!