Broome brings new value-focused venue Ost. to North Sydney

6 November 2025

North Sydney’s dining scene gained a notable addition with the opening of Ost., a new venue from hospitality operator Michael Broome. Known for award-winning ventures such as Jackson’s on George, which claimed Pub of the Year and Restaurant of the Year at the AHA Awards, Broome said Ost. aims to offer “everything we get from a pub that quality inside, but we’re trying to do it a lot cheaper.”

Broome’s hospitality career began on the North Shore with a job at The Orchard in Chatswood before taking over the lease of the Northbridge Hotel. He later developed a string of successful venues in Sydney’s west including the High Street Social and Tattersalls Hotel in Penrith and the Richmond Inn, before returning north to co-found the Small Bar Group and open The Hayberry in Crows Nest.

Located at 73 Miller Street on Gas Lane, Ost. caters to a wide range of customers, serving coffee and breakfast in the morning, lunch specials during the day and cocktails and beers at night. The menu centres on affordable pub classics such as burgers, pastas, pizzas, wings, schnitzels, salads and sandwiches, with daily $15 lunch specials designed to be served in under 15 minutes. The lunch and dinner menus are identical, and pizza is available until close.

By night, Ost. transitions into a bar with $10 wines, $7 beers and spirits, and a range of classic cocktails. A 4:30 to 5:30 happy hour offers further discounts. Broome said customers have responded positively to the pricing. “They’ve second-guessed when I’ve charged them for the drinks because they’ve gone, ‘Hey, you must have actually charged me for one, not two.’”

Broome said he hopes Ost. becomes a local favourite and part of North Sydney’s revitalisation. “I’m there to try to make Ost. people’s local and hopefully get there a few times a week,” he said. “North Sydney is up and coming, which is great to see and something we want to be part of.”

Reflecting on his early days, Broome recalled nights at the Greenwood Hotel next door. “It was one of the most happening places,” he said. “Right now North Sydney is definitely on the up and hopefully back to its best. It’ll take five years to really hit its straps, but you can already see a lot more people around.”