The Savoy Long Jetty Bar

In the ‘50s, The Savoy was Long Jetty’s ritzy cinema. A place where locals went for old-school entertainment. Four years ago, The Savoy was reborn as a bar, once again providing a social setting for locals.

The Savoy history

The Savoy first swung its doors open in 1956 as the NSW Central Coast’s first and only CinemaScope screen. It was a post World War 2 entertainment complex. The Savoy was closed as a cinema in 1976 with mixed-use since then on the ground floor with the mezzanine and projection room laying disused and dormant for 40 years. Until 2016. 

Rising out of the ashes from its glory days, The Savoy is reborn into a multi-purpose bar and restaurant venue. The re-establishment of The Savoy as a hub will contribute to the ever-changing vibrant strip of Long Jetty.

Drinks and beverages 

The Savory Long Jetty offers a variety of craft beer on tap, an array of wines, cocktails, weekly DJ’s focusing on old-school classics with a twist of today’s tunes, and dance beats, a fun cocktail list, old-fashioned table service, movie nights, family days, art, community engagement, functions, events, and more. 

The food menu delivers a tasty selection of Napoli style pizza together with an array of cheese boards, salads, charcuterie platters, and more, designed to share. 

Every Thursday night the cinema-themed bar brings some classic movies from anywhere over the last few decades. The Savoy has a special purpose-built movie setting in this grand old theatre.

A suave Savoy experience 

The Savoy name has even been etched on the side of the building so it looks right at home with all the other edgy street art that is helping to turn the Jetty strip into one of the Central Coast’s coolest cultural hubs.

Now that the bar is open and the red velvet curtain hangs once again, it seems like a no-brainer to turn part of this retro cinema into a bar but Ben Pearce, one of the four local blokes behind the project, said the reality of breathing new life into a derelict Heritage-listed building presented its share of challenges.

“It wasn’t an easy road – we’ve had a few hurdles to jump. Getting the pigeons out was good fun,” Ben says, his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.

As well as being the team sweeper, Ben is the one with the hospitality background with his 16 years in the industry including stints at some of Sydney’s most infamous nightspots from the Beach Road Hotel at Bondi to Cargo Bar and Kit & Kaboodle at the Cross.

“We wanted to recreate what was already here and make it what it was originally meant to be – the re-emergence of an old theatre into its prime,” Ben says.

The façade was painted the same ‘woodland grey’ color after they were able to color match it from council records, the exposed bricks in the cinema bar are original, as are the wall lights, and the green wall and burgundy ceiling were also matched to the original art deco color scheme.

The name, of course, had to stay. “It couldn’t be anything other than The Savoy. This building meant a lot to the area in the 50s. We’d be silly not to embrace the history,” Ben says.