Bondi institution Icebergs Dining Room and Bar has closed until September. Legendary restaurateur Maurice Terzini’s clifftop Italian diner had its last service on Sunday, May 8, before shutting to undergo extensive renovations over winter.

The renovation will be undertaken in collaboration with Roman architecture firm Lazzarini Pickering, which oversaw Icebergs’ original design – whose elegant palette twins with the ocean views beyond the windows – two decades ago. Not only will the public spaces be upgraded but, according to an Instagram post by head chef Alex Prichard, the 20-year-old kitchen will also be getting a zhoosh.

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar opened in 2002 under the stewardship of Terzini, who had made a name for himself with new-wave Italian diners in Melbourne before coming up to Sydney and opening Woolloomooloo’s Otto, which he sold before opening Icebergs. Since then, the bar and diner has become a stalwart of the Sydney dining scene, luring locals and international visitors to its remarkable dining room, built into the face of Bondi’s cliffs above Icebergs pool. Terzini has gone on to make his mark on the city’s dining, fashion and art scenes, launching popular diners such as Cicciabella, waste-free bar Re and clothing line Ten Pieces.

“I was [lucky] enough to have had the first meal back on the 14th Dec 2002 … and last night a very emotional last meal from the engine room [at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar] … see you all September,” Terzini posted on Instagram about the closure.

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar is now closed, and slated to reopen in September 2022.