Chin Chin is heading to Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with founding chef Benjamin Cooper and long-time Sydney chef Matthew MacLeod set to lead the kitchen at a new 100-seat Manly restaurant opening in mid-2027.

Lucas Collective has announced plans to open Chin Chin in Manly, giving the restaurant group a second Sydney location almost a decade after it first arrived in Surry Hills.

The new restaurant will open at 9 Raglan Street within the Two Tides development, close to Manly Beach, and is expected to welcome its first diners in mid-2027.

For restaurateur Chris Lucas, the decision follows years of requests from customers on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

“I've had thousands of requests over the years from guests on the Northern Beaches asking us to open closer to home,” Lucas said.

“Now feels like the right time to bring the next chapter of Chin Chin to one of Australia’s most iconic destinations.”

He said Manly’s combination of community, energy and food culture made it a natural fit for the restaurant.

Benjamin Cooper and Matthew MacLeod to lead the kitchen

Chin Chin founding chef Benjamin Cooper will lead the Manly kitchen alongside Matthew MacLeod, who has been part of the Surry Hills restaurant since it opened in 2017.

Their involvement gives the new restaurant a direct connection to both the original Chin Chin in Melbourne and its first Sydney outpost.

The team will retain some of the dishes diners already associate with Chin Chin, while developing new additions specifically for the Manly restaurant.

Familiar dishes are expected to include the coconut-dressed kingfish sashimi, Wagyu pad see ew and crispy corn fritters, alongside new dishes influenced by the location and the way Northern Beaches customers dine.

For Cooper, adapting the restaurant to its surroundings has always been part of the Chin Chin approach.

“Every Chin Chin has its own personality,” he said.

Rather than reproducing the Melbourne or Surry Hills restaurants, the kitchen team will look at how Chin Chin’s Southeast Asian flavours can evolve for a coastal location.

Lucas has previously pointed to differences that already exist between the restaurants, including a greater emphasis on seafood in Sydney, and expects the Manly menu to continue that process of adapting to its local audience.

A smaller format for Chin Chin

At 100 seats, Chin Chin Manly will be considerably smaller than its Surry Hills counterpart.

It is an interesting shift for a brand known for large, busy dining rooms, particularly at its Melbourne and Surry Hills locations.

Lucas has said the more compact footprint will give the team greater control over the energy and atmosphere inside the restaurant while retaining the lively style of service that has become synonymous with Chin Chin.

The smaller format also reflects the different setting.

Chin Chin Melbourne opened on Flinders Lane in 2011 before expanding to Sydney in 2017, taking over the historic Griffiths Teas building on Commonwealth Street in Surry Hills.

For Lucas, the appeal is in adapting Chin Chin to a setting outside its traditional inner-city locations.

The new opening also comes as Manly continues to attract significant hospitality investment.

A renewed food and beverage offering around Manly Wharf is bringing new restaurants and operators to the area, including chef Louis Tikaram's Stanley, adding further momentum to the Northern Beaches dining scene.

Chin Chin approaches a decade in Sydney

By the time the Manly restaurant opens, Chin Chin will have been operating in Sydney for 10 years.

Its arrival in Surry Hills in 2017 followed the success of the original Melbourne restaurant and established Chin Chin as one of Lucas Collective’s most recognisable Sydney venues.

The Manly opening will now give Cooper, MacLeod and the wider kitchen team the opportunity to build a different version of the restaurant rather than simply replicate what has already worked elsewhere.

With a smaller dining room, a coastal location and dishes being developed specifically for the Northern Beaches, Chin Chin Manly is set to mark the next stage of the restaurant’s growth in Sydney.

Chin Chin Manly is scheduled to open at 9 Raglan Street, Manly, in mid-2027.