Hong Kong’s celebrated yakitori restaurant Yardbird is coming back to Sydney for one night only, with chef and co-founder Matt Abergel bringing his acclaimed Japanese-style chicken skewers to Surry Hills on Wednesday, 25 November. The Michelin-starred restaurant has built a global following since opening in 2011, making this a particularly exciting opportunity for Sydney diners who haven’t managed to visit its Hong Kong home.
Abergel will take over Bessie’s and Alma’s on Albion Street under the name Yakido, which Yardbird uses for its international collaborations. The event is part of The Goodies Hospitality’s ongoing Goodies & Friends series, with just 120 seats available and bookings opening from 5.30pm.
Yardbird’s reputation comes largely from its meticulous approach to chicken. Rather than focusing on the familiar cuts, Abergel breaks down whole birds and cooks them over traditional Japanese binchotan charcoal, making use of parts that rarely receive much attention on Australian restaurant menus. It’s an approach that helped earn Yardbird its first Michelin star in 2021 and inspired Abergel’s James Beard Award-winning cookbook, Chicken and Charcoal.
For the Sydney pop-up, Abergel will source chickens locally and prepare them using Yardbird’s signature techniques. The à la carte menu will feature chicken skewers alongside kanpachi tartare, sweet corn tempura and a katsu sandwich. There will also be an ice cream sandwich for dessert, while Alma’s bar will offer a separate snack menu for guests who would prefer to drop in for a drink.
This won’t be Yardbird’s first visit to Sydney, although opportunities to experience Abergel’s cooking here have been few and far between. In 2016, he collaborated with Harpoon Harry in Surry Hills, returning in 2019 for a one-off lunch with Dan Hong at Ms. G’s in Potts Point.
Seven years later, the appeal is much the same. For anyone who’s had Yardbird on their Hong Kong dining wishlist, this is a chance to sample Abergel’s cooking without taking the roughly nine-hour flight from Sydney.
“We’ve long admired Matt as one of the leading figures in food globally,” says Nathan Sasi, chef and co-owner of The Goodies Hospitality. “He’s changed the way people think about yakitori, and you can see his influence in kitchens all over the world.”
The collaboration follows previous Goodies & Friends events featuring Dan Hunter of Brae and Dave Verheul of Melbourne’s Embla.
Yakido x Bessie’s and Alma’s takes place on Wednesday, 25 November 2026, at 111–115 Albion Street, Surry Hills. Bookings are essential, with reservations available between 5.30pm and 9pm via SevenRooms.
