Red Lantern, Sydney’s internationally acclaimed Vietnamese restaurant, will close its doors permanently on 22 November, after a remarkable 25-year run that established it as one of Australia’s most celebrated dining destinations.
The Surry Hills restaurant, which bills itself as “the world’s most awarded Vietnamese restaurant,” has been a cornerstone of Sydney’s culinary landscape since its opening. The restaurant served as a launching pad for co-owner Luke Nguyen’s international celebrity chef career. His business partners at Red Lantern—sister Pauline Nguyen and chef Mark Jensen—have built their own profiles as published authors and media personalities alongside their restaurant responsibilities.
In an emotional announcement, co-owners Pauline Nguyen and Mark Jensen described the closure as marking “the end of a remarkable journey of food, family, and storytelling.”
“Red Lantern has always been more than a restaurant,” they said in a joint statement. “Over the years, it became a sanctuary of flavour, resilience, and connection, welcoming thousands of guests and earning international acclaim for its ability to combine culture, community, and culinary mastery.”
The restaurant plans to celebrate its legacy with a series of farewell events, including a special ‘Last Hurray’ evening on 6 November, featuring dishes from Pauline Nguyen’s award-winning cookbook, Secrets of the Red Lantern, paired with storytelling about the family’s journey from war-torn Vietnam to restaurant success.
Looking ahead, the co-owners plan to focus on growing their Tiger Purrr Chai brand, while Pauline Nguyen will expand her global keynote speaking career and her Numinous program addressing workplace burnout. Jensen plans to take time to “decompress and refresh” after navigating the challenges of the restaurant’s final year.
The owners remain open to the possibility of Red Lantern continuing under new ownership, stating they would welcome conversations with “the right custodian who shared our values and vision” about how the restaurant’s legacy might continue beyond November.
