Sydney’s leading providores and local favourites will join global restaurant chains and best-in-class street food operators when Castle Towers launches the first stage of its new $180 million retail precinct next month. Committed to attracting leading food and lifestyle brands, the first stage in the multi-year transformation of Castle Towers will be anchored by a contemporary fresh food marketplace, new-look Coles Supermarket and a next-generation food court concept. Castle Towers is one of QICGRE’s ambitious projects to turn shopping centres in to true integrated hubs of their community.

With an additional 4,700m2 of floor space, 45 lifestyle, food, home and service retailers will begin trading before Christmas with an additional eight stores set to open from early 2020. Enjoying direct access to the new Castle Hill metro station and bus interchange via a pedestrian tunnel, the centre’s brand-new food court and fast casual dining offer will have a strong hospitality feel, giving residents the option to grab and go or stay and savour an array of new tastes.

Castle Towers centre manager Eddie Paynter said the foodie precinct has been carefully crafted by design experts Luchetti Krelle, who have designed an immersive dining experience with a cocoon-like centralised space to give shoppers a sense of calm and comfort within the bustling new retail district.

“We’re on the doorstep of an array of impressive farms in the Hawkesbury Valley, so residents of the Hills are passionate about fresh produce and entertaining family and friends. Our new fresh food precinct will be a destination for the community to shop, taste and interact with each other while the variety of shared seating options that extend beyond the food court will encourage the local community to gather”, he says.

Sydney’s leading provider of fresh seafood and an icon of the Castle Towers community for the past 35 years, Costi’s Fresh Seafood will expand to a larger new format space allowing them to deliver an exciting new concept store.

As a third-generation fishmonger, George Costi and his family have sourced the best quality and freshest seafood from Australian and New Zealand seas for decades. Now, the Hills community will soon able to enjoy cooked seafood to order, served with a range of healthy salads, alongside Costi’s extensive range of locally sourced fresh whole and filleted fish & crustacean.

“I’ve lived locally in Castle Hill for 25 years so we are blessed to have a very loyal clientele but the move into our new store means we can evolve our offering. Not only will we continue to sell the freshest fish and seasonal crustaceans, but we can take away the hassle and prepare each customer’s favourite dish from grilled or crumbed fish to prawn cutlets and salt ’n’ pepper squid”, Costi said.

A fresh addition to Castle Towers, Jean Louis Joseph will open their second Sydney continental deli. Inspired by a European delicatessen, the café will offer a panini bar with fresh cut panini and offer a curated selection of premium local and international cheeses, cured meats, mixed antipasto, breads, baguettes, salads and seasonal fresh fruit. The gourmet food store also specialises in take-home entertaining and grazing options just in time for Christmas and New Year family gatherings.

Also new to Castle Towers, Gewurzhaus Herb and Spice Merchant will open its first Sydney store outside of the CBD and only the second in NSW. Founded by German born sisters Eva and Maria Konecsny, the store will offer more than 350 single origin spices, herbs and teas from around the world. The sisters also mix and mill more than 100 unique small-batch blends from their Melbourne headquarters each week that will be available in the new store.

“Cooking from the home and the heart has always been an integral part of preserving traditions for four generations of women in our family, going all the way back to our great Oma Rosa, a baker by trade,” Maria says.

“Our mission is simple, to provide the Hills with a range of fresh, high-quality ingredients to inspire local residents to create new recipes and traditions to cherish for generations to come.” the Konecsny sisters said.

Michael Shepherd and his mother Joy Shepherd, Shepherds Bakehouse

Using natural ingredients sourced from local farmers, Shepherd’s Artisan Bakehouse has used traditional handcrafted methods to supply Hills residents with fresh baked goods for almost 20 years. The move into a new larger store will allow them to serve a wider range of artisanal baked goods and their classic handmade sourdough, including 10 varieties of cold-fermented bread.

Frank and Bianca Gulisano have operated Dolcettini Patisserie at Castle Towers since 2016. First appearing as a pop-up, the couple from Dural will move into a larger space with nearby seating allowing them to offer a broader range of artisanal breads, pastries and home-made brunch items. With five stores in the Sydney CBD, North Sydney and Parramatta, Délisse French Café will join the Castle Towers offering authentic French café fare including baguettes, pastries, croissants and crepes.

Familiar to local shoppers, Baked Barista will continue serving wholesome food and ready meals representing diverse flavours from Europe, Asia, Middle East, South America and Australia.

McDonald’s, KFC and Oporto will be relocated to the new space with Sushi Hub and Cha Time also joined by new retailers Juiced Life – all-natural and nutritionally-balanced cold pressed juices, smoothies, blended juices, wellness shots and superfood bowls – and Yogurberry.

Founded by Nat and Ben Thomas, Banana Blossom will launch its seventh store at Castle Towers with their made-to-order salads, rice bowls and addictive chef-made sauces already popular on the northern beaches and eastern suburbs. The duo’s fresh take on affordable and wholesome fast food has cultivated quite a following and will be a hit with Hills shoppers looking for a healthy lunch on the go.

Restaurateur and chef  ‘Uncle Jim’, will bring his Jim’s Malaysian concept to Castle Towers, an authentic Southeast Asian hawker street food experience, think classic dishes like Hainanese Chicken Rice or Char Koay Teow with a modern twist.

The introduction of Makani Ramen Noodle House will offer traditional handmade ramen and Yatai Ozeki’s street food and donburi bowls will bring the best of Japan to Castle Towers.

Fans of Middle Eastern cuisine will also be catered for with Adanos Grill serving up authentic Turkish cuisine including traditional gozleme, pide, cold entrée dips made fresh daily and shish kebabs grilled over an open flame.

ChaChu will bring its take on kathi rolls and Indian street-food to Castle Towers for the first time and Ms Dumpling will offer a range of flavoured dim sum, prepared fresh in an open kitchen allowing shoppers to enjoy the spectacle.

Castle Towers is continuing to trade during the building works with the first stage of the redevelopment due to be completed before Christmas. Shoppers will be able to enjoy extended trading hours during the festive season with a series of free community activities taking place for kids of all ages.