The sign’s up on Hollywood Road

If you’ve walked along Hollywood Road lately, you may have noticed something new. The big red Bill’s banner is up, there’s bamboo scaffolding out front and the hoarding at street level is wearing our colours.

It’s only a sign, but it feels like a milestone. After months of plans, drawings and tastings, Bill’s is now something you can stand in front of on the street.

So we thought we’d pause and tell you where things are at: what’s happening behind the hoarding, what’s coming when the doors open, and how to hear about it first.

What’s happening behind the hoarding

Behind the scaffolding, 210 Hollywood Road is slowly becoming the room we’ve been picturing for months. The trades are in, there’s dust on everything and the to-do list is long. It gets a little shorter every week.

When the hoarding comes down, this is what you’ll walk into:

• Red marble on the bar, at just the right height for leaning
• Terrazzo tabletops, made to take years of good nights
• Warm timber panelling, and low light once the sun goes down
• Red leather booths for settling in for the evening
• A checkerboard floor, with checkerboard tiles on the front to match

Everything was chosen to age well and get better with use, a bit like the regulars. We wanted Bill’s to feel discovered rather than designed, as if it had been part of the street for years.

If you missed our first post, We’re opening on Hollywood Road, it has more on what’s coming inside. The real thing is getting close.

The name above the door

People often ask who Bill is. The answer is that Bill’s is named after the owner’s daughter.

It’s a family name, not a concept, and that’s the point. We wanted a place that feels personal and settled, the kind of local you’d happily call your own.

There’s more about the idea behind Bill’s, and how it came together, on our About page.

Why Hollywood Road

Hollywood Road is one of the oldest streets in Hong Kong, laid out in the 1840s. It’s home to antique dealers, galleries and Man Mo Temple, and it has a character that newer parts of the city can’t copy.

Sheung Wan has changed a lot over the years without losing its old Hong Kong feel. There are dried seafood shops a few streets down, trams rattling along Des Voeux Road and steep lanes that reward a wander.

That suited us down to the ground. Bill’s is an Australian pub at heart, with a bistro’s eye for detail, and a good local needs a good street around it.

Sheung Wan is full of people who want somewhere easy to drop into after work, and somewhere worth staying for dinner. We hope Bill’s can be both.

What’s coming out of the kitchen

The menu is still being written, and we’d rather get it right than rush it. The idea is simple: Australian pub classics, done properly. Good produce, cooked well, with nothing on the plate that doesn’t need to be there.

Here’s a taste of what to expect:

• Lamb cutlets and steaks from the grill
• Crispy-skin market fish
• Sydney rock oysters, freshly shucked
• A chicken schnitzel that hangs off the plate
• A pavlova worth saving room for

You can see where things are heading on our food menu, and we’ll share the final menu closer to opening.

We also have firm opinions on the small things. If you’ve ever wondered why an Australian pub takes its chips so seriously, read In defence of chicken salt. And yes, there will be chips. Plenty of them.

And at the bar

A good pub lives or dies by its bar. Ours is built for a quick one on the way home or a long evening with friends, whichever the night calls for.

We’ll be pouring Mountain Culture on tap, from the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, alongside wines from Australia and New Zealand and a short list of cocktails with Australian names. The full list will be on our drinks page once it’s settled.

Beer comes in schooners, naturally. If you’re not sure what makes a proper schooner, we’ve explained it here.

A week with a rhythm

Every good local has its rituals, and we’re planning ours now. Once we’re open, the week at Bill’s will have a few fixed points:

• Knock-offs, for after-work drinks with the whole desk
• Schnitty Wednesday, a midweek tradition imported directly from home
• Shuck o’clock on Fridays, with Sydney rock oysters
• Sunday roast, with all the trimmings and plenty of gravy

You’ll find the full line-up on our What’s On page. We’ll confirm times and prices before opening night.

Planning something bigger?

We’re already taking enquiries for functions. If you have a birthday, a farewell, a team dinner or a long lunch in mind for after we open, it’s not too early to get in touch.

Tell us what you’re celebrating and roughly how many people are coming, and we’ll work out the best way to look after you. Everything you need to get started is on our private dining page.

We’ll help with the food, the drinks and the timing, so all you have to do on the day is turn up and enjoy it.

We’re hiring

You may have spotted it on the hoarding: we’re building our opening team now.

We’d like to meet chefs, bartenders, floor staff and kitchen porters. Experience helps, but attitude matters more. If you love looking after people, and you’d rather enjoy a shift than get through one, we’d love to hear from you.

Head to our careers page to find out how to apply.

Bill’s in five words

If we had to sum up Bill’s in five words, they’d be these:

• Warm. Come in for one, leave knowing the bartender’s name.
• Honest. Good produce, cooked properly.
• Characterful. Art on the walls, stories at the bar and a few surprises along the way.
• Moody. Low light, red leather and a candle on every table once the sun goes down.
• Australian. Easy-going, generous and never too serious. Just like home.

What happens next

Over the coming weeks, the finishing touches go in behind the hoarding. Then the scaffolding comes down and the front finally gets to show its face.

After that comes the part we’re looking forward to most. The plan is to bring the team together, cook for each other and run a few practice services, so everything feels settled by the time you walk in.

When do we open?

We’re aiming to open on 1 December 2026. Fit-outs have a mind of their own, so we’ll confirm the date by email and on Instagram and Facebook once it’s locked in.

How to be first through the door

Bookings will open on SevenRooms, OpenRice and Google ahead of opening night. The best way to hear the moment they do is to leave your email. You’ll be the first to know when bookings open.

You can also follow Bill’s on Instagram and Facebook for first looks at the room as the hoarding comes down.

Finding us

We’re at 210 Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island. Until the hoarding comes down, look for the big red banner. After that, look for the checkerboard tiles.

Directions, a taxi card in Chinese and everything else you need for your first visit are on our Visit page.

That’s where things stand for now. There’s plenty still to do, and we’ll keep posting updates here on the Blackboard as the room comes together.

We can’t wait to pour you a cold one. See you on Hollywood Road.