Piccolo Bar, the oldest cafe in Sydney's Kings Cross, set to be reopened by former customers

But now the lease has been taken over by a brother-and-sister duo who first discovered the iconic coffee bar when they were in the their teens, 28 years ago, and have been drinking coffee and eating pasta and focaccia there ever since.

The cafe following its closure earlier this year. Photo: Sue Williams

“I’ve worked in coffee bars before, and spent a lot of my career in hospitality,” said Eulalie Moore, 44. “So when we found out the Piccolo was closing, we decided we should take it over.

“We’ll be serving good coffee, good food and hopefully eventually we’ll go back to a 24-hour operation as it was in the early days. We want to catch people going to work in the morning and coming home at night, and then who are out late wanting coffee, cake and ice cream.”

Her older brother Shamus, 45, a shopfitter by trade, said they may make a few changes to the café, such as creating more room inside for tables and chairs, putting up even more celebrity photos and tweaking the menu.

“But we don’t want to change it too much,” he said of the café that opened first in the 1940s and in its current form as the Piccolo Bar in 1952.

“When it started out, however, there were only a handful of coffee shops in the area, and coffee and a toastie is all anyone wanted. Now there is at least 15 competitors in the immediate vicinity so we need to serve up great food and coffee at a reasonable price.

Late-night revellers in the cafe in 2002. Photo: Dean Sewell

“Yet we’ll be keeping up its proud traditions and keeping its important place in the local community.”

Owner Mr Bianchi, who started working as a barista in the tiny café in 1964, said he was delighted that his customers were now becoming the bosses. “It’s wonderful,” he said.

“They used to come here when they were very young and I’m thrilled they’ve come back to take it over. We are very happy.”

Ms Newton-Carra said it was the best possible outcome for the Piccolo Bar. “I’m so excited that it will continue and start opening late at night again like it used to in the good old days,” she said. “Vittoria’s known them for at least 20 years so it’s ideal.

“He can continue going there and drinking coffee and chat to customers, just like he’s always done.”

With the re-opening planned for July 26, the café will, at first just open from Wednesday to Friday, from 6am to midnight, and Saturday and Sunday from 7am to midnight. Depending on how business goes, the café will then open for 24 hours.

“That was always wonderful,” said Ms Moore. “There’d be so many characters coming in and it was always such a wonderful atmosphere. We’re proud and happy to be part of this café’s long tradition.”

At the height of the Piccolo Bar’s fame it served coffee to a clientele of prime ministers from Gough Whitlam to Malcolm Turnbull, screen stars such as Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Jeremy Irons, Richard E. Grant, Geoffrey Rush and Jack Thompson, and stage icons Peter Allen, Danny La Rue and Les Girls.