If you were there the first time around, you would remember it less as a venue and more as a moment. It was 2022, tucked behind an old pub courtyard where wine flowed out of a garage, chefs took turns feeding the crowd, and patrons perched on mismatched folding tables like they’d stumbled into a well-organised backyard party.
After four months, the pop-up closed. Fast forward to 2026, and the resurrection is official. Doom Juice is opening a permanent cellar door in Marrickville, taking over the former Poor Tom’s site at 66/6 Chalder Avenue.
While the original space thrived on “mates’ backyard” energy, the new cellar door is the result of years of quietly asking a question: what if this was permanent?
Co-founder Zachary Godbolt (also of Batt & Ball Hotel) has hinted that the fit-out will lean hard into Doom Juice logic – playful, and slightly unhinged. With Godbolt hinting at inspiration from the live-action Scooby-Doo film. “I think that if we were to do a pretty straightforward cosy wine bar people would be even more confused than what we currently have done, I mean it needs a few quirks c’mon,” said Godbolt.
Details on the full offering are still under wraps, but this won’t be a wine-only space. Sebastian Keys, DJ and co-founder, is adamant the cellar door experience needs a rethink. “Everyone’s been to a cellar door,” he says. “But let’s be honest, how fun are they? If this doesn’t genuinely blow people away, I’ll eat my own shoe.”
What is confirmed is that Doom Juice is keen to embed itself into the Marrickville community rather than parachute in with a vanity project. Dropping into the Ale Trail, the new cellar door slots neatly among the breweries, distilleries and roller-door spots that have made the precinct one of Sydney’s most honest places to drink.
The build is in its final stages now, with doors expected to open mid-April. For those who missed the original pop-up, this is your second chance, and for those who were there the first time, consider it a reunion.