Castle del Mar is the very definition of a family affair.
The newly opened cocktail lounge on Newcastle's King Street is the realisation of a dream for childhood friends Peter Jennings and Timothy Chapman, and Peter's children Rosanna, Ruby and Eddy work there.
You might recognise the Jennings siblings - all of them models - from the pages of Newcastle fashion and lifestyle magazine Facon.
"It was our intention to open quietly," Rosanna Jennings told the Newcastle Herald. She is Castle del Mar's human resources and public relations manager, and also works as an on-site host.
"Our vision for Castle del Mar is one of high quality, and we wanted to ensure operations ran cohesively before marketing ourselves to the masses.
"We are a family-run business. My father Peter and his friend Timothy Chapman are co-owners - they have been best friends since primary school - my sister Ruby is a host and our younger brother is our DJ (Just Eddy)."
Having owned and operated businesses in the past, Timothy and Peter were inspired to open a bar together following a trip to the Spanish island of Ibiza.
So keen was Peter that he worked as an Uber driver in Newcastle for six months to "gather his own research on the local nightlife scene".
"He quickly identified a gap in the market: an up-market space for people aged 25 and over to lounge in luxury and comfort, and have a little dance after a delicious cocktail, especially since Bar Petite shut down in the local area," Rosanna explained.
"Our family has lived in a couple of different suburbs in Newcastle over the years and Newcastle East has always had a soft spot in our hearts. So, when we saw 31 King Street was available, we knew it was the perfect opportunity to bring Peter and Timothy's dream to fruition."
The King Street address was once the home of a popular Japanese restaurant, Kitami King St.
"Castle del Mar is (roughly) the Spanish translation for 'castle by sea' and was inspired by the world-renowned bar brand Cafe del Mar," Rosanna said.
"We have incorporated some of Cafe del Mar's signature features, such as the regular DJ sets, within our own venue.
"In addition to being influenced by this brand, Peter also took inspiration from Newcastle's history: the now popular King St club used to be called The Castle. In a way, the name selection for Castle del Mar invites an international spin to the growing city of Newcastle while also paying homage to the city's roots."
Castle del Mar's mood lighting and comfortable seating, Rosanna says, aims "to cultivate a luxurious and comfortable international lounge bar experience".
"We also wanted to extend the feel of a family-run business to our community so we pride ourselves on our high-quality table service and bar-side chat," she added.
Elijah Thompson is Castle del Mar's resident mixologist and his "Castle Signatures" cocktails feature in the venue's extensive drinks menu. Bar snacks and charcuterie boards can be ordered, and a selection of jaffles.
Rosanna says the feedback from visitors to date has been "overwhelmingly positive".
"When people come to Castle del Mar they stay for a while, and they always come back," she said.
"We listen to customer feedback. For example, we started a 4pm to 6pm Happy Hour special after some local office workers requested it for their weekly Friday afternoon visit to Castle del Mar."
- Castle del Mar, 31 King Street, Newcastle. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm. Bookings at castledelmar.com.au.
