Kinselas Bar

What Kinselas Bar does

Kinselas Bar operates a heritage hotel and entertainment venue at 383 Bourke Street, Darlinghurst, in inner-city Sydney. The venue combines multiple revenue-bearing spaces under one roof: a bistro with a $16 pub-classics menu, a main bar with a $6 happy hour (7-9pm), and at least four distinct function and entertainment spaces — The Standard (capacity up to 300), Middle Bar (up to 150), a Chapel, and the underground Dead Set bar (up to 120). The business runs 10am to 4am, seven days a week, serving individual diners, casual bar patrons, and event organizers booking private functions.

The core product is physical hospitality: food and beverage service, live entertainment (drag shows, live music, themed nights such as CLUB HOB with Arabic music programming), and venue hire. Function hire is offered on a minimum-spend basis, with the venue's primary commercial pitch being free room hire conditional on F&B minimums. A sub-brand, Dead Set, operates as a separately marketed underground bar Thursday to Sunday with its own social presence. The venue is explicitly positioned as LGBTQ+ inclusive and is a visible participant in Sydney Mardi Gras 2026 programming, including ticketed viewing parties.

The business model is multi-stream: per-cover F&B sales (unit-priced at $16 mains, $6 happy hour drinks, $20 Sunday roast), function/event hire (minimum spend rather than venue fee), and ticketed event revenue through Eventbrite. Customer acquisition is driven by Eventbrite, Mailchimp email marketing, and organic social channels. The privacy policy links to redcapeassets.venuesmedia.com, strongly suggesting Kinselas is managed within the Redcape Group's venue portfolio, though no parent-company relationship is formally disclosed on the venue's own materials.

Name

Kinselas Bar

Legal name

Kinselas

Website

https://kinselas.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heritage hotel and entertainment venue in Darlinghurst, Sydney, operating a bistro, multiple bars, and function spaces for up to 300 guests, with an LGBTQ+-inclusive programming slate and a dedicated underground sub-brand called Dead Set.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pub and Hospitality Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nightclubs & Dance Clubs (THAFAEAC), After-Hours Clubs (MPAGAIAK), Nightclubs & Dance Clubs (CRANACAG)

Keywords

• Pub bistro dining
• Function venue hire
• Live music bar
• Drag entertainment venue
• Happy hour bar

Headquarters

HQ city

Darlinghurst

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Bistro dining with $16 pub classics available 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Beverage sales including house drinks during Happy Hour (7-9pm) at $6. Sunday roast specials at $20.
2. Function and Event Venue Hire: Multiple function spaces (The Standard up to 300 guests, Middle Bar up to 150 guests, Chapel, Dead Set up to 120 guests) with free room hire available. Revenue from food, beverage, and bar tab minimums during private events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kinselas operates a heritage hotel, bistro, and multi-room entertainment venue in Darlinghurst, Sydney, selling affordable pub food ($16 pub classics, $20 Sunday roasts), alcoholic beverages (including a $6 house drinks happy hour from 7-9pm daily), and bookable function spaces for private and corporate events with capacities from 50 to 300+ guests. The venue is anchored by its inclusive LGBTQ+ identity and a calendar of live entertainment including drag shows, DJs, trivia, karaoke, and live bands across its rooms and the Dead Set underground basement bar.

Product overview

Kinselas is a multi-faceted hotel and entertainment venue in Darlinghurst, Sydney operating as a single unified venue with distinct branded spaces and service offerings. The core venue encompasses a main hotel with bistro, multiple function spaces (The Chapel, Middle Bar, The Standard), and an underground bar (Dead Set). Revenue streams include bistro dining ($16 Pub Classics menu), venue hire for functions and events, corporate bookings, and ticketed entertainment programming. The venue operates 24/7 with extended hours and integrates with Mailchimp for marketing communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dead Set: Underground hard rock bar and live music venue located in the Kinselas basement. Features live bands, DJ nights, drag performances, and late-night entertainment. Open Thursday through Sunday.

Products and services

• Kinselas Bistro - $16 Pub Classics Everyday-value bistro menu offering pub classics (Chicken Schnitzel, Fish & Chips, Sausage and Mash, Classic Cheeseburger, 250g Rump Steak, Falafel Burger) all priced at $16, served for lunch (12-3pm) and dinner (5-9pm) seven days a week for walk-in diners and casual social groups.
• Kinselas $20 Sunday Roast Dinner Winter Sunday roast special priced at $20, with a choice of beef or pork served with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Available every Sunday for lunch and dinner until sold out, with $5 add-on for house wine or draught schooner and $10 add-ons for pigs in blankets and/or cauliflower cheese.
• Kinselas Happy Hour Daily 7-9pm happy hour offering $6 house drinks every day of the week at the public bar, excluding public holidays.
• The Chapel Function Space Iconic heritage chapel space within Kinselas available for intimate celebrations, weddings, and corporate gatherings with free room hire, used as a standalone venue hire option for private and corporate events.
• Middle Bar Function Space Versatile events space accommodating up to 150 guests for birthdays, engagements, and corporate gatherings, with chic layout and free room hire included as part of Kinselas' function offering.
• The Standard Function Space Large event space in the Sydney CBD accommodating up to 300 guests for grand celebrations and corporate functions, with complimentary room hire available subject to minimum spend.
• Dead Set Underground Bar Underground hard rock and live music dive bar in the Kinselas basement featuring live bands, drag performances, DJ nights, and late-night entertainment, operating Thursday to Sunday as a standalone sub-brand.
• Kinselas Afterparty Venues Purpose-built afterparty venues with DJ equipment, sound systems, and multiple dancefloors hosting groups of 50 to 250+ guests for private late-night celebrations and events.
• Kinselas Corporate Events and Activations Flexible corporate event packages using Kinselas' multiple function spaces for business functions, brand activations, and professional gatherings, with tailored catering and bar service for corporate clients.
• Kinselas Celebrations Events Celebration packages for birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, and special occasions across Kinselas' venues, featuring private bars, dancefloors, and afterparty options for groups of 50-250+ guests.
• Kinselas Weekly Live Entertainment Programming Recurring weekly schedule of live entertainment at Kinselas including Monday Karaoke with Keira Billie, Wednesday Queer Sketch Club, Thursday Trivia with Jackie Daniels, and Friday and Saturday Chapel DJs, plus ticketed special events such as Art Battle Sydney via Eventbrite and themed nights like CLUB HOB.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EventbriteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEventbrite ticketing integration for special events including Art Battle Sydney. Third-party ticketing platform for event admissions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Merivale: Sydney-based hospitality group operating multiple pubs, bars, and function venues across the CBD and inner suburbs — broader incumbent with comparable venue mix and function capabilities.
• Universal Hotel Sydney: Heritage Sydney pub on Darlinghurst's Oxford Street with bistro, bars, live music, and late-night trade — broader inner-Sydney incumbent in the same nightlife corridor.

Direct peers

• The Laird Hotel: Melbourne heritage LGBTQ+ pub with drag programming, function hosting, and late-night operations — comparable LGBTQ+-inclusive heritage venue format in a sister Australian city.
• The Imperial Hotel Sydney: Heritage LGBTQ+ hotel and entertainment venue in Sydney's Darlinghurst/Erskineville area, with multiple function spaces, drag programming, and late-night trading — directly overlapping Kinselas's core positioning in the same precinct.
• The Beresford Hotel: Iconic heritage Sydney pub in Surry Hills with bistro dining, multiple bars, function spaces, and live entertainment — directly comparable multi-space venue format operating in the same inner-Sydney hospitality corridor.
• The Argyle: Sydney heritage nightclub and events venue in The Rocks with multiple rooms, DJs, and function hire — comparable multi-room nightlife venue with similar function/event revenue model.
• The Marlborough Hotel: Heritage Sydney pub in Newtown with bistro, multiple bars, function rooms, and live entertainment — directly comparable multi-space, heritage-positioned inner-Sydney pub model.
• The Establishment Hotel: Boutique heritage hotel and bar/nightclub complex in Sydney CBD offering multiple drinking venues, dining, and event hosting — comparable multi-venue heritage asset with late-night trading.
• The Stonewall Hotel: Sydney Darlinghurst LGBTQ+ hotel and nightclub offering multiple bars, drag shows, function events, and late-night operations — the closest direct competitor to Kinselas in terms of target audience and venue mix.

Regional players

• The Bank Hotel: Inner-Sydney heritage pub and events venue with multi-space layout, bistro, and function hosting — comparable heritage venue format in a comparable but distinct Sydney inner-city precinct.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DeadSetDarlo
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeadSetDarlo
• Instagraminstagram.com/DeadSetDarlo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kinselas-bar

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kinselas Bar