THE new operators of Sydney’s oldest coffee bar have vowed to ensure its longevity for another 65 years.

Shamus and Eulalie Moore reopened The Piccolo Bar last Saturday — just one week after picking up the keys from its retiring owner Vittorio Bianchi, 82.

The hole-in-the-wall Bohemian hangout on Roslyn St in Kings Cross has hosted the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Jeff Buckley, Peter Allen and Gough Whitlam.

“Piccolo is an institution and essential to the make-up and fibre of our freethinking community so we would have hated to see it go,” Mr Moore said.

He has fond memories of drinking hot chocolate among the “eccentric” regulars when he was a boy.

media_camera Mr Bianchi with the new operators Shamus and sister Eulalie Moore. Picture: Joel Carrett

Ms Moore said she “loved” visiting Piccolo as a teenager when they lived in the area.

“We aren’t changing it too much but we have given it a bit of fresh love and the energy it needs because Vittorio doesn’t have the energy to go all night any more,” she said.

Regulars will be pleased to hear the famous portrait wall, which features some of the entertainers and colourful characters who have visited over the years, will remain.

It will also welcome fresh faces to usher the bar into a new era.

media_camera The much-loved portrait wall will remain.

Mr Moore said they would “lift the game” on the food menu, which would be “traditional and healthy” and feature pastas, salads, cakes, ice creams, cold-pressed juices, soups and, of course, coffee.

He said they wanted to be part of the “revival” of Kings Cross as it reinvents itself following the lockout laws, adding Piccolo’s survival would contribute to a sense of community.

They hope it will be a melting pot for social activists to come together and discuss important issues in a welcoming environment without music blaring in the background.

media_camera Piccolo has welcomed the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Peter Allen and Gough Whitlam.

“I think the lockouts were a result of a proliferation of bars and we need a balance with restaurants and cafes and places of refuge, so to speak, from full-on bars,” he said.

“We need that sensible approach to dining and eating out that doesn’t always have to (involve drinking).

“For shift workers, our evening is their morning so it allows them to grab a coffee and a bite to eat while staying sober.”

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To start off with, Piccolo will open from 6am to midnight from Wednesday to Friday and 7am to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

The business partners hope to later extend their hours and open on Mondays and Tuesdays.