This isn’t my first time at Centro 86. It only opened about half a year ago, and this would be my fourth time here. I’ve seen it jam-packed with after-work drinkers on a Thursday night, partly packed with weekend revellers on a Saturday, and tonight – a Monday at 7pm – it’s quiet. But no matter how full this place is, it’s always a vibe.
The bar staff – dressed sharply in green waistcoats over white shirts – set an upbeat tone the moment you step in. They greet you loudly and warmly, hand you a paper bag full of spicy popcorn and talk you through the cocktail menu and tonight’s specials. Take a seat at the bar and you’ll realise “good conversationalist” must be one of the traits you need to get a job here. These aren’t snooty bar staff – they take their jobs seriously, but not themselves.
Centro 86 is the latest venue by the Mucho Group – the same crew behind Newtown’s popular Bar Planet as well as other Latino-style venues, Cantino OK! and Tio’s Cerveceria.
This newer venue specialises in tequila cocktails, with a spotlight on Margaritas.
To get here, you walk down Pitt Street to the Priceline Pharmacy, turn down an inconspicuous laneway (Hoskin Lane), find an unassuming looking door, and head down the stairs. They’ve basically converted Priceline’s basement into an edgy bar that feels straight out of Mexico City.
The music is all Latino influenced, but the soundtrack still keeps you on your toes – taking you on a journey through the sounds of Cuban pachanga through to the Buena Vista Social Club, bossa nova and Latino-style rock.
The large room is moody-dark, and lit by tea lights on every table – as well as vintage-style red and gold lamps along the bar. They’ve used chess boards as tabletops. Every inch of the bar’s olive-green walls is filled with framed Mexican-style prints – displaying Mexican sayings, vintage ads for tequila and cerveza, paintings of animals, conquistadors, rockstars, religious scenes and psychedelic artwork. Pictures even line the ceiling. This bar is at the opposite end of the spectrum from those characterless, shiny-surfaced establishments that you’ll also find here in Sydney. Here, more is certainly more.
My favourite feature is the bar top – a mosaic of chunky, colourful tiles. The barman tells me they’re second-hand tiles, smashed and turned into a “Mexican desert landscape” by Australian artist David Humphries.
Oh yeah, and the cocktails – they’re bueno. Tonight when I order, the bartender gets a trainee staff member to mix the drinks. Considering they don’t realise I’m (anonymously) reviewing, I think to myself, perhaps it’s not ideal that the first-timer is training on me. But the drinks are perfection.
Tonight’s special is a hot honey and ironbark Margarita, but I order their signature cocktail, the Centro Margarita, which is a shaved-ice-filled take on the classic. There’s a delicious fresh lime flavour, and it tastes sour and dry (just the way I like it) instead of tacky sweet.
My favourite cocktail here, though, is the Royale – Herradura tequila with Champagne, lemon juice and yuzu. It’s Margarita-like, but the Champagne adds a light, bubbly effervescence, and the lemon combined with yuzu bring bright, zesty tang. It’s refreshing and layered.
The menu is very tequila-cocktail focused, though they also do a signature Mojito and Caprioska. And if you're not after a cocktail, you can order other drops from their fully-stocked bar.
They don’t serve food, apart from the complimentary popcorn – again, they stay in their lane. That said, the popcorn is essential. It’s totally inhalable, flavoured with some special secret recipe (chilli? lime? chicken salt? crack?). (Side note: if you’ve been to their sister venues Bar Planet and Tio's, you’ll know they also serve up equally moreish popcorn.)
I was sold the moment I first walked into Centro 86 back in February. Since then, I’ve been repeatedly lured back in – by its charm, its happy and friendly staff, its carefully crafted cocktails, and its spot-a-new-thing-every-time-you-come-here décor. The popcorn is addictive but, really, I’m addicted to the whole place. My fourth time at Centro won’t be my last.