Centro 86

Overview

Not content with creating four of Sydney's favourite venues in Bar Planet, Cantina OK!, Tio's and The Cliff Dive — plus the beloved OK! sparkling margarita seltzer — Mucho hospitality group kicked off 2024 by serving up an absolute home run with its new hidden underground cocktail lair Centro 86.

Described as an "old, fancy Mexican cantina on shrooms", the tequila-focused bar in the Sydney CBD opening takes the magic of Bar Planet, as well as Cantina OK!'s love of margaritas, and applies it to an expansive 110-seat space.

But before you settle in for a few fanciful cocktails, you've got to find the bar first.

Wander down Pitt Street until you find the Centro 86 sign. At this point, you'll have to take a right-hand turn and venture around to the unassuming Hoskings Place, where you'll find a fire escape and luminous Centro 86 sign. Follow the sign which will lead you down two flights of stairs to the moody subterranean watering hole.

Mucho has kept things local, working with a collection of Australian artists to transform the space. David Humphries, the mind behind Bar Planet's psychedelic countertops, is back to inject big splashes of colour into the one-of-a-kind bar top, while local stained-glass artists, ceramicists, furniture makers and visual artists were enlisted to bring the venue's vibe and aesthetic to life.

Margaritas are the name of the game at Centro 86, with five varieties on the menu, including the sensational and ultra-unique parsley-topped Verde — a must-try. Adding to that something special is a set of three old-school ice shavers, bringing a dose of theatrics and a melt-in-your-mouth touch to the drinks.

The inventive cocktails don't stop with the margs, with sherry-forward mixes and a fresh take on Bar Planet's Scorpino gracing the menu, alongside a refined wine and beer list featuring a few minimal-intervention drops and Wildflower Brewing's beloved table beer.

There's also an expansive tequila collection featuring spirits available from $13–180. You'll find varieties that the Mucho team has aged themselves, ultra-rare options, plus Australia's first agave spirit that's distilled up in Bowen in Queensland.

And it wouldn't be a Mucho venue without a bag of popcorn on your table — this time with a new secret spice mix that's promised to rival the fan-favourites of the group's other venues.

Images: Dexter Kim