The Ume Team Has Opened a Japanese Taco Joint Inside Redfern Surf Club

Looking for something to do this Friday night? Kerby Craig and Jo 'Chewba' Siahaan — the owner-chef duo of Sydney's Bar Ume and Ume Burger and — have you covered as they start serving up Japanese-style tacos at landlocked dive bar Redfern Surf Club.

While the pair has taken over the kitchen here before before for one day of all-you-can-eat hot dogs, this time Craig and Siahaan will open Don Taco inside the inner-city bar, known for its laidback beach vibes and canned cocktails. Venue owner Yannick Maslard has been keen to bring tacos to this Redfern strip for a while now, and thought the Ume duo's fusion of Japanese and Tex-Mex snacks was the way to do it.

At the heart of Don Taco's menu is its taco rice bowl, an Okinawan specialty of koshihikari rice topped with house-made taco seasoning, sour cream mayo and other Mexican bits, along with two tacos. Meat eaters and vegetarians are both catered for with a choice between Ume's beef or a vego (and gluten-free) three-bean chilli to go on top of its rice bowls, tacos and five-cheese nachos. The new menu also offers an array of bar snacks that are perfect for sharing with your mates, including edamame (salted soy beans with a kick), house-made lotus root crisps and spicy corn on the cob.

Open from 6–10pm every Tuesday through Saturday and 5–9pm on Sunday, Don Taco promises to take you on a culinary trip to the streets of Okinawa without leaving your barstool. Planning on kicking on after the kitchen's closed? The Surf Club will still be serving cocktails and seasonal beers till late so you can keep the good times going.

Find Don Taco inside Redfern Surf Club, corner Botany and Henderson roads, Redfern. The kitchen will be open every day except Monday.