Centro 86

Centro 86 is a basement tequila bar from the award-winning crew behind Bar Planet, Tio's, and Cantina OK!

Enter via the Hoskings Place laneway before descending into an emerald-green underground bar, lined with local artwork inspired by a fancy Mexican cantina. 

Described as the Mucho group's "tequila universe", behind the bar is a 100-strong selection of rare and delicious tequilas, including a couple you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in Australia.

The idea is diversity and expanding horizons: "We want to champion the variety of tequila that can say, it's a growing category, that agave spirits are the most delicious and unique spirits in the world," explains Mucho general manager, Daisy Tulley. 

"We have tequilas that we've aged ourselves, blue agave spirits from around the world and from other parts of Mexico that show you what blue agave can taste like outside of Tequila—the place. [We have] one that's coming from Bowen in QLD—Australia's first commercial agave spirit," Tulley adds. 

While the group's other venues have typically had a very singular focus—martinis and mezcal, for example—Centro 86 is a little more fast and loose conceptually.

Dressed in green waistcoats, the team delivers their signature low-key cocktail theatre, pouring Latin cocktails over fresh fruit and shaved-to-order ice. They plan to make Caprioskas cool again and to satiate Sydney's undying thirst for margaritas. 

"We have served over one million margaritas and are keen to serve a million more," says Tulley. "This menu will stretch your perception of what a margarita is with five different house Margaritas." You can also create your own margarita, using Centro 86's library of rare tequilas. 

To eat—and to temper those tequila sips—it's bags of complimentary popcorn laced with a new secret spice (yes, different to Bar Planet and Tio's). 

Now, check out more of the Sydney CBD's best bars. 

Image credit: Centro 86 | Dexter Kim

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