358 Cleveland St, Surry Hills
02 8399 1440
porteno.com.au
Whilst these Argentinean masters opened their south-American hotspot in 2010 the swanky cocktail area now coined Gardel’s Bar only got into top gear in April. The name pays respect to Argentina’s most famous tango musician and actor, the great Carlos Gardel who thrived in the 1930s, and the bar is another touch of class in one of Sydney’s newest and coolest restaurants.
The still relatively unknown space of Gardel’s offers a whole different fare to the food on offer downstairs, yet none of the Porteño flair has been lost. The cocktail menu has been a work in progress since the venue first opened and it is now staking a name for itself among the top lists doing the rounds.
Items such as the Paloma cocktail will be sure to set you straight; 100% agave Tequila finished off with some housemade pink grapefruit soda or go against the grain with the ‘Thank You for Smoking’; a twisted Manhattan styled drink with Bourbon, smoked vermouth, smoked maple syrup, chocolate bitters and a port and orange soaked cherry – even with all the smoke you don’t have to drink it outside thankfully.
Gardel’s offers good treats at reasonable prices like the ‘pulled-pork sliders’ costing a whopping $4.50 that match up to the drinks on offer stoically setting you in the mood to hang around and sample more of the drinks than you might have planned for. Head back to this now well known haunt for something totally fresh.