LUCKY TSOTSI SHEBEEN
245 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
02 8354 1306
luckytsotsi.com.au
Here’s an interesting addition to Sydney’s swag of speakeasies. Lucky Tsotsi (pronounced sots-see – you have to roll the “ts”) is fashioned after the illicit bars, known as shebeens, found in South African townships where they serve as an alternative to pubs. And to prove that bootlegging was never just an American pastime, the term shebeen comes from the Irish word sibin, which meant ‘illicit whisky’.
There’s nothing illegal about Lucky Tstotsi though. The bar is a partnership between two South Africans and an Australian and seeks to “bring back great memories for Africans as well as open up Aussie eyes!” according to owner Cameron Beattie (the Australian one).
They’ll be pushing you to try drinks made with Mainstay, a South African cane spirit, and if you have a thirst only a Namibian beer can quench then you have found the place!
And for the food? “The ribs you can’t miss out on,” said Beattie.
