The guys from Bondi’s The Bucket List must have taken a shining to Bali, as they are opening a new bar there, Motel Mexicola. “We will have a restaurant area with two floors, a cantina bar and a taqueria that will serve onto the street and serve cold coconuts and a selection of hand made tacos among other things,” said co-owner Adam Hall.
“There is no corn flour here in Bali anywhere,” said Hall, “so we are flying it in so that we can make the corn flour tortillas that are traditionally used in Mexico, the first of their kind on the island.”
However operators will need to keep in mind that the rules of doing business in Bali are quite different to those they encounter in Australia, with uncertainty in planning decisions a big concern, according Bartender Publisher David Spanton, who divides his time between Seminyak and Sydney.
“Getting the right permits in Bali seems to be a bit of a grey area,” he said. “Just last year there were three brand new bars on Batu Belig Beach that were literally torn to the ground overnight because they hadn’t paid off the right people!”
But gutsy operators will not be deterred with Bondi restaurateurs behind PaperPlanes planning an opening in Bali this year.
Motel Mexicola – Jalan Kayu Jati 9X Seminyak.