You first see it from the street. It’s tucked 30 yards down an alley way hanging off Clarence street in the Sydney CBD. Your eye is caught by the patterned glass on the front of the bar that looks like it has come direct from Oaxaca. Then you catch the colourful tones of the interior walls, you clock the crowd of people milling around, and you wonder: is that a bar down there?
A bar it is and a great bar it is at that. It’s also one of the smallest — if not the smallest — bars we have. Coming from the team behind Tio’s Cerveceria — one of the world’s great tequila bars — Cantina OK! is all about mezcal.
There’s room for just 20 people, and it’s standing room only (the bar is sat within an old garage barely wide enough for a car), which means you’re up close and personal with the bartenders. Thankfully their number includes Alex ‘Happy’ Gilmour, who is as hospitable and knowledgeable as they get — give their Margarita OK! a go (made with plenty of shaved ice and a hint of mezcal) or one of their weekly changing cocktail specials (which so far has seen a couple of Paloma variations and a Raspberry Daiquiri make an appearance).
Oh, and the great part? They’re open from 4pm until 2am, every single day of the week.
You can find Cantina OK! in Council Place in Sydney.
