Leading hospitality group, Maybe Group, has secured the lease for the Four Pillars Laboratory site on the corner of Crown and Foveaux Street in Surry Hills, Sydney. Its Mexican bar, El Primo Sanchez, will move in and open sometime in October.
Four Pillars opened the Lab and upstairs Eileen’s Bar in the middle of 2020, breaking new ground for the bar and distillery scene with its small-scale 70-litre Carl gin still – called Eileen – in the Lab and high-end cocktail bar, Eileen’s Bar, upstairs. The still came from Four Pillars’ home turf in Healesville, Victoria. Eileen’s was one of the first bars in Sydney to move away from a traditional cocktail bar menu to one focused on one spirit and a premium hospitality experience.
Lion acquired a 50 per cent stake in the distillery in March 2013, and the remaining 50 per cent in July 2023, with the brand becoming part of its Vanguard Luxury Brands* business.
Lion Australian managing director, James Brindley, was MD in 2019 when the first investment in Four Pillars was made, saying it was an exciting time for the brewer as it moved outside of its core beer business.
He returned as MD in May last year to co-lead Lion Australia with chief Growth and Commercial officer, Anubha Sahasrabuddhe.
Brindley said Maybe Group was an ideal company to take over the lease and he looked forward to seeing El Primo Sanchez bring their new space to life.
“We want to sincerely thank Gabriel Hepworth and the entire Lab team for their dedication, energy, and contribution over the years. This is a significant and emotional moment, particularly for the team at The Lab, and we’re committed to working closely with them through this transition,” Brindley said.
The Crown Street site gives Maybe Group much more room to play with its Mexican bar.
El Primo Sanchez has been pumping out tacos, tequila, and karaoke-fuelled fiestas for two-and-a-half years at its Oxford Street, Paddington, location. Maybe Group co-owner Vince Lombardo said the Paddington lease was ending so it was time to start a new era that was, “still cheeky, still bold, just a little more grown-up”.
“This is a big step up for us. Surry Hills gives El Primo Sanchez the foot traffic and community buzz it deserves, and the new space lets us really dial up the cocktail experience. At the same time, launching the Maybe Sammy Cocktails Studio downstairs gives us the chance to connect with guests in a more meaningful, face-to-face way. It feels like a natural evolution,” Lombardo said.
Replacing Eileen’s Bar upstairs, El Primo Sanchez general manager, Eduardo Conde, will be at the helm, launching a new cocktail menu with coconut margaritas, agave highballs, as well as house favourites like the Tropicana and Horchata Colada.
New features include a Tequila Passport (track your way through 100 tequilas with milestone prizes), bottle service, and a roving agave trolley for table side pours, along with DJs, dancing and tequila-soaked fun, “just with a little more finesse”.
Conde said it will be swapping its taqueria vibe for something more elevated – less sit-down dinner, more premium cocktail bar with Latin American street food on the side. The kitchen may be smaller, but the offering is sharper: a compact, flavour-packed snack menu from head chef, Diego Sotelo.
The karaoke room will also be coming to the new site, with the location originally a bank, and the safe still in-situ on the ground floor, it will instead of currency provide a bold hold for a wealth of singing talent, real or otherwise.
The space itself will retain its moody charm, now layered with art sourced from Mexico, warm lighting, soft textures and all the energy and character El Primo Sanchez is known for.
On the ground level, taking over the former Lab, Maybe Group will unveil the Maybe Sammy Cocktails Studio, the first-ever retail space for their award-winning bottled cocktail range. Equal parts shop, tasting room and workshop space, the Studio will let guests pick up bottles for home, gift expertly crafted cocktails, or join cocktail-making classes led by the Maybe Sammy team.
*Vanguard is this year’s sponsor of the annual Australian Bartender Magazine’s Australian Bartender of the Year competition. The competition is being held at Four Pillars Lab on Monday, 15 September, as one of the final events at the venue.