The Mexican wave has hit Chippendale, with new mezcal and tequila bar Cartel kicking off operations in the former A1 Canteen site on Kensington Street.

Cartel’s head honcho is Grant Collins, an internationally renowned mixologist and bartender, who also owns nearby cocktail bar and ginporium, Gin Lane.

Heading up the kitchen is Arnolfo Raimondi, a former chef of Olio and Gavroche, who has put together a menu of street food favourites, inspired by his time spent living in Panama and travelling around South America. The line-up includes Mexican tacos, Peruvian ceviche and Colombian empanadas alongside classic Latin desserts like flan and churros.

Tacos are the house specialty, with white corn milled on-site and pressed into tortillas the traditional way. Fillings range from achiote chicken with Oaxaca cheese and pico de gallo to the veg-friendly cactus with salsa roja and pickled jalapeno.

But the food is just half the story. An impressive cocktail list curated by Collins shows off the back bar’s coveted collection of over 50 imported tequilas and 60 mezcals.

Trade up the tequila shots for one of the mouth-tingling margaritas, which are made every which way, either doused in habanero-infused tequila or rimmed with taco salt. Committed cocktail drinkers can also sign up for a margarita tree, which holds ten margaritas in its branches. But the fun doesn’t end there, there’s also an Oaxacan martini spritzed with jalapeno mist and an upscale take on the michelada, which includes a dash of Alban Mezcal infused with agave worm, and a spiced worm salt rim.

Cartel Bar & Tapas
2 Kensington Street, Chippendale
02 9211 8376
Wed – Sun 11.30am – late
cartelkensingtonstreet.com.au