If P Sanchez was a real person, I would adore him with a mad, cult-like fervour. But he’s not. He’s an attention-grabbing concept in the window of El Primo Sanchez, the fifth Sydney venue by the Maybe Group.

El Primo Sanchez translates to ‘Cousin Sanchez’ who resides in an imagined world made possible by the Maybe Group (Maybe Sammy, Dean & Nancy on 22, and Public Hospitality (Oxford House, The Strand).  

Ask the owners to put some flesh on the bones of the fictional character and it becomes a paint-by-numbers composite of an exiled party animal who loves his abuela (grandma). The outlandish backstory might also include anecdotes about Senor Sanchez starring in Fun In Acapulco alongside Elvis, hanging with Pele in Mexico City, or working as a bartender on a cruise ship sailing in the Caribbean.

While Senor Sanchez wears many hats, there’s not an oversized sombrero in sight here, thankfully. Instead, the tequila bar is decked out with earthy ceramics, votive candles and vintage film posters that were donated by a Sydney collector who has been visiting Mexico for decades.  It’s like walking into an exquisitely lucid dream.

Public Design Studio’s principal architect and managing director Tom de Plater, who oversaw the design, challenged the interior team Studio GRAM to think laterally when dreaming up a non-typical Mexican hospitality experience.

de Plater rejected the cliched over-the-top Mexican aesthetic in favour of a colour palette inspired by Mexican pueblos. Think juicy orange tiling and a recessed ceiling lit by LED lights that change colour based on the mood and time of day. There’s also a karaoke room, a ceiling strewn with disco balls and bright pops of yellow, navy and terracotta.  

Expect big things from the sister bar to Maybe Sammy, which has been named best bar in Australasia by The World’s 50 Best Bars four years in a row. The bar is housed in the former Rose, Shamrock And Thistle site, the 1940s-era pub renamed The Rose in 2022 by its new owners PHG. It’s a primo location.

And it’s quickly become a place for hipsters and eastern suburbs A-listers to commune over tacos and tequila.   

The menu at El Primo Sanchez has been designed by Mexican chef Alejandro Huerta, whose CV spans the globe from No. 92 in Glebe to Chica Bonita in Manly, Noma in Copenhagen and Alinea in Chicago. 

Start with a Primo Margarita (a Sanchez signature) and street food-inspired snacks such as the corn tacos folded around hunks of marinated pork belly and beef rib barbacoa. The snapper ceviche marinated in tepache (fermented pineapple beverage) arrives in a moat of fermented chilli emulsion with crispy curls of parsnip providing the crunch.

Roast corn is another elevated rendition of a snack that is sold on buses, trains, and sidewalks all over Mexico. Here, it’s slathered in lime mayo and salted ricotta and a confetti of chilli del que pica.

The drinks list at El Primo Sanchez is composed of tinnies and tapped beers that pair well with snacks, as well as a strong list of cocktails and wine. Forget dessert. Take your date into the karaoke room and press the ‘push for tequila’ button. El Primo Sanchez, you deserve our devotion. 

Related review Rosa brings fresh, flavourful Mexican fare to beachside Mona Vale