Maybe Sammy team to open Tequila bar

The hospitality firm behind Maybe Sammy will open casual Mexican bar El Primo Sanchez in Sydney this December.

The Maybe Group operates four Sydney sites: acclaimed cocktail venue Maybe Sammy, pizza joint Maybe Frank, coffee-focused cafe and bar Sammy Junior, and sky-high cocktail den Dean & Nancy on 22.

The company has joined forces with Australian pub operator Public Hospitality to open its fifth venue, El Primo Sanchez, on the ground floor of Public Hospitality’s The Rose Hotel on 27-33 Oxford St, Paddington.

Stefano Catino, co-owner of Maybe Sammy, said the venue will be more casual than the group’s other sites but with the style of Maybe Sammy. It will also be inspired by Mexico during the 1970s and 80s, he said.

“We wanted to do something a bit different from the classic Tequila joint,” Catino explained. “It will be casual and fun with good music. Arriving in Mexico in the 80s – that’s the experience we’re looking to bring.”

Cocktails will be served in traditional handmade clay jarrito jugs while Mexican and Latino produce will be utilised for the drinks, alongside a wide selection of agave spirits.

There will also be slushie machines filled with Margaritas and a selection of Highballs, Catino said. Drinks will be served alongside Mexican dishes such as tacos.

“You can still expect the same high level of hospitality, playful energy, brilliant cocktails and attention to detail as our other bars,” said Vince Lombardo, co-founder of The Maybe Group. “It will just be wrapped up into a Mexican environment with more of a laidback pub vibe than a high-end cocktail bar.”

The name of the bar, which translates in Spanish to ‘cousin Sanchez’, takes inspiration from the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny.

With the capacity to hold 100 people inside and outside, the venue will be the first within The Maybe Group to operate without table service.

El Primo Sanchez will open five nights a week (days to be confirmed) plus two lunch times initially.

“We are excited to begin our journey with The Maybe Group in our beloved Rose Hotel in Paddington,” said Anna Touhy, group general manager, food and beverage, for Public Hospitality.

“The Maybe team have developed world-acclaimed products which we have admired for some time. El Primo Sanchez will complement our newly opened lifestyle hotel, Oxford House, and add further energy to Oxford Street.”

Maybe Sammy was awarded Best International Bar Team at this year’s Spirited Awards, and made the shortlist for the same category in 2020, as well as Best International Cocktail Bar.

Earlier this year, we spoke to Martin Hudak, co-founder of Maybe Sammy, which opened in 2019.