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Tio's Cerviceria

Rachel Olding

Looking for the latest 1960s-era Guatemalan owl bar? Aren't we all. It's another day and another South American bar in Sydney. But this is no Mexican impostor. Tio's is a Guatemalan hangout trading in cheap cocktails, authentic tequila, popcorn and owls. ''We wanted to come up with something a little more abstract,'' owner Alex Dowd says. ''Plus, owls are very fortuitous in Central American culture.'' And yes, there are plenty of creepy birds staring down from the bar.

MY COMPANION, who has spent a lot of time in South America, tells me this place is the real deal. Cold cement surfaces and long, cheap tables lined with Jalapeno Margaritas channel the authentic ale houses and cantinas of South America. The decor is pretty sparse save for some fairy lights and a giant neon crab grasping a Corona in the window. A wall of tequila behind the bar is adorned with dripping candles and decorative owls. Mariachi music plays loudly and Rio Bravo beer drinkers line the bar, so you have to shout to reach the bartenders.

TIO'S HAS ARRIVED in a relatively bland corner of Surry Hills with little fanfare. There's been no advertising and owners Dowd and Jeremy Blackmore aren't on Facebook but word must have spread that the former Shady Pines bartenders could chill a tinnie because this place is packed. So much so that we have a couple of drinks on a Friday night, go elsewhere for dinner and return to find a line. Yes, that's right, a line. At a small bar. Sigh.

IF THEY KICKED THEIR FIRST GOAL with the laid-back, slapdash decor, Dowd and Blackmore have slammed the second with the cocktails. There are 10 cocktails under 10 bucks, all punchy, tequila-based South American classics. ''We're drinkers as well so it's really hard to swallow for us when you've gotta regularly pay $20 for a cocktail,'' Dowd says. ''It's getting to a point in Sydney where it's just ridiculous.'' Amen to that. The El Dorado is my pick (tequila, three-herb elixir, apple juice, lime, cucumber, $10) or the Jalapeno Margarita ($10), made using jalapenos pickled in-house. A Bloody Maria (tequila, tomato juice, spice, $10) comes garnished with an in-house-pickled quail egg and carrot, which is pretty weird but not unwelcome. High rollers can splash out on a couple of $17 margaritas - tequila, lime and agave nectar ($17) goes down a treat.

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FOOD-WISE, IT'S POPCORN ONLY but on the upside, it's free. Throughout the night, brown paper bags of chipotle and sweet paprika-flavoured popcorn are thrown onto tables. A cheap ploy to make you drink more tinnies of Rio Bravo? We'll fall for that. The ''spirit of Mexico'' beer ($5) goes down easy on a hot afternoon and if you want to get all fancy, ask for a Michelada - a beer with a lime juice, tomato juice and spice chaser in a salt-rimmed glass. Wine-wise, there are 12 drops by the glass, predominantly from Australia, including a summery Best's Great Western riesling from Victoria ($10) that's good with the spicy popcorn.

TIO'S NAILS THAT lived-in, cool-without-trying vibe. And most of all, it's fun. ''At the end of day when you strip away all the bells and whistle, the most important thing for any venue is that you have a good time,'' Dowd says. ''That's something people lose sight of but it's the most important thing to us. Even more important than owls.''

Tio's Cerveceria

Address 4-14 Foster Street, Surry Hills, popcorn@tios.com.au

Open Mon-Sat, 4pm-midnight; Sun, 2-10pm

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