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It’s a short lift ride from the busy streets of Redfern to Lottie, an open-air rooftop oasis serving Los Angeles vibes, sunset views and contemporary Mexican cuisine from Tuesday, January 28.

The latest restaurant from the Liquid and Larder hospitality group (known for steak-forward CBD venues Bistecca and The Gidley) sits atop new boutique hotel The Eve, encircled by palm trees and adjoining the guest-only pool. It will open alongside Bar Julius, a European-inspired lobby bar on the ground floor.

Mexican-born head chef Alejandro Huerta will be taking the traditional recipes he grew up with and using them as a springboard for creativity. It’s the same approach which earned Huerta and his team critical acclaim (and a hat in The Sydney Morning Herald 2025 Good Food Guide) at Newtown restaurant Comedor, which temporarily closed in December following a staff walk-out and allegations of delayed wages.

Huerta, along with several displaced Comedor employees, joined a month ahead of Lottie’s official launch, so the first menu was largely developed by executive chef Pip Pratt.

Pratt says it’s a happy coincidence – Liquid and Larder took inspiration from the adventurous approach at Comedor, where fried chicken was served in tacos and locally made jersey milk cheese was served with fermented pineapple. The group also travelled to Los Angeles, dining at reputed Mexican restaurants such as Damian.

“I think they really did their homework in terms of reading about and understanding Mexican food,” Huerta says.

“And the thing that got me excited [about Lottie] is they’re trying to treat it in a way which is different.”

Lottie serves sweetcorn leche de tigre ($18) using charred and pickled corn kernels, prawn and caramelised carrot aquachile ($20) with shrimp salsa macha, and pork jowl with a “cola mole” sauce ($48).

Huerta says he was sceptical about the latter dish: “At first, I was like ‘oh no, that’s really disrespectful’, but when [Pratt] explained the idea, it made total sense.”

Mexican chefs including San Diego-based Claudette Zepeda (winner of Netflix series Iron Chef), have championed the use of Mexican Coca-Cola when making a similar dish, pork carnitas, for the meat-tenderising effect of its phosphoric acid and the sweetness of its natural cane sugar.

The dish also nods to Pratt’s UK heritage, referencing the Coca-Cola ham recipe from Nigella Lawson he grew up eating each Christmas.

“I’m really looking forward to … when Alejandro turns this venue into his own. The menu change in autumn will show what he can bring to the table,” Pratt says.

Lottie has a versatile offering, accommodating knock-off drinks with an extensive cocktail list, ranging from the familiar (margaritas), to the lesser-known (horchata milk punch). Mains are available in half-sizes for solo diners and a private dining room overlooking neighbouring rooftops.

The kitchen will serve only tacos at the pool bar, says Pratt, who wanted diners to venture outside their comfort zone (“Though anything can become a taco when you order tortillas,” he adds).

Open lunch and dinner daily

8 Baptist Street, Redfern, liquidandlarder.com.au/venues/lottie