Chula arrives in Potts Point, bringing Mexican flair to the old Hugos Pizza site.

The old Hugos Pizza site on Bayswater Road in Potts Point has sat empty since closing in 2015. But it’s about to be brought back to life with a new Mexican restaurant called Chula thanks to Fei Jei and Barrio Cellar owners Nicole Galloway and Peter Lew. After first meeting at Hugo’s Pizza in 2009, Nicole and Peter have spent years searching for the perfect idea to bring the precinct back to life. Spending six years travelling through regional Mexico, the pair decided that South American spice is exactly what the Potts Point precinct needs.
“Mexican is a very special culture and cuisine so we wanted to create a menu that celebrates the rich traditions and flavours, while treating it with a contemporary hand,” says Nicole. “Simple food that’s seriously flavourful and visual.”
Choosing a restaurant name that is synonymous with “beautiful” and “hot”, Chula have crafted a traditional menu with a crack of Mexican spice. With an elusive Mexican head chef welding the knives behind the kitchen, we are expecting to see a menu abundant with seafood, tostadas, ceviche and charcoal roasted dishes. Although the exact menu is still under wraps, buzz is already building around the Tlayuda. In an ode to Sydney’s continual love for Hugo’s Pizza, the Tlayuda will consist of a tortilla base, topped with a black bean puree and charcoal cooked meats.
It wouldn’t be Mexican without a drinks list and Reece Griffiths, previously from The East Village, will be behind the Chula bar. Griffiths will partner the spice and citrus of the dishes with the fresh zest of indigenous ingredients and agave spirits.
The Mexican inspiration will go further than the menu with decor aficionado Josh Clapp from Steel + Stitch transferring the earthy Old-Mexican charm to the inner-city venue. A combination of raw timber textures, traditional fabrics and hand-woven pendants, the ambience of the Acapulco region in Mexico will be radiant.
Chula opens on Monday 9th October. In the meantime, upstairs from Chula, Flaming Lounge has just opened – a new bar from the team at Casablanca nightclub in Double Bay. They’ve opened in the old Hugos Lounge site. Read about it here.
Chula
Shop 7 33 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross
Opening 9th October, 2017
http://www.chula.com.au/