Bar Toto, Ettalong Beach – SMH Good Food app review

Established in 2013, Bar Toto is a stalwart of the Central Coast cocktail scene; It’s a spacious venue, stretching from streetside seating to a seating bar and a generous lounge with a cinema feel with its retro style and sumptuous seating – fitting since it’s located next door to Ettalong Galleria’s old-school cinema.

Cocktails range from experimental to well-made classics, and there’s a special section on negroni varieties for those looking for rum, whiskey or mezcal rather than gin to lean heavily. The racy, spicy Spicy Hibiscus Sour, built around cayenne-infused tequila and house-made triple sec, is a refreshingly hearty starter, but the Suits and Cigars cocktail, a riff on Rusty Nail, using local distillers Amber Lane Equinox whiskey and finished with a peated whiskey spritz, is a standout on Signature Cocktails lists.

Happy hours throughout the week run for a generous three-hour window from 3pm and again for an hour at 10pm. Toto is also taking things to the next level with food collaborations with Chillis Deli at the Galleria and regular comedy nights and life drawing classes.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and independently paid. A restaurant cannot pay for a review or inclusion on a list. Good Food Guide.