You know that feeling when you\u2019re drinking at a friend\u2019s house and, somewhere between the first glass of wine and someone changing the music, you stop feeling like a guest? You settle deeper into your chair, one bottle turns into two and nobody seems particularly interested in calling it a night.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the feeling co-owner and venue manager Lachy Harrison wants to recreate at No 6 East, Cantina Group\u2019s new upstairs terrace bar overlooking Rymill Park. The new bar joins a collection of distinctly different Adelaide bars from the group, including Jennie Wine Bar<\/a>, Bar Bar<\/a>, Malt & Juniper<\/a> and Alfred\u2019s<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMy favourite place to drink is at my friends\u2019 houses,\u201d says Harrison. \u201cYou feel so welcome, you can kick your shoes off, really relax into somewhere, and you\u2019re there for as long as you need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n When a friend offered the team the East Terrace site, they immediately saw potential in the heritage building, which had sat vacant for several years. Peeling away layers of plasterboard, they uncovered exposed brick, timber floors and a balcony looking directly across to the park.<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as you walk in here, it just feels so homely,\u201d says Harrison. \u201cYou walk up the stairs and you\u2019ve got the landing, which is the lobby. Then you walk into the dining room, there\u2019s a big dining table [and] then you\u2019ve got the tiled bar, which looks like an old Italian kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n The 40-seat venue expands out to an expansive balcony filled with olive trees, rosemary and succulents. Mid-century teak furniture, vintage sideboards and retro coasters are joined by Harrison\u2019s crocheted collection of famous paintings.<\/p>\n The service is relaxed and familiar. And the bar staff are prized as much for their chat as for their cocktail-making skills.<\/p>\n The drinks list leans into rum and retro classics. Do you like Pina Coladas? No 6 East has an exceptional example alongside Mojitos, Jungle Birds and Cuba Libres served in vintage glassware over pebble ice. Rum aside, there\u2019s also Cosmos, Brambles, a signature Eastside and house concoctions including an East End Zombie made with three types of rum, and a Welcome Home Sour with gin, St Germain and lime.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a wine list put together by Jennie\u2019s Scott Taddeo. The edit of 11 by-the-glass and 36 bottles zips from familiar local labels to Italian and French drops. Ales, stout, Lobo apple cider and Peroni Red are served frosty.<\/p>\n The food menu is a snacky trio. There are green Sicilian olives, a \u201cmessy dip\u201d loaded with olives, peppers, capers and parmesan, and Nonna\u2019s Chips, a pile of Red Rock Deli chips topped with parmesan, cracked pepper and olive oil.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Harrison hopes regulars will start treating No 6 East a little like their own place \u2013 and even stake out their favourite chairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI love when you build that relationship with regulars, and they say, \u2018I don\u2019t sit there. That\u2019s where I sit\u2019,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n No 6 East<\/p>\n