Sunshine Coast restaurateur Tony Kelly has struck gold again, this time with Playa Mexican – a bold, beachside ode to Baja California that’s already a smash-hit with Bokarina locals. Backed by a deep dive into West Coast food trends and a razor-sharp instinct for local taste, Playa proves that tacos, tequila and a touch of strategy go a long way.
From Baja California to Bokarina – Playa Mexican makes waves on the Sunshine Coast
Oct 16, 2025, updated Oct 16, 2025
Credit: images supplied by Tony Kelly Restaurant Group
When it comes to global food trends, Tony Kelly always keeps one ear to the ground.
The restaurateur behind Sunshine Coast-based juggernaut, the Tony Kelly Restaurant Group, has spent much of his career parlaying his insight into a strong portfolio of hospitality brands. Venues like Market Bistro, Rice Boi, Giddy Geisha and Bocca Italian are not only testament to Tony’s canny ability to tap into these trends, but tailor them to the tastes of discerning Sunshine Coast diners.
Playa Mexican, the newest addition to the Tony Kelly Restaurant Group fold, is the latest example of Tony’s shrewd and savvy methodology. The venue opened at the base of the Seanna Residences in Bokarina in mid-September, immediately drawing in a record number of diners.
“It’s the busiest opening we’ve ever done, by double,” says Tony. “Rice Boi still reigns supreme as the busiest restaurant we have, but it’s not going to be for long if the numbers are anything to go by.”
The origins of Playa stretch back years – before Mexican cuisine started to gain a newfound popularity Down Under. Having identified a crop of new-wave eateries putting forward creative takes on Mexico’s diverse offering in America, Tony earmarked the cuisine for a potential project back home.
“I knew it was real people’s food. People enjoy eating it. They don’t consider it to be a once a month style of food,” Tony explains. “It fits the Sunshine Coast – it’s coastal, it’s light and it’s fresh. They don’t use a whole bunch of butter and cream in their cuisine, it’s one of those foods that can nearly in some respects be touted as being reasonably healthy.”
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A research trip to Los Angeles sealed the deal, with Tony and the group’s top brass – including general manager Luke Stringer and executive chef Harry Lilai – immersing themselves in the flavours of West Coast Mexican cuisine.
“We were going to a trade show in Chicago as well, but we wanted to have a real good look and submerge ourselves into the Baja Californian Mexican culture,” explains Tony. “That’s the style of cuisine we wanted to do. We didn’t really want to do traditional Mexican in any way, shape or form and I think the Californians do it really well.”
Playa Mexican sits next door to Bocca Italian, a tortilla toss from the beach. Described as “an ode to earthy elegance”, the venue (designed by Kristen Calle of Cab Roto) draws influence from ocean and desert, bringing together a textural palette of timber, stone and woven finishes alongside a colour scheme composed of agave green, terracotta earth, salt white and sky blue.
The venue boasts room for 300 guests across its indoor dining space, outdoor terrace and dedicated stand-alone bar, with the team eager to offer flexibility to locals – be they seeking a space for a leisurely group lunch, an intimate dinner or a casual drink.
“What we wanted to do with Playa’s tequila bar was create its own identity,” says Tony. “As much as the full menu is available there, you can’t make a reservation in the bar. We want to make sure that we keep that space free for pre-dinner drinks and post-dinner drinks, but also people who are just waiting for a table.”
When it comes to the food itself, Tony and his team have sought to put their best food forward by establishing a strong foundation built from quality produce. From there, Harry has fashioned a menu that is seafood driven, drawing upon the Poseidon’s bounty available on the proverbial doorstep.
“If there’s anything that I can say about Mexican food, it’s certainly produce driven,” says Tony. “If our produce fails, the restaurant will fail, because there’s nowhere to hide with [Mexican cuisine].”
“We’re using unbelievable fresh seafood, which is all coming from the Mooloolaba and employing the same ethos that Mexicans do with their flavour combinations. The flavours are really punchy and I think that’s the thing I like the most about Mexican food, but we just want to make sure that it’s super approachable to the average Aussie that lives on the Sunshine Coast.”
The menu starts with platos chicos – small plates of birria beef croquettes, corn ribs with achiote soy crema and guacamole with crispy tortillas. This section leads into mariscos, or seafood, where you’ll find oysters, prawn aguachile, tostadas of Moreton Bay bug and local tuna, and half-shell scallop ceviche.
Tacos are a big deal at Playa, with stand-out fillings including barbecue octopus with tinta de calamar, duck with orange salsa, pork belly with salsa verde, and fish and prawn taquitos with tomatillo salsa.
Large plates such as half fish with corn sauce, guajillo chilli and pickled mussels, boneless barbecue chicken with pineapple butter, and beef tri-tip with braised beans and salsa borracha can be enhanced with the addition of crispy potatoes coated in chilli and lime salt, and slow-cooked beans with sofrito and queso fresco.
Playa Mexican’s bar is loaded with a thoughtfully curated selection of tequila and mezcal, served with sangrita – a savoury-sweet chaser. Naturally, the cocktail list goes large on margaritas, with a number of iterations available. A tight, one-page by-the-glass wine list curated by Damien Ringrose offers a concise edit of vino that covers most bases.
“It’s a short, succinct and tight-knit list, but if you’re a wine lover you’ll appreciate that there’s been a lot of thought that’s gone into it,” says Tony.
While Playa’s early success can be chalked up to undeniable appetite amongst Sunshine Coast locals for Mexican cuisine, it also speaks to Tony’s aforementioned ability to translate trends to local tastes. Though margaritas and the beach might seem like a no-brainer combo, it still takes the right delivery method to be a success.
“My education in the hospitality industry has led down a very clear road – if you end up trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, it usually results in failure,” Tony tells us. “One thing I can tell you irrefutably – and every one of my venues is a testament to this – is that people from on the Sunshine Coast now really know what they’re talking about regarding food.”
“They’re not novices – they appreciate great food and they know what great food looks like. So far, it looks as though we’ve given the locals what they wanted.”
Playa Mexican is now open to the public – head to The Directory for more information.