Mexican Melbourne: Top 10 Mexican eateries

Los Amates

Fitzroy

At Los Amates, they make their own mole. Impressed? You should be, it takes two days to prep, roast and combine the smoky chilli peppers, bitter Mexican chocolate and umpteen spices into that smooth sauce with transformative powers. Owner Arturo Morales is a Mexican star in a Texican city, so make sure you try the specials, hit a tequila with housemade sangrita (like citrusy salsa in drink form) and get braised cactus on your tacos.

Maya Tequila Bar and Grill

South Yarra

The menu at Maya Tequila Bar and Grill may be small but it’s certainly proffering some left-of-the-middle 'Mexican' items – duck quesadillas with cucumber chutney and hoisin, anyone? Bring a friend as these tapas style dishes are designed to share and no one really wants to drink alone. We recommend the cheesy cactus and zucchini bake, or the slow baked meatballs in chipotle sauce, washed down with a lime-stuffed Dos Equis and a side of top-shelf tequila.

Mamasita

Melbourne

Terrariums! Tequila! Corn! Queues! That’s Mamasita for you, where the best snacks are hand-held. Try mix and match tacos served soft-shelled and smacking fresh – think limey grilled fish, slow roasted pork shoulder or turkey breast bathing in a rich, sweet, bitter black mole. Head in after 11pm on a Friday or Saturday when the ‘taqueria’ menu (a limited selection of taco based foods) runs until 2am.

Paco’s Tacos

Melbourne

Capitalising on Melbourne’s love for revamped shipping containers, soft tortillas and Tromba tequila, Movida presents Paco’s Tacos. Hit the CBD terrace when the sun is shining for free sunscreen, $7 Pacifico lager and $6 tacos. We rate the braised beef with pico de gallo (that's fresh spicy tomato salsa) with coriander and cabbage in a soft corn tortilla. At night, hit 'em up for fat mussels spiked with chilli and tequila and a feisty Margarita. Ariba!

Fonda Mexican

Richmond

Kangaroo burritos, smoky mayo-smothered corn and house made salsa are all well and good, but we’ll keep coming back to Fonda’s for their boozy slushies. Stick a straw in your elderflower, lychee’n’tequila ‘margarita’ and schlep it out to the raging bright fuscia and orange courtyard with some crunchy pork rinds (Chicharrón) and a cheesy quesadilla of chorizo and chilli sandwiched between made-fresh-to-order-tortillas.

The Table

St Kilda

While everyone is doing street-eats, the Table is putting together a mod-Mexican fine dining experience where your ceviche may translate as sweet hunks of Spanish mackerel with a smack of mezcal, lime and pico de gallo, and your swordfish comes with a jammy agave and tamarind purée. There’s some creative license taken, but the six course degustation ($85) gives you a glimpse at some slightly more sophisticated Mexican, matched with tequila and wine.

Newmarket

St Kilda

It’s all about the bone marrow-brisket-chimichurri taco at Newmarket. That, and the fact that fruity cocktails come by the pitcher and the décor includes saucy murals of businessmen drowning in amorous broads. Paul Wilson’s Cal-Mex (‘Mexican’, California style) pinches influences from anywhere Latino through to Europe so you could just as easily hit the beer garden (with the rest of St Kilda) and smash a sticky slab of barbecued ribs as sink into a carafe of wine with polenta and a gently poached egg.

Gringo Vibes Mexican Cantina

Northcote

Owned and run by a real live Californian, Gringo Vibes does a deliciously bastardised version of Mexican food, with super-sized quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas and burritos at (nearly) Mexican prices. Extra West Coast vibes hit the table via orange cheese and sour cream, and in true hippy style there’s fake meat for vegetarians. Combined with glaringly bright table cloths, reggae tunes, $5 beers and a speedy take-away for couch dwellers – Cal-Mex is our kinda Mex.

Mi Corazon

Brunswick East

Mi Corazon wouldn’t look out of place in its homeland – wicker chairs, religious iconography and 120-plus tequilas holding up the bar. Whet your appetite with a mezcalita – smoky mezcal, orange liqueur, lime juice and a chilli salt rim, and don’t go past the chalupas de frijoles: housemade tortillas served flat and laden with beans, cactus, lettuce, green salsa and mashed potato (damn right!). Catch the live Latino three-piece band on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Touché Hombre

Melbourne

S’up fools! You want some streetwyze tacos? Inside Davis Yu’s brand spanking new city den, there’s a wrestling ring, '80s video games and animals in sombreros overseeing the make-believe Mexican menu. The word 'authentic' left the conversation months ago, so why not have tacos with chimichurri (which is Argentinean), or lambs brains; or how about a mint, lime and tequila snow cone? It’s more Cancun that Yucetan, but if that’s your jam, good times are guaranteed.