The Best Mexican Restaurants in Melbourne
Head to these spots for seriously good tacos, rare mezcals and many, many margaritas.
The Best Mexican Restaurants in Melbourne
Head to these spots for seriously good tacos, rare mezcals and many, many margaritas.
From cheap and cheerful street food spots where the tacos and tinnies flow freely, to secret, in-the-know joints specialising in regional cuisine, to institutions that have been slinging guacamole for as long as we can remember, Melbourne has a Mexican restaurant to suit every craving.
The past few years have seen an admirable number of newcomers emerge on the city's Mexican food scene, and we're grateful for it. From venues boasting agave clubs and extensive mezcal selections, to restaurants churning out the highest-quality tortillas, to joints spotlighting diverse Mexican dishes and flavours, Melbourne is fortunate to have such a high standard of Mexican cuisine at its fingertips. So grab your margarita-loving mates, and take a trip through Melbourne's best Mexican venues using our handy guide.
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Santito’s menu is built around Mexico City taqueria staples, including tacos al pastor shaved from the spit, slow-braised brisket and house-made uncured sausage. Other highlights include a fresh-tuna tostada with jalapeño mayo, Baja fish tacos, squash blossom quesadillas with Oaxaca cheese, and slow-roasted lamb shoulder with salsa roja and feta.
A cheeky selection of margaritas includes a spicy version with jalapeño blanco, a seasonal frozen variety, a Lager-ita that combines a classic margarita with a Corona beer, and a Watermelon Coco Jalapeño margarita with coconut tequila and lime. The venue maintains its retro-diner vibes with a distinctive colour palette and tile details, while a section of the restaurant has been reimagined as a dedicated takeaway space for grab-and-go tacos. A new private dining room, inspired by the haciendas of Mexico, is located downstairs and can accommodate up to 20 people.
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While it might have four walls, proper tables, and a more substantive food and drink offering, Frankie’s Tortas and Tacos on Johnston Street has the same vibrant energy and bold flavour offering as its initial hole-in-the-wall set up on Smith Street. In 2021, Frankie’s found a new home on Johnston Street. With more space, the owners were able to push their food and drinks offerings even further.
With a selection of imported Mexican beers, refreshing cocktails and a dedicated backbar of mezcal and tequila, if you’re into agave, this is the place to drink. With some of the rarest and highest-quality tequilas and mezcals on offer, Frankie’s has even launched an agave club to help educate and showcase premium agave spirits. Tortas (or Mexican sandwiches), on soft white Vietnamese-style rolls, are a drawcard. Simple tacos, topped with minimal fill-ins like onion, coriander and a dollop of salsa, are loved from far and wide.
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Holding its own on Collins Street since 2010, Mamasita, one of Melbourne’s most dynamic and sought-after Mexican restaurants, continues to deliver in spades. The modern menu and inviting design have kept regulars coming back for a remarkable 15 years. The always-evolving menu spans snack plates and taqueria plates, tacos to generous sharing mains, all anchored by an enviable selection of margaritas and cocktails. The elote corn on the cob with chipotle mayo is perhaps one of Melbourne’s most loved snacks, and alongside the guacamole with toasted pepitas and chilaquiles, you’ll be off to a flying start.
Move on to tuna tostadas with avocado crema and ponzu, chilli cheese flautas, and work your way through the tacos, including a crispy sweet potato number for the vegetarians, a slow-braised chicken with salsa macha, and a moreish battered fish with verde jalapeño crema. Save a bit of space to share a few mains between the table, whether you go for a chargrilled chicken asado, the twice-cooked pork belly with pickled fennel, the brisket barbacoa with chimichurri rojo, or the slow-roasted eggplant with rhubarb and labne. Perfected over the last 15 years, Mamasita boasts some of the best margs in Melbourne. Go for the classic version with a choice of tequila, mezcal, or jalapeño-infused tequila, or opt for the much-loved Mamasita varietal with pineapple and mango.
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Inspired by the owner’s passion for tacos and motorbikes, this modern Mexican haunt sits adjacent to a bike workshop on Preston’s High Street. Crafted from repurposed shipping containers, it’s working an easygoing industrial vibe as the backdrop to a colourful, crowd-pleasing menu. Here, classic dishes get the new-school treatment. You might find loaded fries or wings tossed in a barbecue glaze, a Mexican chicken burger with smoky chipotle mayo or a tandoori burrito with mint and coriander sauce. Tacos boast some serious flair — opt for creations like butter chicken with cheese or sweet-and-spicy potato tacos. There’s an ever-growing selection of tequila and mezcal, though that watermelon margarita is always a good match to a session on Benzina’s rooftop terrace.
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With a moniker that translates to an affectionate term meaning ‘little taco’, this pint-sized Carlton bar and eatery sure lives up to its name. Tacos are the undisputed stars of the show at Taquito, where each tortilla is handmade from scratch and only top-notch seasonal ingredients make the menu. Those delicate rounds come topped with options such as carne asada or crispy fish with a Mexican tartare, and the chef’s-choice taco flights are a clear win for indecisives. Dig deeper into the menu to feast on considered plates like an heirloom tomato tostada, a Mexican take on a dim sum, or even Wallaby tartare. There is a concise but knowledgeable agave lineup, and a slew of crafty house cocktails for the fiesta-inclined at one of the best places to grab Mexican food in Melbourne.
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Tucked away in a cosy basement space on Little Bourke Street lies this late-night mezcal bar and taqueria slinging good times and ripper tacos right through until the early hours of the morning. The menu’s entirely gluten-free and boasts vegan options aplenty — kick off your fiesta with the likes of charred broccolini with pepita macha, sweet potato flautas, or kingfish aguachile, before moving on to tacos loaded with combinations like spicy chorizo and braised pork. Also a fitting match for late-night visits is the sprawling agave collection, with curated flights for those looking to explore. And for a daytime Mexican fix, try Bodega’s bottomless ‘Mexi-brunch’ offering five lively courses and 90 minutes of free-flowing cocktails every Saturday and Sunday.
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Making its home six storeys up within Swanston Street’s Curtin House, Mesa Verde is reimagining classic Mexican flavours with a touch of contemporary Melbourne flair. The space itself works a grown-up vibe, serving up a crafty, refined menu to match. You’ll spy snacks like kangaroo skewers with sour cherry chamoy, grilled Kingfish collar with chipotle miso adobo and grilled corn esquites with smoked caciotta. Tacos feature lamb barbacoa with queso fresco, baja fish with nectarine-habanero salsa, pork carnitas with salsa tatemada, and fried cauliflower with pickled zucchini. Don’t miss the truly impressive assortment of tequila and mezcal, or the ten-strong margarita list at one of Melbourne’s best Mexican restaurants.
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CDMX was an instant hit when the team opened its first site in Melbourne Central back in 2022. The birria tacos, which were and still are having a moment, became an instant hit. For the uninitiated: grilled corn tortillas are filled with birria-braised beef brisket, salsa, coriander, onion and melted cheese, and served with a side of birria consomme — a little pot of beef broth that you dip your taco into between bites. These are ridiculously good, and an absolute must-order. But this Melbourne Mexican restaurant is no one-hit wonder.
Located at the top end of Lygon Street, CDMX Brunswick East has been designed to feel like a Mexico City taqueria, with metal chairs and tables, white and blue tiled walls and a big blue neon sign that lights up the front of the restaurant. The only hard part is having to choose what tacos to order. The long, tiled bar is also whipping up a heap of classic cocktails, frozen margs, and cracking open Mexican beers. It’s got all the taqueria essentials. And it should be on the hit list of any taco stan.
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That this tortilleria group makes its own award-winning, freshly pressed nixtamal tortillas should give you some idea of the quality fare it’s serving. At the on-site eatery in Kensington, the famed nixtamal corn tortillas are showcased across an upbeat menu of quesadillas, ceviche dishes, chilaquiles and tacos — perhaps topped with free-range pork carnitas or slow-cooked beef cheeks with green tomatillo salsa. The bar’s slinging a tight but well-informed list of tequila and mezcal, alongside imported cervezas, jugs of booze-free aguas frescas, and classic agave cocktails. And if you swing by on a Sunday, you’ll find the DIY lamb barbacoa Sunday special served by weight ranging from 200, to 750 grams.
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This colourful St Kilda gem is one of Melbourne’s go-tos for fast, fun Mexican street food. The kitchen honours traditional flavours, and the cheery corner space has those festive feels sorted. This one’s a menu primed for both snacking and feasting, running from tacos — the Baja fish and carne asada are enduring favourites — through to heartier plates like mezcal-marinated beef enchiladas and shredded roast chicken with poblano peppers in a green sauce. To match your night of feasting at one of the best Mexican restaurants in Melbourne, you’ll spy a mix of local crafties and imported brews, alongside a hearty lineup of different margarita varieties.
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A long-time favourite for tequila-fuelled taco feasts with the crew, Brunswick’s Los Hermanos has been kicking on strong for years. The buzzy, backstreet Mexican restaurant in Melbourne is rocking a rustic space and an authentic menu to match, generously priced and primed for good times. Tacos are the hero, running to satisfying combinations like chipotle chicken, potatoes and salsa verde, and field mushrooms matched with grilled manchego and sour cream. The agave collection’s a cracker and staff are always happy to serve you a little side of knowledge with your drink. Though a range of crisp beers and tequila-driven cocktails also gets a pretty solid workout once those tacos are flying from the kitchen.
Feature image: Santito.
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