Now Open: Hotel Nacional Is Hardware Lane's New Five-Storey, Totally Gluten-Free Mexican Restaurant and Bar

The Hardware Lane site that previously held Campari House has been completely overhauled and transformed into a huge new Mexican restaurant and bar. Hotel Nacional comes from a crew of hospo veterans — including Taylor Granchi and Alex Greco (Repeat Offender and Rufio) — and is an enormous undertaking.

Hotel Nacional is pumping out Mexican-inspired eats that are entirely gluten-free across all five of its floors, including the impressive rooftop bar. Head Chef Sergio Tourn (ex-The Vale and Tino) is responsible for the menu, which combines traditional Mexican elements with plenty of European, Australian and South American influences.

This all comes together in dishes like birria beef tacos with pickled onions and consommé, the slow-cooked barbacoa lamb with a Mexican-style barbecue sauce and watercress, cauliflower tofu escabeche with wakame, peanuts and salsa macha, and corn husk meringue with corn-infused cream and persimmon. Those up on the rooftop can also tuck into tostadas and other bar snacks.

Tourn and his team are getting creative in the kitchen, especially as everything is 100-percent gluten-free. There are also stacks of vegan options.

When it comes to bevs, there's a ten-strong margarita menu, a selection of signature and classic cocktails, Aussie and international beers on tap — including some that are gluten-free — a stacked lineup of local and European wines, and an even more impressive collection of tequila, mezcal and raicilla.

Hotel Nacional is also working hard to draw in new diners with a smorgasbord of deals. This includes its three regular banquets (one of which is completely plant-based), a selection of express lunch menus for city workers, half-priced margaritas every Monday and a $30 steaks on Wednesdays.

Right now, these goodies are available across all floors, except for the late-night bar, which has yet to open.

Design-wise, the team hasn't leaned too hard into Mexican-themed cliches, instead opting for a lighter touch. Hotel Nacional has an almost breezy, beachy feel, thanks to the sand-textured walls, rattan furniture, terracotta and beige hues and the odd cactus or two.

"We wanted to create a venue unlike anything else in the city. You walk up the stairs, and you are transported to another location across the globe. The earthy tones, the arches, the shapes, the crazy pavers, the textured walls, the cacti — there is so much Mexican feel.

"Being five levels, there are so many aspects to our venue. We wanted something you could explore to create a new memory every time," shares Managing Director Taylor Granchi.

You'll find Hotel Nacional at 23–25 Hardware Lane, Melbourne, open 12pm–late every day of the week. For more info and to book a table, visit the venue's website.