Rosie's Red-Hot Cantina & Taco Joint

Overview

From the hospitality empire behind Bethel Woods, Coene's and Honey Badger comes a new spot specialising in the clash of Mexican-American street food. Perched on Wellington's Queens Wharf in the former home of Munchen, Rosie's Red-Hot Cantina & Taco Joint serves up everything from quesadilla pizza to corn dusted with Flaming Hot Cheetos.

Tacos by way of Baja California are the speciality of the colourful new venue. Rosie's pays tribute to the Mexican peninsula and official birthplace of the fish taco with its own turmeric battered creation paired with wasabi mayo and lemon and tequila jam. Diners can also order a pork belly and pickled pineapple offering or another with cauliflower and coconut — all come served on white corn tortillas.

The venue's birria street tacos come filled with the namesake sweet, sour and spicy beef brisket and are grilled on a flat chrome plate to provide an additional crunch and the gooey cheese pull. They come served with birria sauce for dipping.

The 'Monster Nachos' would suit a monster appetite, while the trifecta of tostada salads are there for those trying to be just a wee bit healthy. Further sharing plates include polenta and masa crumbed jalapeño poppers, buffalo wings and mole barbecue lamb ribs.

While Tex-Mex street food is the main approach, the venue still manages to satisfy the capital's appetite for burgers. Here you'll find a double pattie cheeseburger stacked with cheese, candied bacon and all the trimmings on a sesame seed potato bun. Vegans are catered for, too, with a hemp and chipotle burger, while the 'Doggystyle' tips its hat to the Snoop D.O. Double G with Koreatown fried chicken.

Margaritas, of course, appear on the drinks menu — only here they come in slushie form, on tap or shaken and served over ice. And in the beer department there's a range of Fortune Favours, Double Vision, Te Aro and Tuatara to enjoy in the 150-person outdoor space.