COMING SOON: Spicy new Mexican bar and Cocina, Picoso, lands on Prospect Road

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One of Adelaide’s fastests growing food spots is yet again welcoming the opening of a brand new venue and this one is heating things up.

Picoso Mexican Bar y Cocina, is the newest contemporary Mexican restaurant to hit Prospect Road and it’s built around bold flavours, shared plates and a high-energy atmosphere.

Translating to “spicy” in Spanish, Picoso is bringing traditional Mexican vibes to Adelaide’s inner North through an easy-going lens.

Picture a warm, sun-soaked building with arched windows, rounded corners, striped umbrellas and an open street set up that draws in passersby without being obnoxious.

Walking inside, the blend of soft pink tones and tiled finishes makes way to a long bar which easily moves the dinner date to more than friends by the end of the night.

Leading the kitchen is head chef Oliver Luxton, who brings more than a decade of experience across kitchens in London, New Zealand and Australia.

Beginning his career at The Providores & Tapa Room in London at just 17, Oliver went on to work as Sous Chef at two-hat New Zealand restaurant Pescatore, before moving to Australia, where he was part of the opening teams at Sydney’s one-hat restaurants The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar and Raja.

Before Picoso and most recently, he worked as head chef at Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic under executive chef Jamie Musgraves.

“The menu is bold, traditional Mexican with a modern edge,” Oliver said.

“It’s rooted in classic flavours like chilli, smoke and acid, but approached in a lighter, more refined way.”

“It’s not trying to be overly authentic or overly fine dining, it sits somewhere in between, big flavour, clean execution and food that’s designed to share,” he said.

The menu is designed to be social, centring around made-to-share plates, encouraging guests to not be afraid to order across the menu and get a taste of more than a single dish.

The menu sources South Australian produce with highlights including ceviche blanco and chicken carnitas, pork or baja fish tacos.

“The ceviche blanco really sets the tone,” Oliver said. “It’s fresh and a bit unexpected, with that balance of acidity, sweetness and heat that carries through the menu.”

On the larger plates menu, dishes are designed to land with impact, with an aged mole poblano with braised short rib, a whole roasted local fish with green salsa and carne asad ranchara.

Oliver said a key focus of the menu is reinterpreting traditional dishes without losing their essence.

“The Mushroom Oaxaca Tlayuda is a great example,” he said. “It takes something really traditional and flips it without losing the soul of it.”

“You still get those deep, earthy flavours, the smokiness from the grill, the richness of Oaxaca style elements, but it’s lighter, more refined and a bit more modern.”

The menu is backed by house-made elements throughout, like the fresh corn tortillas and rotating line-up of salsas and sides that keep things fresh and a little punchy.

“The smoked pumpkin butter with tortillas sounds simple, but there’s a lot going on,” he said. “Smoke, spice, sweetness and richness.”

“It eats like a dish in itself.”

Restaurant Manager Kirstiin Luxton said the experience is designed to evolve over the course of the night.

“One plate turns into two, another round lands on the table and before you know it, the table is full and the night has taken on a life of its own,” said Kirstiin.

The goal is for guests to leave remembering the balance and intent behind the menu, without feeling heavy and uncomfortbale.

“Every dish has a point of view,” she said.

“We want people to leave thinking it was fun, a bit different and not just another version of something they’ve had before.”

With a wave of new hospitality venues opening in the area, Prospect Road is quickly gaining popularity and now it has a new spicy, potentially sexy, Mexican flair on the lineup.