{"id":5042,"date":"2026-05-05T07:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/5042\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T07:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:59:09","slug":"six-picks-the-best-mexican-restaurants-on-the-hot-list-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/5042\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Picks: The Best Mexican Restaurants on The Hot List Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hot List<\/a> is the definitive guide to Melbourne\u2019s most essential food and drink experiences, updated weekly. Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Melbourne\u2019s Mexican restaurant scene, when you consider the city\u2019s geographical distance from Mexico, punches well above its weight. And, particularly over the last decade, it\u2019s only grown in quality, regional diversity and authenticity.<\/p>\n

The days of drinking a frozen Marg out of a giant glass (with a complementary sombrero) are long gone. Or at least they should be. There are dozens of excellent venues serving dishes ranging from classic to experimental \u2013 these six Hot Listed restaurants are among the best (and busiest) in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

This Mexican restaurant \u2013 from the team behind excellent food truck Dingo Ate My Taco<\/a> \u2013 has almost no outside signage and is practically hidden off a Chinatown laneway. To find it, wander around Chinatown until you see a load of people seemingly queueing to get into a storeroom. Is this how it felt to find a prohibition-era bar? Will tacos be outlawed? Questions to ponder while you line up.<\/p>\n

Inside, vinyl plays, the lighting is moody and a long terracotta tile counter seats you directly at the pass. You\u2019ll find a warm discs of masa rolling along a small tortilla machine that resembles a conveyor belt \u2013 it was imported from Mexico specifically for Taqueria Sin Nombre. <\/p>\n

The star is the al pastor: pork shoulder marinated in pineapple juice and spices, topped with pickled pineapple, white onion and coriander. Birria tacos also feature alongside vegan numbers with grilled mushrooms and caramelised hibiscus flowers. To drink, there\u2019s a handful of mezcals, cocktails and just three beers. <\/p>\n

This is one of the few Melbourne restaurants making its tortillas from scratch, but Santito thinks it\u2019s worth it. Getting the right varieties of heirloom Mexican corn into Australia is next to impossible due to biosecurity laws. And even working with less-than-suitable local corn, it\u2019s a labour- and equipment-intensive process to make and plate the tortillas.<\/p>\n

The result of all this is a batch of excellent tacos that are a step closer to authentic than most Mexican restaurants in Melbourne. They range from al pastor \u2013 the spit-roasted pork dish introduced to Mexico by Lebanese migrants \u2013 to suadero (confit beef brisket) and longaniza (chorizo-style house-made pork sausage). Drinks include classic Mexican beers like Tecate and Modelo, alongside cocktails \u2013 particularly different variations of Margaritas: mezcal, spicy and frozen.<\/p>\n

The Victorian-era building and white-tiled interior is unlike most restaurants in the city. It\u2019s reminiscent of a haunted old hospital in the best possible way. Eating tacos in such surroundings sounds like a fever dream, but it\u2019s nothing you can\u2019t sweat out with the help of the house-made salsas \u2013 verde, roja and habanero \u2013 all on hand to finish your tacos.<\/p>\n

Frankie\u2019s began life in a former kebab stand in an empty Collingwood lot and was pulling in crowds rain, hail or shine. At the peak of its popularity, it closed, leaving the lunchtime crowd (including this writer) searching for answers.<\/p>\n

In 2023, we got closure in the form of an opening. Frankie\u2019s set up shop on Johnston Street in Fitzroy and it\u2019s been banging out terrific tacos ever since. The neighbourhood favourite is now open seven days a week from brunch through to dinner and there\u2019s rarely an empty seat in the house. <\/p>\n

The menu keeps things simple: choose from pork, chicken, beef or mushroom tacos. Plus, a selection of stacked tortas (big, Mexican-style sandwiches) covering both protein and veg bases; and a handful of carb-y sides. There are also bottles of house-made hot sauce to take home and enough merch to add several new outfits to your rotation.<\/p>\n

Husband-and-wife duo Harry Lawrence and Karla Martinez met in Mexico and lived in Mexico City together for five years. When they moved to Melbourne in 2014, they struggled to find dishes they were accustomed to in CMDX. Rather than keep searching in vain, they decided to open Chabela and serve Mexican food that felt like home.<\/p>\n

The High Street restaurant feels lived in and not pretentious, reflective of much of Thornbury\u2019s architecture and the couple\u2019s approach to food. The aim here is authenticity in the form of family recipes, hand-me-down cooking techniques and a no-fuss approach to service. <\/p>\n

Starters mirror snacks you might find streetside, with a bit of added finesse, including quesadillas and tostadas. There are a few larger dishes like enfrijoladas and enchiladas too. For something different, tortillas can be swapped for huaraches, thick, elongated discs of dough named for the indigenous sandals they resemble. <\/p>\n

When Mamasita opened on Collins Street in 2010, it didn\u2019t just serve Mexican food, it introduced Melbourne to the diversity of the country\u2019s cuisine. More than a decade later, the queues down the stairs have reached a more manageable length, but the energy and flavours in the first-floor dining room remain as vital as ever. Despite several updates over the years, those grand old windows still look down onto Collins Street.<\/p>\n

The focus is on simple, produce-driven plates and delicious things served in house-pressed tortillas. The kitchen continues to dodge Tex-Mex. Instead, it\u2019s all about elotes, frijoles, tostadas, flautas and more.<\/p>\n

Mamasita showcases Mexican cuisine better than most, but it also encapsulates what makes a great Melbourne restaurant. It\u2019s serious and yet still fun. The care taken by floor staff and the kitchen team every time you visit shows a real dedication to the craft. The look on the bartender\u2019s face when you order another Yuzu Paloma says, \u201cI had a feeling you might.\u201d<\/p>\n

This unassuming kiosk has panoramic views of St Kilda beach and, more importantly, great tacos. Ricardo Garcia Flores\u2019s Fitzroy edition of El Columpio serves some of Melbourne\u2019s finest Mexican food, and that same quality carries across to this seaside spot.<\/p>\n

Some of El Columpio\u2019s best-known dishes include steak for breakfast and pozole (a Mexican soup). But only a handful of bestsellers, like the suadero beef brisket tacos, have come down from the Fitzroy mothership. The rest of the menu is rounded out by a handful of tacos which change with the seasons.<\/p>\n

Right now, you\u2019ll find, fittingly, fried calamari and fish tacos, alongside crumbed chicken and vegetarian options. There\u2019s also a seafood tower featuring a mix of cooked and raw prawn, tuna and scallops complemented by chilli, lime and a clamato (clam broth mixed with tomato juice) dressing.<\/p>\n

The Hot List is proudly sponsored by Square.<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Callum McDermott, Quincy Malesovas, Claire Adey<\/p>\n