The Best Mexican Restaurants in Melbourne for a Fiesta

Melbourne has long raced ahead of the pack when it comes to authentic, cooked-from-the-heart Mexican cuisine.

While there will always be a time and place for frozen margaritas and cheesy Tex-Mex, our hearts now belong to smoky mezcals and zingy ceviche thanks to the authentic offering you can find in Melbourne.

From big, buzzing cantinas to tiny taquerias, these are our top picks for the best Mexican restaurants in Melbourne, guaranteed to add spice and a whole heap of flavour to your night any day of the week.

Chilpa

Serving authentic Mexican street food and tacos in Bayside, Chilpa is the fun new sister to long-standing favourite La Tortilleria.

Vibrant in both exterior and nature, step inside and let Melbourne's tortilla experts serve you delicious corn creations alongside a fantastic lineup of margaritas and agave-fuelled tipples.

Go for the chilaquiles (kind of like nachos, featuring a saucy blend of totopos, salsa roja, cream and cheese), the super zesty and delightfully spicy ceviche, the fish taco, and their birria beef taco, paired with a traditional consomme for dipping.

2 Railway Parade, Highett

Mexican Street Food by Little Flock

This cosy Northcote restaurant is a favourite for those in the know. Little Flock is a winner in our books for their warm service, generous servings and always authentic flavours.

The quesa birria tacos are a next level – filled with cheese and slow braised beef, served alongside a consommé meant for dipping.

Try dishes you don’t commonly see in Melbourne (like cocoa-rich mole negro or zingy huaraches), and don’t miss the moreish tres leches cake for dessert.

81 High Street, Northcote 

Superchido

Seddon has scored itself another vibey spot to drink and dine with Superchido, a Mexican joint with plenty of flavour and flair.

At Superchido, the kitchen is creating dishes from across Mexico’s regions, like slow-cooked lamb barbacoa of Hidalgo to the saucy birria tacos of Jalisco. Make your way through the five house salsas on offer and wash it all down with a glass of rum-spiked horchata.

82 Charles Street, Seddon 

Frankie’s Tortas and Tacos 

Over the last few years, Frankie’s Tortas and Tacos has transformed a ramshackle former kebab stand into one of the hottest destinations in Melbourne.

Now, they finally have a bricks-and-mortar eatery on busy Johnston Street, meaning more space and longer opening hours - but the same delicious Mexican food.

Devotees come from near and far for the tortas, a beloved Mexican street food sandwich. Cheese is grilled into the bread before being layered with black beans, avocado and lettuce, and then juicy pork, crumbed and fried beef or mushrooms. We guarantee you won’t be hungry after one of these beauties!

30 Johnston Street. Fitzroy

Mejico

One of Sydney’s most-loved Mexican restaurants arrived in Melbourne several years ago, and has building a solid fan base of its own.

Mejico is a lunch, dinner and late-night bar that’s open until midnight from Thursday to Saturday, cooking up a feast that takes you from the bustling markets of Mexico City to the lush landscapes of the Yucatan.

Best known for their fresh guacamole that’s smashed at your table and served with crunchy plantain chips, you’ll have a ball exploring their full menu of modern street snacks, tacos, shareable mains and lush desserts.

1 Pink Alley, Melbourne 

Hotel Jesus

Flashy, fast and sporting one of the coolest fit-outs on Smith Street, Hotel Jesus evokes nostalgic kitsch while serving thoroughly modern food.

Fold-out chairs, tiled walls and ceiling fans transport you to the back streets of Mexico City, while the kitchen creates spicy bites including Kingfish tostadas and plenty of taco options.

On Friday and Saturday they do a banging bottomless brunch that’ll have you throwing back frozen margs and refreshing micheladas.

174 Smith Street, Collingwood

Mesa Verde

This CBD hotspot in Melbourne's iconic Curtin House is perfect for tipples and tortillas. Snack on salsa macha-dipped school prawns and moreish saucy chilaquiles over jugs of sangria and punchy house cocktails.

Flavour and freshness reign supreme here, with the kitchen creating a rooftop garden for ripe-off-the-vine produce. Towards the weekend, Mesa Verde transforms into a party-starting venue with drinks pouring and music pumping.

Level 6/252 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Mamasita

Considered by many to be the OG trailblazer of Melbourne’s Mexican wave, the shine hasn’t dulled on Mamasita in the years since.

The CBD taqueria and bar continue to attract crowds for its authentic Mexican food with a modern refresh, from oysters with mango habanero salsa to pork belly tacos.

We highly recommend washing it down with the best Palomas in the Hoddle Grid.

11 Collins Street, Melbourne

Mission District

Named after the San Franciscan neighbourhood famed for its burritos, Mission District will have you falling in love with Tex-Mex.

The signature item is the hefty Mission burrito, a two-hander that takes a flour tortilla and wraps it around rice, beans, cheese, salsa and your choice of crispy pork carnitas, braised beef brisket, rockling, and mushroom.

For a cuisine that’s commonly thought of as fast and greasy you’ll find everything here fresh and colourful, with piquant salsas and creamy coconut horchata, all made in-house.

76 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea 

Radio Mexico

For a post-beach feed, perch in Radio Mexico’s al fresco area for ‘lageritas’ (margs served tall with beer) and casual street eats.

The St Kilda favourite doesn’t pretend to be super authentic, but it hardly matters when you’ve got delicious snacks like panko-crumbed, cheese-stuffed jalapenos and spanner crab tostaditas to eat as you soak up the last of the afternoon sun.

11-13 Carlisle Street, St Kilda

Taquito

Tortillas are the star of the show at Taquito, where they’re hand pressed from ground corn before being topped with everything from grilled ox tongue to fragrant eggplant achiote.

Making tortillas and corn chips onsite allows the kitchen to optimise them for flavour, softness and structure, so they shine beyond being simply a base. They’re also growing habaneros for salsa and making fab cocktails and sodas, so it’s no surprise they’re an instant neighbourhood fave.

350 Drummond Street, Carlton 

6 Acland Street, St Kilda

Hello José

This cheerful tuckshop evokes the easygoing beach vibes of Tulum. Hello José has beach umbrellas, fairy lights and coloured flags strung from the ceiling, while milk crates sub in for chairs and wooden pallets have been made into tables.

They press their soft corn tortillas for their tacos daily and offer a short but punchy selection of tequila and mezcal-based cocktails, plus churros with dulce de leche for dessert.

85 Peel Street, West Melbourne

Los Hermanos 

This buzzy bar-eatery may be located in Brunswick’s industrial heartland, but scoring a table at Los Hermanos is an uphill battle from Thursday to Saturday.

If you do, authentic street food awaits, from silky cactus salad and crispy fish tacos to peppery potato drizzled with queso fresco.

If you’re up for a tipple, the bar shakes up fabulous cocktails – we love their mezcal spritzes and ‘Mexpresso martinis’ spiked with tequila and chilli.

339 Victoria Street, Brunswick

Dingo Ate My Taco

Dingo Ate My Taco may be a mere food truck, but the tacos are among the city’s best. Their quesabirria tacos are next level, with corn tortillas pan-fried in meat braising liquid, then filled up and dipped in a rich consommé before eating.

From here, they’re topped with brisket and stretchy Oaxaca cheese, onion and cilantro. They do regular tacos and quesadillas with great vegetarian options, plus a killer horchata cold brew.

417 St Kilda Road, Melbourne 

Bodega Underground

Where else can you get great tacos until 1am? This underground bar and taqueria offer everything you need to soak up those late-night sips of mezcal.

Double down on meat with braised pork and spicy chorizo taco fillings, or go the opposite direction with vegan sweet potato tacos topped with pickled onion and toasted pepitas. With music playing and tequila pouring, it’s easy to see why Bodega Underground has been a favourite late-night haunt for years.

55 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

Now that you’ve conquered the best Mexican restaurants in Melbourne, check out our picks for the most delicious Japanese food, Greek mezze and Italian eats in town.