- fabulous and creative and pretty drinks - I love the booth…read moreseating the booths are a little tight the booths are little ways from the action, but good for intimacy and talking - best music in Curtin house

Anything that requires you to walk up more than three flights of stairs (perhaps while slightly…read moreintoxicated) had better be good. Fortunately the kids at Mesa Verde know this and are well on their way to being a venue that rewards drinkers and diners for climbing six flights of stairs within Curtain House. My real reason for coming here was to sample the cocktails. With over 200 tequilas and some of Melbourne's best bartenders behind the bar, I was pretty confident that I'd get a killer cocktail (or three) that would bring my Friday to a close with the ceremony and respect that it deserved. And right I was. Josh (previously of Eau De Vie) first made me a "P.G" featuring Tequila silver, muddled sugar snap peas, green tea syrup and lemon. A genius combination - the starchiness from the peas working well with the flavour of green tea and the tequila lifting it all together to provide a refreshing start to the evening. Mesa Verde have hopes for an extensive salt collection and the P.G featured a green tea salt that worked with the cocktail rather than against it, as it the case I find with a lot of salt rimmed drinks. Later in the evening I tried an experimental drink that featured a smoked salt rim and garnish of acidulated and salted apple slices. Brilliant. And a perfect match to the pulled pork taco I was eating at the time. The cocktails are considered and balanced and I'm eager to try more. As for the food... well, time will tell if this can get to the same heights of the cocktails. I ordered a prawn cocktail that took forever to arrive and eventually I was told it had run out and "would I like the civeche instead?". Sure thing. A small portion with chunky fish and jicama and radish slices, the flavours could have been pushed to an extra level. It was pleasant enough but would I order it again in its current format? No. Next, a pulled pork taco. The tortilla was fresh and hot, the pork filling moist with terrific flavour, but a chunky garnish with some zing would work well here. Jalapenos, pineapple or even some of the sliced apple that I had at the time with the cocktail I was drinking would provide textural contrast and pull it together. If Mesa Verde can work cohesively across the floor, bar and kitchen and tighten up the flavours on the dining menu, I think it will kick some serious ass and I may just become its number one fan.

Bodega Underground in Melbourne has become a personal favorite, with three visits so far. The…read morestandout dish is undoubtedly the fish taco--crispy, flavorful, and consistently delicious. Although the first serving seemed a bit modest compared to neighboring tables, the taste more than compensated, prompting return visits. The birria taco is also commendable, but the fish taco remains unparalleled. The chicken wings and the potatoes were good as well. Potatoes were cut all different sizes. I prefer the smaller crispy ones. The sauce on the chicken had me licking my fingers for real. Definitely not for a first date!! The chips and guacamole with salsa are exceptional...no dry chips!!! Their menu is gluten free!!! The gluten-free churros are a must-try; we came back once just for the churros!! Service at Bodega Underground is consistently excellent. Making reservations in advance has ensured prompt seating on each occasion.. when we came just for churros we had no reservations but there was no wait. The decor is fun and interesting . Some walls and the ceiling are covered in old but colored newspaper(?) giving the space a unique, slightly vintage feel. It makes the atmosphere lively and different from your typical Mexican spot.

Cute little spot for some yummy tacos and other Mexican street food. We met up with a small group…read moreand found the service and the food both very good.

The waitress we had on the night of the 7 May was exceptional. Friendly and helpful without being…read moreintrusive. A lovely smile, thoughtful gestures such as bring us extra napkins when she saw that we'd used the already provided ones, knew the menu extensively and was able to read our table and make suggestions. She is an absolute asset to your restaurant and I hope this message gets passed onto her. My only niggle is the music that was played.

You can't walk past Hotel Jesus without taking a peek inside. Curiosity gets the best of you to…read moreknow what exactly is going on that is just so darn bright on Smith Street. It's a new kid on the block and boy does it get busy. Easy single table was packed, not to mention the people who put their name down to wait to get in. All of the people make the venue a little harder to hear, the kind of raise your voice to speak type deal. I like the floor to ceiling tile, be wary, it'll just take a second for your eyes to adjust to how white and sparkling clean everything looks. Drinks all come salt rimmed, even the can o' beer. The Diablo was good, nice with a black salt rim, it had tons of flavor going on, especially for something pre-made and coming from a tap. It was bold, smokey, meaty, and delicious. The guacamole, I haven't gotten used to yet, I'm used to it being...different, with more chunk and less sour cream smoothness. As for the tacos, I had the vegetarian (cauliflower, broccoli, chipotle) and the El Pastor (pork, guajillo, pineapple). Truth be told, the vegetarian was better than the pork. Which is strange, because any human being would think otherwise, pork vs veggies, that's a no brainer. But the pineapple on the El Pastor should've been a bigger slice to accompany the pork, seeing as that's all that's in the taco (besides the large salt crystals), and they do compliment each other so well. It shouldn't be a tiny taco that you are biting through to get to the good stuff, i.e. the bite-full of pineapple & pork combo. Maybe I'm being too hard on it. It's just a taco. The vegetarian though, had a boatload of flavor I was not expecting. No complaints there. The foldie (which is a quesadilla) is served on a slightly bigger plate, but you'll still need something else to fill you up. The tuna, was just like a tuna melt, really cheesy. I rarely order tostadas, on account of my fear of how messy it'll be to eat in public and the real life struggle of having it fall apart on me. Everything you order will come out one by one, and that can sometimes make it seem like service is slow. Especially as we sat there waiting for one persons order that was just lost in the halogen lights somewhere. Negative: service is slow, they are way busy, it's loud, servings are small- which can add up $ Good for: snacks & drinks at a pretty done out venue

Got a large order for our takeaway movie night…read more We got a special deal. The price was absolutely fantastic in this circumstance. The Nachos were very nice. The food was all good enough. The rice was zesty, full of flavour. The Pork Quesadilla was different and wonderful, better then the other Chicken Quesadilla as I preferred my quesadillas with no sauce on top. Nice and dry. My fault, you learn as you go along. I havnt had Pork for a long time so it was a nice change of scene. I did not have the Fajita Pack my friend did. Sometimes, some of the food had a slightly wet, soggy undertone. Most likely from the sauce that was on top of it. Therefore I would recommend taking it easier on the sauces when you go here. A good, suitable large order with lots of things to try. Decent, 3 stars from me this time.

This place is so good... SIKE, this place has very yummy food but the price is WAY TOO MUCH. I…read moreordered a milkshake for $9 and it was the smallest milkshake I've ever had, I would've rathered going to Maccas for their milkshakes. I ordered the Chile con carne burrito, and it was bloody delicious, however it was $31 which I can see is fair, but I also ordered the flan de queso which was average and totally not worth the prize. I came in to eat with 3 people and the total ended up being a whopping $145!! Would not recommend!!

After experiencing the delights of soft tacos at Chipotle in Santa Monica a couple of years back…read moreI've been waiting for similar fair to arrive at our shores. Mad Mex aims to satisfy the trend towards healthy, tasty, fast food. I've sampled a variety of tasty fillings in both softshell taco and burrito forms. For a light lunch that doesn't damage the wallet too much I order the single softshell taco with chicken and loads of salad for only $5.00. However if you have a hunger like a protester at a Nauru detention centre you'd better go for the full monty with Buritto, extra guacamole and drink. PS. if you're into a little more spice don't overlook the delicious Tapatio sauce available in take away satchels or at your table. Remember - Burritos are the next years Burger.

Mexican here I come! Had a visit here for something a little different for lunch…read more I ordered a grande melt, and some tortilla chips. Line up at one end work your way through to the counter (subway ordering style). I ordered and the girls taking my order and putting things together were very robotic (as if they done this 10,000 times already) so it was quite rushed, and being first time there needed time to break down their very busy menu board. However proceeded to order. Made my way through the glass displays getting lots of stuff on this wrap. The guy on the cash register was really friendly and nice. The girls passed him my order and said a burrito & tortilla chips! I didn't order a burrito, but somehow that's what i ended up with, it all seemed abit rush so i didn't bother changing it! However the burrito was very nice, very filling and reasonably priced. The tortilla chips with salsa, cheese and guacamole was very nice too. So a few mishaps in the service and ordering system. but was still quite nice and for something abit different i was impressed

Had dinner at Mamasita with a group of four and wow... what a night…read more There was a small hiccup with our table early on, but the team handled it brilliantly and genuinely went out of their way to make sure it didn't impact our experience. Safe to say, they more than made up for it. From there, everything was next level. Throughout the meal we kept catching ourselves saying things like, "this might be the best taco I've ever had"... quickly followed by the same claim about the guac... and then somehow again about the cheesecake. It just didn't miss. Incredible food, buzzing atmosphere, and service that really cares. We walked out full, happy, and already planning our next visit.

One of the Travelmints team brought her parents here 12 years ago, and subsequently returned here…read morewith her husband 1 week after she got married in 2021. Things are still the same, Mamasita serves extremely good quality fresh Mexican food and they also offer a fun tequila tasting board! The staff here are very friendly and attentive too. There's no doubt that this place is the place to go if you ever want to enjoy Mexican food and vibes!

My partner and I came in on a Saturday night and enjoyed a wonderful dinner here. We ordered the…read morejamon iberico, huevos rotos con chorizo, gambas al ajillo (shrimp) and albóndigas maría (meatballs) and it was plenty of food for two people. My only complaint is that the lights were quite bright and they might want to consider warming the atmosphere some. Other than that, the staff was very friendly and we would come back.

Unexpectedly the best Spanish food I've had in Melbourne... and probably Spain too the staff may…read morenot speak much English but the food speaks for itself and dish after dish will amaze! My new favourite secret spot in Melbourne!

Hot damn I went did on this one !…read more So I couldn't take any good pictures cuz I have an iPhone and the light was real low. I really need to get a better camera for this stuff, but I did almost try one of everything on the menu and some dishes that weren't on the menu. Oooh specials ! First off I have to say our server was hands down the best server I've every had. I'm pretty sure his name was Matt , and that's what it says on the receipt so I'm going with Matt. He is the perfect example of a professional server. Thank you Matt for your amazing service ! So this is tapas, high end tapas, well thought out, premium ingredients, with a touch molecule gastronomy. All the dishes I had were well plated, and well presented, and all were delicious. My favorites of the evening are as follows: "Carrillera de Buey" ( beef cheek and cauliflower purée ) intense ! Super rich and earthy, the "Chocos" ( cuttlefish ) perfection! love the ink "Calabacin" ( charred zucchini ), zucchini can go wrong real fast and this was cook perfectly, al dente yes ! Definitely take a look at the menu to see all the other descriptions and ingredients of the dishes I mentioned above, way too many to type. I really wanted to try the "Bocadillo" ( fried pig's ear sandwich ) but it wasn't on the menu, no worries still had lots of great food in a great environment. For dessert I had the "Cigarillo" it's like a chocolate ice cream cigar dipped in chocolate and then rolled on crushed pistachios! Wow yum ! Thanks !

One of best spanish bars I have been to. Not cheap though. very busy too so book ahead.read more