Okay so why would Ohio transplanted Arizonans visiting Takapuna Beach go to a restaurant called Mexico? Well, because we can! I have to say I was suspect, but they had Me at hello! The decor and the whole cozy little beach bar vibe is Spot on! Just loved the rustic tables and the family style place settings. Really kitschy in a great way. I had to get Sangria. It was a hot day and well what else can I say? I got the carafe for me, but ended up sharing with friends. Its a tall bit of really tasty goodness. We started off with homemade crisps and salsa. The salsa was nice and spicy with a smokey backtone I really liked. I got skirt steak taco and it was superb. The pico was a mango citrus cilantro taste that really worked well with the steak and the quite lite and deelish tortilla. Very nice combo. Got the Mexican fried chicken and man was It good. Deeply seasoned tenders lightly fried and served with two sauces that both worked magic with the chicken. I added some of the smokey salsa to the mix and oh that was great! Spicy too. I like my meat hot and spicy. No disappointments here! The only minor thing is portions are small and a tad pricey. But if you are here to eat, do yourself a tasty favor and sample. You can and you'll love it aaaaaannnnddd you won't feel guilty doin' it. ; ) The service start to finish was excellent. I don't think any of us weren't taken care of expertly! Great food, and service. Try Mexico. Que Bueno! read more

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I love an ever-changing menu that adapts to the ingredients in season, so we came back to Mexico recently for dinner to try their new spring menu. We were both enamoured by the hot, crispy and uber cheesy cinnamon braised lamb quesadilla ($15). The cinnamon flavour isn't too predominant or strong, but it balances well with the slight spice and tangy tomato salsa. I didn't get to try the beef taco ($6) but my dining companion was happy with it. The most memorable and creative dish was the Mexico carrot cake ($10) which was unlike any carrot cake I'd seen or had (I thought they served us the wrong dish!). It's like a deconstructed version of the traditional cake - a handful of raisins and blobs of carrot puree served on top of a fried cinnamon sugar crisp. Mixed opinions over the taste... it was interesting, to say the least. Props for the delicious lemon peel ice cream and pretty plating, though! Despite the menu makeover, two things seem to have stayed the same: the fried chicken remains as good as ever, and the eatery is as packed as ever. I found the servers to be nice and ever-smiling. My only gripes are that the carrot cake took a long time to arrive (though they did apologise for this) and we had to ask several times for water. However, being Sunday night and all, it was VERY busy and they were pretty much rushed off their feet so no biggie. Looking forward to their next menu! read more

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Never had Mexico or Tacos before. They were amazing. I had the chickpea one. My son the chicken and cola. We both loved them. The broccoli side dish was amazingly good. The kids churoos were nice. I had the coffee chocolate biscuit, it was great. Will be back. Great for kids and families. read more

I was looking forward to visiting Mexico as I had heard awesome things about it. Fantastic concept! Thought the atmosphere and general vibe of the restaurant and bar was great. The fried chicken and dipping sauce is epic. Like catnip for humans, I could definitely have eaten my weight in it! The quesadillas on the other hand I probably wont rush to reorder. They lacked the punch you usually associate with Mexican food, and the sauce that went with them didn't really take away from the fact that they were pretty dry and bland. The portion sizes however are generous for the price, we ordered 3 items for $40 between two people and struggled to finish them off! The service was pretty average for us which along with the quesadillas is why I would only give it four stars. My partner asked to take home what he couldn't eat and the waiter cleared it away instead. We also had a waiter drop another table's meals off, and yet another waiter try and take our order only to tell us they couldn't take our order. I'm willing to put it all down to the fact they were pretty slammed, denoted by the 45 minute wait for a table and one of the waiters was trailing and seemed pretty nervous. Totally worth another shot though. There's way more on the menu to try, but next time I'll for sure make a reservation and try one of their margaritas! read more

We were there a while ago and the food and service was very good as usual. The downside was the drink I ordered. It was a mai tai or a mohito (can't remember) but I couldn't taste the alcohol at all. We all know that feeling; the highball arrives in all its glory - it's got ice clinking against the glass, a lovely bit of lemon floating in bubbles, a pink straw, a big bunch of mint sitting on top and then that first sip, just when you're anticipating a little hit of yummy rum..... nothing. I didn't get the rum bit at all. So I ordered another one and asked for a double. The waiter came back and said they couldn't give me a double because it was "against the law". Is that true I wondered? I've never heard of doubles being illegal before. Finally, hubs got around to a bit of research and it seems the norm in NZ bars is for a drink of spirits to contain two (2) full nips of liquor. If I get two nips I can taste it, I think everybody can. So what was I served at Mexico? I would love a reply from Mexico that tells me what measure they usually use for cocktails and if it's true that it's against the law to serve doubles. For the record, it was the first drink of the day so there was no 'intoxication' problem. Cheers (twice) read more

It was my first time to this Takapuna one where we sat outside with just the right amount of a breeze. Great start. We ordered "Do it yourself guacamole" ($8), fried chicken ($12 my fav!), beef taco ($6), pork quesadillas ($12) and a carafe of frozen black plum Margarita ($25). I love their generous amount of servings especially the quesadillas - 8 pieces! Beef taco was crunchy and refreshing with pork cracklings and pineapple. I've tried the chicken and prawn but this is the best one by far. Guacamole was just a bit boring, but when we had it with the chicken, it became fabulous! Chicken by itself has always been wonderful... We saw another table ordering one but it was sold out. Wow, gotta be quick around here! I'm not a big fan of Magarita but the fact that it comes in frozen, was pretty attractive after a hardcore sport battle. So I've asked for a sweet and fruity one and this was what the waiter recommended. Hmmm.... Not much plum flavor though.. Maybe I'll stick with the beer next time. Had a great time and will return again to try other things on the menu :) read more

Recommended by overseas visitors we went to the Auckland Central restaurant. Indeed the food was fresh, tasty and reasonably priced. The smallest taco I've ever tried but most satisfying and pleasing to the palate. The serving team very attentive with flower power in their hair. Not pacific flower power but some other flower power style all together. A fabulous look. Place was small but packed giving the illusion that it's always busy. read more

Casual, affordable dining in Takapuna, order as much or as little as you like. The menu changes often, but not so dramatically you want to race back. We ordered bbq pork and fish tacos and a quesadilla. You know what you're getting, there are no surprises. The hot, punchy, vibrant flavours just seem to be missing these days. read more

Mexico - Mexican Near Me - Auckland, AUK

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I generally like the food at MEXICO and have had good experiences in both Auckland Central and Wellington. I was, however reminded to make this review after a conversation about our worst restaurant experiences. Unfortunately my wife and I were served the (usually delicious) fried chicken pieces raw in the middle, and when brought to the waiters attention, the response was "do you want another plate?". We at least got them to not charge us for the raw chicken plate we'd bitten into in the end. So, it could be once off, but we've never gone back and never intend to. The dish and the response were just plain not good enough. read more

Went last nite for drinks and dinner with a friend and was really surprised to see the place crowded on a Monday nite with constant turnover of customers. Went for the Mexico and coconut margaritas and their fried chicken for starters. We order d specials for the day which included a pork taco which was average. I never even got to taste the other mains as we went out for a smoke and when we returned the plate was taken away the waitress was sweet enough to give me another one but at that Time with two pitchers each of margaritas r had had enough. Really noisy place but prefer the branches at ponsonby and britomart for sure. read more

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Good sangria but the food is average and overpriced. Service is average at best... Quite noisy, too. Is always packed, not sure why? Oh but the decor is well done. But apart from that... Seems largely overrated to me. read more

Love the decor and energetic vibe. It's a bit loud so if you want to chat not the best place. I love the ceviche!!!! Sangria is pretty good, but not awesome and is expensive by the glass as the glass is very small. Buy it by the carafe instead and you will get a little more than 4 glasses filled. read more

I have eaten at Mexico on three occasions now, mainly because I am obsessed with the fried chicken! I first ate at the original Britomart branch, and more recently twice at the Takapuna branch. Atmosphere is excellent, I love the mexican decorations on the walls, it adds a nice flavour to the place. It can definitely be noisy, unless you eat really really early (I went at 5pm once prior to a rugby match). Service tends to be average, nothing really standout but no complaints either. The first time I dined at the Takapuna location with my sister they apparently had an all new staff on so there were some teething problems but we got our margarita's comped for simply being asked to move tables. The staff had left two items off the final bill but the poor manager looked like he was having such a hard time I did inform him so he could add them on! Food is amazing, you definitely can't go past the fried chicken! If only it was healthier I would probably like to eat it for every meal. The menu seems designed for sharing, kind of tapas style. At first glance the prices look very reasonable, but be warned - dishes are small and you need a good number of them so this won't be a cheap night out. *Snacks - I love the esquites, and others in my party loved the eggplant dip. *Soft shell tacos - between us we have tried the beef, pork belly, chicken, salmon and the special fish taco. Consensus is that the special fish taco was the best by far so if they are doing it the night you are there then try and check it out! *Specialties - ceviche is very nice, chorizo is delicious and you get a heap of it, and the fried chicken of course is not to be missed. *Quesadillas - my sister is a big fan of these. Probably the biggest item on the menu. She has tried the papas/wild mushroom one and the prawn one and liked them both. She did think the prawn one has a bit to much heat which overwhelmed the prawn flavours. I tried some of each and thought these dished lacked some of the punch of other dishes. Gluten free: on the face of it it seems like there is a good selection but unfortunately its really just the snacks and tacos that have a wide selection. Of the "larger" dishes only the ceviche and albondigas are GF (plus the salads). Our gluten free member liked the food, but did leave the restaurant hungry which is a shame - she picked up some hot chips later! Drinks are skewed towards cocktails and beer. My mum ordered off the extremely limited wine menu and her Sav blanc arrived in a water tumbler - no fancy glass wear here! I love the black plum margarita and order it every time. There is something addictive about the sugar/cinnamon mix around the rim. For the non-drinkers out there they have a full range of Jarrito's soft drinks which my sister recommends highly. Have a read of the tequila menu while you are there, its cutely done and an interesting read, especially if you want to get stuck into their large range of tequila! Overall the food is tasty, but portions are small. Atmosphere is excellent, but be warned this is a busy, noisy place. Go very early if you want an immediate seat and good service. As for me, I think after three visits my obsession with Mexico is thankfully over and I can explore some other excellent places! read more

Seriously, A Mexican restaurant without Guacamole? Boo! And average food tonight. Bummer. Fried Chicken was the highlight.

Average....I thought the food was expensive for what you received and really average service. I felt like they were doing you a favor by being there. I will not be returning. read more

Can't recommend anything, since they didn't bother to serve me. Walked in around 5:00pm on a weeknight, and there were no customers inside or out, Host said I could grab a table outside if I wanted and someone would be right out. After ten minutes, I left. I understand if you're busy, but when someone is literally the only customer in the restaurant, there's no reason they should sit there for ten minutes without someone even acknowledging you're there. read more

Loved the flavours of the different foods. Left feeling like I ate quite a bit but happy and not too bloated. The service was great, friendly and quick. The food was delicious and fresh! The decor was cool, and I would recommend this place to anyone wanting a tasty variety of food in a relaxed informal atmosphere. I give it 5 stars as Mexican is my new favourite food because of this place. read more

This place has so much potential but is severely let down by its staff. They were unfriendly and unhelpful. Both waitresses serving our table were extremely rude, sighing and rolling eyes at the smallest request. Felt like our food was being thrown in front of us. I was looking forward to a lovely evening and left feeling offended and unsatisfied. read more