La Condesa

Can only vouch for drinks in the courtyard, which was a nice way to spend an hour on an early Friday evening. Cocktail specials from $ 10 were decent, and there were many cool-​kids around for some quality people-​watching, having spilled in from a gallery showing at the very cool Juddy Roller studios across the lane. Only didn’t try the tacos because we were moving on to other dinner plans, but will next time.

this review mostly pertains to the tacos & beer garden in the back. there are only 3 taco options — pulled pork, beef, and mushroom, vs the front which appears to have 6 options available, including fish and chicken. i know previous posters have mentioned the small size of the tacos, so i was prepared for tiny portions, but actually they give quite a lot of meat for the 3 little tacos.
the elotes (corn cup) was a fantastic appetizer and great to share with a dining buddy!
some issues i had were:
–lime for 3 tacos was so small it didn’t have enough juice for even one taco.
–shells were small and weak, at least double the shells so they don’t break, or make them a bit larger in diameter to hold in all the taco ingredients for eaters’ sake
–the salsa varieties are great — they had a range from mild-​hot and the colors were gorgeous. but there was so little of each one.
— meat to other tastes ratio was a bit off. lots of meat in each taco, not so much flavor and excitement.
overall D says tacos are hard to come by in Melbourne and I believe that. so we are happy to find La Condesa! but next time I’d definitely eat inside for the variety of taco choices despite the cool outdoor setting.

I stumbled into La Condesa only because I had won a free Taco Beer from Two Birds Brewing on Facebook.
It is a small place, and we ate inside. I know during certain times they also have an outdoor area opened up. And sure 3 tacos for $ 12 sounds great, but then the tacos come out and they look tiny! I tried both the fish and the beef tacos. Not quite sure which I preferred. I think the beef had more taste to it. They use soft tortilla style tacos, which is nice. I’m glad I had the free beer, or else I wouldn’t have been filled up. The horchata icecream was good, even if is was just 2 scoops.
The vibe here is typical Brunswick, cool and trendy. Service was great, the girl who took of us was surprisingly from Mexico, pretty legit. We were in and out in no time.
Maybe I should’ve tried out some of the other tacos, or they should have a mix and match, or charge per taco instead of per 3… It was a good place to try, just not sure if I would venture there again though.

La Condesa was previously just tacos in an outdoor courtyard. That still exists, but they now also have a shiny new Cantina to sit and while the night away with margaritas. Well, that is what we attempted to do when a group of friends hit this place the other night.
Unfortunately I think we hit them a little too hard. No less than 3 waiters kept trying to get us to order food, but we kept drinking. When a much, much bigger group headed in to take over the space we were seated in — I could understand why they wanted us to finish up so badly. They were gracious about it and did their best to move us out of the now ear-​bleedingly loud packed back space.
The Cantina is not huge, so I wouldn’t pick it as the go-​to place to linger for ages. But for a quick eats and drink spot — perfect.
The Tommy’s Margaritas went down quite nicely (hence ordering so many between us!). The tacos were tasty too. Though at 3 for $ 12, I thought we were getting a bargain until I saw how minuscule they were. These will not satisfy any kind of margarita-​fuelled hunger.
We were a bit saddened that there were no nachos on the menu to snack on, however we ordered the chilaquiles (corn chips, salsa verde, queso, onion and coriander) and were not at all disappointed with it as an alternative — delicious!
Everything here is fresh and tasty and I think once they have ironed out a few kinks post opening (or maybe made their tortillas either bigger or cheaper) it will be a great place to start a night out or hit for a weekend lunch. I’d give it 4 stars for that.

Wait for a hot day then head here for tacos in the sun washed down with freshly made agua fresca — pineapple, mint and basil was the special when I dined recently. At lunch time you can get 3 tacos for $ 10 which is a bargain and a half on the MTS (Melbourne Taco Scale). The chorizo, fish and mushroom were all spot on, especially after I loaded them up with salsas from the help-​yourself jars on the counter.
Order the corn too, which comes lathered in a creamy, spicy, cheesy mess and will have you wondering why all vegetables don’t taste this good.

Newly opened (3 weeks only), this outdoor taqueria is tucked away down a side street of Johnston. This place would be rocking on a warm summer’s night, but the night we went was chilly and we were just praying the rain didn’t come in. This meant we were the only people at the place, so we can’t give any points to the general vibe of the place.
The tacos were $ 4 each, and I ordered the fish, mushroom and zucchini tacos. The lady behind the counter recommended ‘3 for girls, 5 for boys’, probably because they were quite tiny. I felt like the tacos didn’t even touch the sides, and I was still famished after. I’d give a thumbs up to the mushroom taco, but the other two flavours were I’m afraid to say average. They have a range of salsas to choose from to add to the tacos, ranging from mild to spicy (although, I didn’t find the spicy one even tangy) and also 3 different types of agua frescas. I tried the pineapple and basil.
Overall, if you want a cheap feed on a sunny day this could be the place to go, but if you want flavoursome, awesome tacos I’d probably head somewhere else.

A Mexican place in Melbourne? Whoda thunk it? (Well, not very many people, if you go back three or more years.) Jumping on the never-​ending bandwagon of South of the Border cuisine is Lan Condesa.
What sets it apart is the ambience. This ain’t no sit-​down fancypants restaurant. No, sir. This is your straight-​up taquiera. You’re going to stand at the counter to order, and you’re going to sit on the moveable chairs and tables on the fake grass to eat. That is, if it’s not so busy that you have to sit on the street corner.
The tacos, at $ 4 a pop, are a bit on the pricey side, but are authentic — says the I-​studied-​in-​Mexico companion I brought along. (He pointed out the bill would’ve been ¹⁄₁₀^th of the price were we actually in Mexico. Sadly for our wallets, we are not.) It’s better to go at lunch, where you can get three for $ 10.
Load up on the fresh seasonings, and splurge on the cup ‘o corn kernels. The hibiscus juice is delicious, too. The best part? As you chow down on your meal you can gaze at the gritty Fitzroy back streets’ graffiti and feel like you’ve discovered a hidden gem.