Mexicali Rose

This is my hang over cure… Every Sunday!
I order the same thing and the sassy waiters always know I’m hung as f***.
It’s fast and friendly. Cheap and cheerful
The produce is always fresh.
It’s not fancy but sometimes you don’t want fancy. Sometimes you want a vat of frozen mango daiquiri stat and a table size serve of nachos served equally as fast and they nail it every time!

Being a Southern California Native and Mexican food being a daily staple of my diet for 50 years and truly knowing Authentic Mexican food I was eager to try this place but was very disappointed. We ordered 3 combination plates and a Margarita and the bill was over $ 100. Mexican food has very little Vinegar and MR uses a lot! Also Cumin being a favorite spice of Latin America is scarce in these recipes. Black Beans are a Mexican staple but Pinto Beans in the Traditional Refried variety would have made the meal a bit more appetizing. Basmati Rice??? The food was edible but lacked that authentic Mexican Flavor. The following day I went and bought 6 kilos of Flap Meat and managed to scrape up enough spices to whip up a large batch of Carne Asada, White Rice with Tomato Sauce and spices and to make a large batch of Spanish Rice then boiled Kilos of Pinto beans seasoned and smashed, ^ Dozen Corn tortillas. Prawn & Scallop enchiladas in a green sauce, Elote Corn on the cob and even the Italian mother in law was impressed! Not sure why Authentic Mexican food is so difficult to find in this area but Hey I guess they give it a shot. FAIL.

This place must’ve changed owners or something, as I don’t see how it got all the really bad reviews of 2 – 3 years ago. We came here Friday night and had an excellent time, and the whole time I was looking out for all the things people had said from the get-​go.
It’s a cool little, understated Mexican joint on Swan st that has all standard Tex Mex made with fresh ingredients. I liked the décor/​vibe of the place. It’s half bar/​half restaurant. We didn’t have a reservation (which we might’ve needed as AFL was on/​it was full), but were given a great table near the bar. Ordered nachos, fish tacos, coronas, margaritas, and some shots. And everything was excellent. We loved it an finished it all. And our server was super friendly and nice too. We spent 2hrs here here, drinking after the food, and had a great time.
My only criticisms would be that it does feel a littttle on the pricier side (but still okay), and that if paying by non-​PayPass debit, you have to go up to the bar to pay. This was annoying because a queue developed and we were all stuck standing there for 12min being budged around by ppl leaving/​sitting, waiting to one by one swipe our cards in the middle of the place. Just seemed to me like there could easily be another way to do this.
That said, I had a great time, and would definitely return or recommend it to everyone.

Really nice Mexican meals to be found here. Parking can be a little tricky in this area but once you’re in, the service, drinks and food is really nice! We were seated at the bar as we didn’t have a booking, the bartender made us lime margaritas as we perused the menu. We were seated quite quickly and enjoyed fish and pork tacos and a burrito. The fish taco was the tastiest, with fresh lime, cabbage, coriander etc and the burrito got a thumbs up from hubs. Topped the night off with churros for dessert and that was our nice little Mexican night out :)

Food was really good & fresh, however service was REALLY bad. If you want to be served in this place, you need to jump up & down and possibly trip over a waitress for attention…
We had the chimichangas which was really nice, but a bit on the small size. Bit over priced for what you get & still waiting for my drink.

Love love love my mexican food, and I love mexicali rose. Had a great night here with my brother and sister, also mexican lovers.
We meant to stop in for a quick bowl of nachos and a drink. We left about 4hrs later.
So be warned!
Our appetites were totally spiked by the nachos, and it wasn’t long before we were ordering nearly every second dish on the menu!
Combined with the rather extensive cocktail menu, we parked for the night.
The only reason I didn’t give the fifth star was the service. Whilst not stroppy or rude, definitely at a stubbornly slow pace.

Okay, for a long time now my husband has been trying to get me to try this restaurant. But I saw all these reviews and thought…“no, it really doesn’t sound good”. Well, tonight we finally went. And I’m glad we did.
I come from California and I know Mexican. Taco Bills and Nachos Cantina are not it. They are renditions of Mexican food. Mexicali Rose is more like the little hole-​in-​the-​wall Mexican place back home, with authentic flavours. Our meals were flavorful and the quantities just right so I didn’t feel so full I was sick when we left.
I had the Colorado Burrito and was pleasantly surprised that the meat was not chewy. The salsa was good and a little spicy, just right. It came with rice and beans. I asked for a side of tortilla chips to dip in the beans and they tasted home made. My husband had the toquitos which he really liked, and a tostada, The tostada was delicious as it had guacamole with red onion and coriander. I don’t usually like coriander but the combination was really yum!
The service was pleasant and prompt. We went for an early dinner so there were only a few tables seated. All in all a pleasant meal and we will definitely go back. I did. It find the food bland or sloppy like others have noted in their reviews and recommend you try for yourself.
I did find the margarita a bit too pricey at $ 14 for being servied in a martini glass, but it was tasty.

I’m sorry Mexicali Rose, but I’m not sure whether it’s just me who’s changed or you. I was very puzzled by all the existing reviews, as I had been here twice before and had a really enjoyable time. I remember the food being quite fresh, large in serving size and appetizing. I’m very sad to say that the only thing that has remained the same is the portion sizes.
For the price you’re paying ($ 10+ an entrée, $ 22+ a main, $ 10+ for drinks) and the quality of food you’re receiving I was pretty disappointed.
Again, maybe I’m just into a different experience these days, but even the cocktails/​margaritas were very average.
The waiters were friendly enough, but hardly memorable.
I actually enjoy the chatter and loud vibe about this place (that includes the yellow, blue and red walls), but I don’t think I’ll be coming back again. To be honest I’d much rather grab dumplings, rice and a 6 pack of beer for half the price and camp out in front of the tv.

I’ve been wanting to come here for ages.
Basically, it hold to be another piece in the Mexican
restaurants of Melbourne Puzzle. It’s a simple going, easy and
loved by most punters fare.
It’s good for those times, when, you don’t really want to
think that much, and beyond all the negativity, it’s actually quite
satisfying. One can usually feel safe in the fact that there’s something
there that will be a good choice. I had two dishes, and some of the tostada,
but was let down by the empanada. I think this translates better as a south
American thing, when it has better filling and pastry. And is cooked and
presented in a different way. But good to have a different variation, so not overly
bad.

Average food, slow service, and way too loud musician, makes for an average dining experience.

Um… if I wanted Taco Bill’s I would have gone there!!! Very sub standard Mexican fare. My friend and I weren’t very impressed with our dishes. They were very salty and had a weird balsamic taste through them.
My nanna also can make a better Margarita!
Mexicali Rose is over priced for what it serves up and although we found the staff friendly it just didn’t make up for the below average food we were served.
Won’t be going back…

I went to Mexicali Rose last Friday night for dinner, as I love Mexican food, and thought a pre-​Foo Fighters concert sangria would go down well.
The service: Poor. The two girls who seated us and took our order were abrupt and cranky.
The food: shocking. I had the chicken fajitas, and, while the presentation was good, the quality of the chicken was appalling — fat everywhere, even the arteries still on some pieces. Obviously they were using up every last morsel of chicken for cost cutting or something.
The sangria: average. It wasn’t too bad, but, having lived in the US for 16 months, I’ve tasted many a sangria.
Taco Bill beats this place by a mile. Never going again and was thoroughly disappointed. Thank goodness I got 25% off through the Entertainment Book.

I’d rather travel to Collingwood for some Trippy Taco.

It’s places like this that make me hate eating Mexican food at restaurants. Bland, greasy, flavourless and stodgy. The good thing about this place is it serves Jarritos soda (I had the Tamarind flavour) imported from Mexico. But that’s it. Why are there so very few Mexican restaurants in Melbourne that know how to get it right? If anybody out there knows of any good ones, let me know. And, please, don’t say Taco Bill.

Mexicali Rose is a Mexican restaurant located right on the corner of Swan Street and Stanley Street in Richmond. I’ve been here a couple of times now but on each occasion have been satisfied without being awed by the food whatsoever.
They offer very traditional fare and quite a comprehensive menu. But as with so many Mexican offerings in Melbourne the food is on the expensive side. Mexicali Rose is average if not a tiny bit more expensive than you would expect in Melbourne for Mexican food.
On my first occasion I had the fajitas and they were pretty damn good. On the second occasion meeting friends I decided to go for the Shredded beef burrito. Not so good. In general we’ve found that some of the dishes are a bit hit and miss.
Overall it does the job for Mexican food but as with so many of these restaurants it fails to get above 3 stars. If you want really good Mexican food I’d advise spending that little bit more and heading to Mamasita in the city for a much more worhtwhile experience.

I keep saying there aren’t enough Mexican restaurants in Melbourne, but looking at my list of Mexican restaurants, there are a fair few now. The problem is actually that there are not enough GOOD and CHEAP Mexican restaurants in Melbourne.
Located in Richmond, Mexicali Rose offers traditional Mexican dishes including burritos, tacos, enchilidas, fajitas, quesadillas, and much more. Whilst it does get busy here, you’re usually able to just rock up and get a table, which is great.
I have had the guacamole, burrito, enchiladas, and fajitas here. The guacamole — quite average. You can taste that all the ingredients are there — avocado, coriander, lime/​lemon, onions — but it is bland. The fajitas are great for sharing because you get to make your own — choose from chicken, beef, seafood, or a combination and stuff the meats with the rice, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole into flour tortillas.
If you want to try a few things, I recommend a combination platter that has a bit of everything — enchiladas, taquito, tacos, or quesadillas.
Overall, Mexicali Rose is quite average compared to other Mexican restaurants I’ve been to, so I probably won’t go back again. I’ve been twice. It is definitely worth a try if you’re in the Richmond area and haven’t had Mexican food before.