Mexico – Food & Liquor

I have never actually been to Mexico, the country„ and I am certainly not pretending to be an expert. It’s the old addage «I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like» in this case it’s Mexican style food.
To be frank, this place is flippin’ excellent.
Excellent service — Instant win, me as a return customer.
Excellent food and drinks– Level up all the levels!
Excellent vibe– Win my love forever!
We came here a bit annoyed after bad service at another venue, and these guys smoothed out our frowns almost straight away. Sure, they didn’t immediately have a table for 4, but they directed us to the intimate, dimly lit and not crowded bar, where we waited about 10 mins. They acknowledged us and made us fee like our patronage was valued. Waiter was extremely attentive, and the food was plentiful. Even giving us extras of some things we ordered.
Anejo, Anejo, Anejo. That’s Spanish for «aged» in the Tequila language, usually in small batches, in barrels that infuse it with a particular flavour and smooth smoothh. mmmm George Clooney type smooth. I don’t pretend to like your every day Tequila and I often call it «Ingrid off switch» due to some previous fails (and falls) in imbibing it. However, this isn’t your crappy pub/​bar rubbish, this top shelf stuff has been aged 36+ months. I would call this the «clean eating» of drinking.
It is not cheap, some of it is $ 70 a shot, but Oh. I’ve got time for that! …Besides, some people pay that kinda moulah for organic Goji berry and Kale detox diets and concoctions that are supposedly cleansing. I was cleansed, spiritually speaking.
Corralego Gran Anejo, Don Julia 1942 Anejo, Grand Centenario Leyenda, Partida Alegra Extra Anejo. Try them. You wont regret it. Please, please try at least one.
Try the Chickpea patatas w pimento mojo, cucumber pico. unbelievably good.
Definitely try the Pork cheek, beer, guajillo, olive w citrus cured apple, red onion soft shell Taco. Good lord.
My only disappointment came from the fact that their special for the night had run out. Chilli and lime cured beef tatare tacos. You have to be kiddin me! It sounded like that thing would be a world of wonderful.
In all it turned out to be cheaper than we expected considering all the snack type accoutrements and top shelf tipples, but we left them a pretty decent tip which they thoroughly deserved,
This place wins my award for top shelf service, despite an extremely busy and full restaurant.

Loved the food here. Apparently it’s not authentic? I don’t even care. It was tasty and well-​presented. I also found it to be reasonably priced — why is anyone surprised about a small taco being $ 8 (actually $ 7 at the time of writing)? What can you get for $ 7 or $ 8 at any restaurant? This is not fast food. The wide range of small dishes makes it easy to mix and match and share, which I really liked.
I agree with the comment about service being random. Staff were friendly, but on each of two visits we had a dish mistakenly brought to our table.
I also loved the atmosphere, just found the area out the back very loud (seriously loud) due to a low ceiling (which can’t be helped, but some soft coverings could be added).

Yet another one of those promising Sydney eateries that tries too hard to be innovative and misses the beauty in the simplicity of Mexican food.
First of all, don’t get any of the special margaritas and stick to the basic. The pineapple margarita they had last week was completely undrinkable and the one with mezcal had potential but also was hard to drink (too sweet!).
The $ 7-​$ 8 tacos come on flour tortillas (not very Mexican), with distracting ingredients like «candied pepitos»… the pulled pork base was good, but the rest of the taco was lacking. I also had ordered a fish taco, but it never made it to the table. My friend hated his fish tacos (didn’t taste fresh), so I didn’t bother to chase down my missing taco except to take it off the bill.
The chips and salsa were average, with the salsa lacking spices.
They did give us a free order of the fried chicken (probably a mistake from another table) and it was pretty good (but that’s not really a Mexican thing, now is it?). So yeah, the least Mexican thing on our table was our favorite dish. Disappointing.
I guess in the end, it really is just a pub disguised as a (cute) Mexican restaurant with friendly but confused service. You’ll be fine if you stick to basic margaritas and perhaps a quesadilla (they looked pretty, but I won’t be going back to try them).

Really cool spot in Surry Hills. I’m always a bit skeptical about Mexican food in Sydney as each place has their own take on it all. This is not your traditional burritos and taco joint… it is much more. In fact there are no burritos on the menu, but there are lots of great tacos. The bar is also pretty cool with plenty of sitting space and a wall of tequila to glare at. If you’re a connoisseur, check out the tequila tasting list.
The menu is designed to share with plates in the $ 12 — $ 14 rage, which is actually a good amount of food. We as a party of 4 ordered 4 share plates, and 2 small starters for $ 6 each, and we could not finish the meal. The value is certainly there!
The ambiance in there is killer. Really tastefully designed; dark lighting with the perfect amount of décor to keep you entertained. Staff is very friendly even though they look like a bit rough with the beards and tattoos (they are really just hipsters). Would definitely come back for more!

I came here last night with a party of 20 or so for some birthday merriment. Mexico F & L is befitting for such occasions. Convivial spirit, drinks with tequila and tasty food that gets your hands messy. Dip in this, dunk in that, crunch, slurp, munch.
The $ 35pp feast is excellent value. We were stuffed! It’s not authentic Mexican, nor is it Tex-​Mex. I’d call this creative Cal-​Mex fusion. Dishes were hit and miss. The ‘Corn, Leek and Quinoa Croquetas with Watercress Crema’ and the ‘Crispy Chickpea, Beetroot and Fennel with Mint Yoghurt Taco’ — I’d order both again. Beef skirt & potato skewers, Quesdaillas and house tortilla chips with salsa, were all pretty non-​special. The fried chicken was a crowd pleaser but greasy.
Word to the wise: Sangria jugs seem an economical choice for groups. At $ 45 a pop though, they don’t go very far. Our bill was $ 80pp with the inclusion of alcohol. Ouch! Which sort of put a damper on our night.
Overall — I’d return for the fun, but not necessarily for the food.

A more up market and refined version of el loco. A tad expensive for what it is (Mexican is really only seasoned meat with sauces and greens/​beans) and the serving size is a tad small. However all dishes served up were very juicy and a hit with the whole table. Very yummy stuff. Notable mention was their special margarita of the day (grapefruit & ginger and the lychee & mint). All the tacos we tried each had their own unique features and all were winners!

All the reviews below say it all — really great atmosphere in this place and amazing food. Seriously delicious food. We got to Mexico at 6pm on a Friday and got a table immediately.
NOW 1 star off for service. It is haphazard and random. You never know when you might see a waitress or waiter come past. A comment from one of our group resonates «They really just need 1 more waiter». Probably in fact they needed 2 more to cover the amount of people in the restaurant.
IF they sort this out its a definite 5 star restaurant that I would unblinkingly call one of my top 5 in Sydney.

There’s been this huge wave of Mexican joints popping up in Sydney and Mexico — Food & Liquor has been able to separate itself by making some pretty good food. The atmosphere is very chill and great place to start your Friday or Saturday night.
First off get the fried chicken. Yes I know this is a Mexican place, but get. the. chicken. It was amazing and honestly a must try if you’re a fan of fried chicken. Always check the blackboard for specials. They usually have some awesome tacos that aren’t on the menu. Tacos, tacos and tacos… get the tacos they’re yum. The beef has to be one of my favorite ones, but all are tasty.
They also have a great selection of Mexican beer and tequila. The sangrias here are legit too. Plenty of booze to go along with the food here.
They’re usually pretty busy and don’t take bookings. Expect a bit of a wait, but I assure you it is worth it.

Ohhh, my dear, dear fellow Unilocalers.
Surely you have not been so taken in by the lovely ambiance and location that Mexico has to offer and confused that with good food. Or perhaps Sydneysiders are so used to substandard Mexican and rip off prices that in their minds this place is decent.
Now I have been to Mexico (the country that is) and Spain. And guess what? They are NOT THE SAME PLACE. Why do Mexican places in Sydney feel the need to do sangria, or patatas bravas? These are SPANISH dishes. And as far as I’m concerned, if you’ve got the balls to actually call your restaurant MEXICO, you should back it up by serving just Mexican dishes. Call me crazy. Sangria is NOT Mexican!
Anyway, BF ordered the overpriced $ 10 imported Mexican bottled beer. My friend came over to us holding her «cocktail» which i honestly thought was a large shot glass. It had to be the smallest cocktail in the world, for $ 18. That’s an all-​time Sydney high (or low, I guess?)
Just an FYI– when you order a taco for $ 8, they literally mean ONE taco. (I asked.) We were informed when ordering that they were out of the lamb taco. And the pork quesadilla. And GUACAMOLE. In a freaking restaurant called MEXICO. Seriously? At 8:30 on a Thursday? That place was jam packed with staff– no one could pop down to the shop and pick up some avos? That’s really bad. But it gets worse.
Our waitress suggested chips for the table. Any Mexican food lover knows that a TRUE Mexican place will fresh fry all of the chips piping hot for your crunching pleasure. At the very least, they are kept heated until being served. These chips and salsa were so obviously store bought, and more insultingly, the chips were cold and completely stale.
The dishes came out pretty quickly. BF got a octopus empanada (which is also Spanish, btw) and chorizo taco, while I opted for the patatas bravas (I had to compare them!) and the pork ribs. BF loved the taco, but the empanadas were dry and tasteless, begging for a dipping sauce, served with nearly rotten watermelon and a literal pinch of queso fresco so small it was laughable.
The pork ribs ($ 16) consisted of 4 little-​ass ribs with none of the promised plantain chips and herb salad as the side dish. I enquired about this absence to a staff member who rudely told me that yes, the menu said that, but guess what? You guessed it; they were out of plantain chips, AND herb salad! At that point I asked if I could get something else, and she rudely informed me I’d have to speak to my server. So I politely requested she send the server over.
To her credit, my server hunted down a paltry smattering of plantain chips and apologetically informed me that the herb salad was actually just a coriander sprig. She then asked if I wanted to order a salad, to which I replied that i actually DID order a salad, but they didn’t give me what i ordered, so maybe she could just bring one out for me to make up for it? She walked away laughing like i was joking. I wasn’t.
The stupidly small portion of ribs was actually very tender and flavourful. The patatas bravas were meh, nothing like their Spanish namesake, with a minimal amount of sauce and crispiness. But then, what did I expect ordering a Spanish dish in a place called Mexico?
In short– the food here sucks, it barely resembles Mexican cuisine, and the staff are a bunch of snobs. If you want to drink outrageously overpriced miniature cocktails and nibble at $ 8 sub– standard tacos, then this place is for you. It really is a shame since the place is so centrally located and lovely inside, which makes the fact that their food blows even more upsetting. Save your cash by going to the bottle shop, picking up a six pack of corona and heading to Mad Mex, or even better Zambreros. I’d rather eat at Zambreros any day. At least you can count on them never running out of guacamole.

Buzzzzzz is what I kept hearing about this place. Tried it out and on the whole pretty impressed.
Our wait on a saturday night was 45 – 60 minutes, but we went around the corner to lil darlin for a drink which was great.
M F&L delivered on a few key things. The prawn quesadilla was generous and spicy and delicious. As was the fried chicken. The tacos (I only had chicken) was over-​flavoured with star anise, and I couldnt finish one. We also tried the black bean rollito, and fried potatoes, which were not remarkable. Everything comes with an interesting looking sauce, but as others have mentioned they tend to be a bit watery and lacking flavour
I also just want places to give you comp corn chip and salsa, not $ 6 for a lame amount that has about 15 corn chips.
Perhaps there are a lot of new staff or they are still ironing out some issues, our waitress was pretty overwhelmed when we asked what the specials were (put her head in her hands (I’ll be the dramatic one at the table thanks)). But they were friendly enough, just a bit hard to get a hold of, and a few basic improvements can be made. We were sharing and the rollito came out in threes, there was four of us, just find a way to make four (and charge us) its standard practice and makes sense when you know a table is sharing.
But for me its still a four star place, its decorated in a fun way, the quesadilla alone will get me back, and we all walked out paying $ 30 including tip, mexican should be cheap but I was close to exploding so it was good in that regard.
I’ll be back and work my way through the kind of small menu, its close mexican thats not bad, not in the league of flying fajita sisters though!

I remember when this place was the gaming room for the pub downstairs! I have walked past Mexico several times recently and wondered what it was like, but I have found the last couple of Mexican restaurants I’ve visited in Sydney to be less than stellar so I was a bit gun-shy…in fact the only reason my friends and I went last night was because we couldn’t find the burger place we were actually looking for.
I am very happy that we did give it a try! The whole experience, from the décor to the staff to the food was amazing! And a lot more value for money than I was expecting to be honest! We all ordered multiple dishes, a jug of sangria and other drinks on top of that, and walked out paying roughly $ 30 – 35 each.
The crispy potatoes are advertised as being super spicy… they really aren’t spicy at all, but they looked and tasted so good I forgot that was why I ordered them in the first place and just enjoyed them for what they were. Another hotness aficionado in our group ordered the same potatoes and the other spicy option on the menu, and he said the same thing… not hot at all but really tasty. The wild mushroom taco was AMAZEBALLS! I am also assured that everyone else’s tacos were awesome too. The sangria was great and not watered down. Our waiter was very friendly without being annoying, and happy to explain menu/​drink options.
All in all, a great experience! Being so close to Central station, I am definitely gonna make Mexico a regular! :)

We were disappointed to find out that District Dining had closed — it was a great dinner spot! But Mexico — Food & Liquor has sprung up in it’s place and it is a welcome addition to the neighbourhood. We came in for a weekday lunch and loved the warm and friendly service, kitschy yet cute Mexican décor, and fresh takes on Mexican classic dishes. Though it was a week-​day, we did enjoy a cheeky cocktail and would love to enjoy a few more when we come back for dinner another night.

I am definitely writing one of the harsher reviews for Mexico — Food & Liquor by giving it just 2.5−3 stars.
Why the low score? My tastebuds have been spoiled after living in California the past couple of years. They yearn for a specific kind of flavor and kick and have very high expectations when it comes to Mexican food. Unfortunately, these expectations weren’t met.
Mind you, I was super excited about trying this place after Howard C. recommended it to me. Additionally, all Unilocal!reviews so far were positive so I expected great things. When we arrived at F&L, 3 hungry Californians sat down eagerly awaiting food with much promise and experienced the following:
Ambiance:
–This is where Food & Liquor wins. Tucked along narrow Randle Street (not to be confused with Randle Lane), the restaurant welcomes with a homey brick entrance & colorful mural.
–Tropical, a bit romantic, but playful, with tons of Frida flair. I loved F&L’s layout. It’s got a full bar you can order drinks from and an outside patio — perfect for summer nights
–It is loud, but you can still hear your friends. M&L is good for groups.
Food:
We ordered a few things off the menu:
–DIY Guac with chips — rip off. Super small portion of chips and DIY just means adding lime yourself. I can definitely make DIY guac better at home…
–I paid $ 6 each for tacos with no flavor. Fish, pulled pork, and chicken tacos all lacked taste. None of them stood out and their tortilla shells were a bit on the thick side and, not to mention, burnt (you could smell it). In order to finish them, we generously added Tapatio sauce.
–The chicken quesadillas were well proportioned for their price. However, again, their flavor lacked. Maybe it’s the cheese they use? They were coupled with a tomato dip that tasted like pasta sauce. Again, Tapatio was added.
–Fried chicken. I don’t really put fried chicken and Mexican food in the same category — but, oh well. I will agree that F&L’s version did well here. They were tasty, a bit spicy, and relatively flavorful morsels — but what lacked here was the amount you got for what you paid. TINY serving. Quality over quantity, I guess. Worth trying.
–Watermelon margaritas were watery. I guess that’s what you can expect. Two carafes put us over our budget.
Service:
–They were able to sit us down right away on a Friday night around 7pm with no booking. Clearly, F&L has yet to be discovered, so take advantage of this.
–Waitresses are nice and adorn Frida flowers in their hair. As the night went on and the place got busier, it was harder to get a hold of them.
–Food comes pretty quick
Tips:
–El Loco is better and is just a few minutes away on foot on Foveaux. You won’t be able to find a seat easily there, but you can always do take away like we did AFTER F&L for a dollar cheaper taco that is much better.
–My search for Mexican food in Sydney continues… it would probably help if I could find Mexicans working at a restaurant somewhere.

Mexico Food and Liquor definitely deserve their early popularity! The entire restaurant is run with an air of fun, and professionalism that smacks you in the face as soon as you arrive. The oh so charming and beautiful Katie was our host on the night, and she did not disappoint! We were the awkward group that brought along 2 extra people to an already packed out restaurant, but Katie and her team made us feel comfortable and relaxed about being so goofy, and had us seated at our extended table in no time.
Then there’s the food!!! My wife and I are HUGE Mexican food fans, having spent some considerable time in Southern California, and we’ve always found it difficult to find top notch Mexican in Sydney. That was until we gorged ourselves on the Fried Chicken, Quesadilla’s, Numerous Taco’s, beers and tequila’s.
We loved the décor too, with the cool mural at the door. It has a quirky, cool feel that’s fun. That’s why I like this place. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and has a great atmosphere to go with it. Thankfully, it takes the food and drink Very Seriously!!!
The drinks are varied and the food is top shelf. They have great specials on the blackboard, and YOU MUST try one of those!
Can’t wait to revisit! An absolute MUST for Mexican Fanatics!

Step aside El Loco, STEP ASIDE!!! I kind of don’t want to tell people about this place but too late, it’s already popular. There’s a cool mural at the entrance of Mexico Food and Liquor that sets the tone for the interior décor and overall vibe of this place. I think I actually saw an elusive Mexican in the kitchen too… since there don’t appear to be any Mexicans in Australia. Bonus points.
Think of this place as Mexican tapas, cause that’s the best way to experience all the food on tap. The drinks are varied albeit pricey ($ 10 for a beer, meh) and the food is bomb dot com for the most part. They do specials everyday that they put on a blackboard, will have to try one of those next time.
You NEED to get the fried chicken. The chicken quesadilla was pretty damn good, as was the rubbed pork taco and pumpkin dip & tortillas. The chicken taco was a little disappointing though… but no matter.
Great vibe, great food and drinks, and would be an awesome place for a group dinner.

Just noticed this new place in the neighbourhood and decided to check it out as I’m always ieeping my eyes peeled for the rare and elusive mexican food in Sydney.
This place has great interiors, friendly staff and good food — not to mention a great selection of Mexican beers and margaritas.
I’ll be definetly coming back here again

The space which used to occupy District Dining has now been revived from the dead, and within good reason too :)
This is one cool, hippy space and it is cool to observe that the décor was only turned around in a few short weeks. Pride under pressure :)
This establishment is an answer to Sydney’s prayers. Why? A über cool space, a cool escape from the ordinary, the mundane and the super frustrating. Come in tired, come out on a high. This is what Mexico Food & Liquor is all about. Awesome social food, and rather cheap too. Expect to order around six different menu options (the Mexican fried chicken is a MUST!) and that will be more than enough for two people.
Super energetic bar staff on a natural high make your cool Mexican cocktails for you too.
Awesome food, drinks and service with great company. Turn up the music and the chill factor, you’re in for a great time. You just don’t want to leave.
Hint: Location, location, location (as they say in real estate). A stone’s throw from Central Train Station. Now that comes in handy once you’ve had a few too many… you know. Ha!

I was extremely curious about this place as soon as I spotted the red MEXICO signage on the widows. I tend to complain a fair bit about the lack of options for good Mexican in Sydney. However, due to recent hipster food trends — a ton of new places have been popping up over the last 12+ months or so. I love it, and I feel like Mexico is a great addition to the neighbourhood (and a step in the right direction).
The prices are still expensive if you just landed from The States, but are good value by Sydney standards. Tacos are $ 6 and $ 6 for chips/​salsa (and you actually get a decent serving of salsa that can be shared between 1 – 3 people). They will do a $ 12 classic margarita, which again — is decent for Sydney (compared to $ 14 – 16 most other places). Everything we had was really tasty — and there was a lot to choose from.
The atmosphere is awesome too. They did a great job of decorating and renovating the place. They aren’t taking bookings at the moment, but there is enough space that you could host a group here. I would love to do a group dinner with friends here at at some point. They are meant to be open 7 days a week until (late). I will definitely be back.