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Tacos in Australia

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Tacos reached most Australian homes through supermarket kits; an Old El Paso advertisement that aired mainly in Australia in the 2000s became an internet meme. Restaurants grew around 2010, when Mamasita opened in Melbourne, and in 2013 La Tortillería began making nixtamal corn tortillas from Australian corn because only processed tortillas were widely sold before then. Sydney-born Guzman y Gomez, founded in 2006, had 237 Australian restaurants by the end of 2025. The Mexican-born community is small, 10,754 people in the 2021 census, mostly in Sydney and Melbourne.

Melbourne lies at the northern end of Port Phillip Bay in southeastern Australia. Sydney, Brisbane and Perth have their own Mexican restaurant scenes.

Contents
  1. Kits and chains
  2. Corn tortillas
  3. Melbourne
  4. Sydney
  5. Local styles
  6. Places named in sources
  7. See also
  8. References

Kits and chains

Old El Paso sells taco kits, shells and seasoning in Australia, and its mid-2000s advertisement with a girl asking why not both became widely shared online. Taco Bell's history here is uneven. Its first store opened in September 1981 but had to change its name after a local restaurant owner won a case over the similar name Taco Bell's Casa. The brand returned in 1997 and 1998 and left by 2005, then came back again in Brisbane on November 4, 2017, under Collins Foods. In March 2026 the stores passed to Restaurant Brands and several closed, leaving 20. Guzman y Gomez, founded in Sydney in 2006 by Steven Marks and Robert Hazan, grew far larger, reaching 237 Australian restaurants by the end of 2025.

Corn tortillas

Gerardo Lopez, from Mexico City, and his partner Diana founded La Tortillería in Kensington, Victoria, in March 2013. They use the nixtamal method with Australian-grown corn and now supply grocers and restaurants around the country from the same site, which also runs an eatery. Its Time Out-listed tacos include achiote pork and corn-battered fish.

Melbourne

Mamasita, upstairs on Collins Street, has operated since 2010 and serves cochinita pibil tacos. Time Out's 2024 guide also lists Si Señor Art Taqueria in Balaclava, with ten fillings including battered flathead, a local fish, and smoked lamb shoulder; Los Hermanos in Brunswick with maize-battered fish; Radio Mexico in St Kilda with scallop tacos; and Dingo Ate My Taco, which sells birria quesatacos from a truck.

Sydney

Time Out Sydney's September 2026 guide shows how birria has spread. Papi's Birria Tacos in Darlinghurst, Radio Taco in Chippendale and Mami's Casa Latina in Bondi all serve birria with broth for dipping. Nu'u by Nativo in Glebe calls itself an Oaxacan-inspired taquería, Maíz in Newtown centers its menu on corn, and Carbòn in Bondi offers octopus and wagyu tacos. SoCal in Neutral Bay offers an okra taco on Taco Tuesday.

Local styles

  • Taco night kit: Hard shells, seasoning and salsa sold together in supermarkets for home taco dinners.
  • Flathead fish taco: Battered flathead, a common Australian fish, served in a corn tortilla.
  • Birria with consommé: Beef birria tacos with broth for dipping, now common in Sydney and Melbourne.

Places named in sources

Listed because a cited source names them. This is not a ranking; restaurants open, move and close.

  • La Tortillería, Melbourne (Kensington): Nixtamal tortilla maker and eatery founded in March 2013. (source)
  • Mamasita, Melbourne: Modern Mexican restaurant on Collins Street since 2010. (source)
  • Si Señor Art Taqueria, Melbourne (Balaclava): Ten taco fillings including flathead and smoked lamb, as of 2024. (source)
  • Papi's Birria Tacos, Sydney (Darlinghurst): Birria tacos on grilled corn tortillas with consommé. (source)
  • Nu'u by Nativo, Sydney (Glebe): Oaxacan-inspired taquería. (source)
  • Guzman y Gomez, Sydney (founded): Australian Mexican chain founded in 2006 with 237 restaurants at end of 2025. (source)

See also

References

  1. "The best Mexican restaurants in Melbourne". Time Out Melbourne. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "The best Mexican restaurants in Sydney right now". Time Out Sydney. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  3. "About La Tortilleria". La Tortilleria. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  4. "Mamasita". Mamasita. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  5. "Guzman y Gomez". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  6. "Taco Bell". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  7. "Old El Paso". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  8. "Mexican Australians". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  9. "Melbourne (geographic context)".
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Guide researched October 10, 2026. Restaurant details change; corrections are welcome.