Who decided tacos were strictly a Tuesday affair? Is it an El Paso legacy, or simply the allure of alliteration? Either way, the radical Mexican crew behind Taco y Vino are not down with this – every day is taco day. Sydney’s relationship with Mexican food is a little like a long-distance romance: passionate, elusive and never quite the real thing. Anyone who’s been to Mexico knows the feeling – chasing a flavour memory that never gets satisfied at home. For those of us seeking to satisfy that craving newcomers Taco y Vino are serving up bold mod-Mex with Aztec flair.
The Arrival
There’s a vibe. From the moment you walk in, the first impressions are decidedly La Condesa, Mexico City: chic, leafy and effortlessly cool. Nestled in Kellett streets’ heritage terraces, the venue has courtyard and street-side tables or head inside the candlelit, mirrored restaurant if your night needs moody. Host Francesco, an Aus-Mex binational with an emotional healer side-hustle, welcomes us with a big grin as he takes orders from diners in Spanish, authentic from the get-go.
We are seated and settled with an impressive gauc and house made tortilla chips served with a buffet of traffic light salsas; green serrano, red arbol and orange habanero. Like patatas bravas, spring rolls or hummus, a cuisine’s signature starter is often the litmus test for what’s to come, we browse the menu with great expectations.
The Team
The team are part-time expats, splitting their residency between Sydney and Mexico City, with a mission to bring something genuinely relevant to the local dining scene, no tex-mex stereotypes here. They do a stellar Marg and Paloma, both obligatory opening acts, but there’s more to the drinks list than tequila. They’re also making their own wine which sommelier Javier Cointreau recommends exploring their selection curated for flavour accents. In the kitchen is Pablo Galindo, also chef at their sister restaurant Mux in Mexico City’s La Roma neighbourhood.
The Food
The menu has a surf and turf lens and leads in with summery seafood options including petite Sydney Rock Oysters Michelada. Sweet and salty, they’re finished with a zesty Tajín rim on the shell and pair nicely with a glass of Portuguese Quinta do Ermizio Eléctrico. The Tuna Tostada is a generous starter, soy-marinated tuna glistens with dark salsa Macha, balanced with creamy avo, radish rings and tostada crunch.
Tacos are single serve and there’s nothing pedestrian about these combinations. The Baja features battered Australian barramundi, beautifully flaky inside its crisp coating, nestled on celeriac slaw in a house-made corn tortilla and topped with zarandeado. Delicious. Staying with the sea, the octopus with nduja, confit potatoes and pico de gallo is another standout, delivering a seriously good mouthful.
There are some cracking sides to add in the mix, the Orinoco Smashed Fried Potatoes are crispy golden but not oily, smooth inside and we don’t even need to reach for the salt. The buttery Creamy Corn with poblano chilli, Oaxaca cheese is a hug in a bowl.
Saving the best for last, the signature dish is the Gaonera taco. This style of taco has earned serious culinary recognition, with Mexico City’s El Califa de León becoming the first taquería to receive a Michelin star for its version. This Mexico-national teams ambition is to bring the fresh trends here. After you get your mouth around the pronunciation, it demands hands-on attention. The genius is in the simplicity: wafer-thin slices of premium rib-eye or Wagyu are seared for a nanosecond, then served on a house-made flour tortilla with melted Oaxaca cheese, a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of salsa. That’s it. A lesson in restraint: quality ingredients, perfectly executed.
What we are Addicted to? I haven’t even got to the best part yet. Every day features 2-4-1 taco and drink combination. We love that for the economics and especially at this time of year. The Gaonera are destination tacos. You’ll enjoy a little piece of Mexico that doesn’t require a long-haul flight from a team with a whole lot of Mexican soul.
What do we need to be more Addicted? We sat outside under the tree on a warm night (it did get chilly and they offered up a blanket) the tables here are quite tightly packed so if you want more space inside might be better.
Taco y Vino, 5 Kellet St Potts Point
Dinner Tuesday- Friday from 5pm, Saturday lunch from 12pm, Sunday-Monday closed