I think its great that Oz is finally getting one of the great cusines of the world, authentic Mexican. It's not so surprising that good Mexican restaurants are few and far between in Oz, given the distance from Mexico to Australia. But two articles about it are catering to Americans who miss home and underplays the other world class cuisines that Australians enjoy as much as Americans enjoy the ubiqitous (in North America) Mexican cuisine. Tell us instead about south east asian food that is almost as ubiquitous in Oz as Mexican is in the USA and whose quality is missed by Ozzies who live in the USA; tell us about Lanna Thai, about Malaysian food, about the Cantonese food that has evolved since chinese people came for the gold rush and became New Australians. Tell us about How Melbourne has become a hotspot for international cuisine. Enjoy your time there and stop lamenting the absence of an American staple in a foreign country
One of the few depressing things I experienced as an American living in Oz in the early 2000s was how much I missed Mexican food. I would have driven cross country for this back then!
@Shana
A small miracle....San Diego resident 2000-2012, ubiquitous Mexican food at last back in my home town I can rejoice. I’m off to find that food Rick Bayliss showed my how good it is on npr
Amazing to see the NYT reporting on my home town!
American news is often so domestic-centric, it's nice to see stories from around the world, particularly Adelaide. Although we're one of Australia's lesser known cities, we have an amazing food culture, and it's great to see some spotlight on that!
Thanks NYT (guess my Aussie subscription is paying off!)
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Good Mexican is one of the things I miss most living here in Melbourne. Every time someone tells me of a great place for Mexican, I leave disappointed. For some reason, they just don't capture the flavour as they do in the US--I lived in in San Diego for awhile and developed quite a taste for it. Next time I am in Adelaide I am going to have to take a ride to check this out.
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30 mins from my place; will definitely visit. I knew my Times subscription would pay off.
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How many people really care about Mexican food in suburban south Australia?
@ Molly Mu
Probably those who mistakenly believe that Mexican food is the 8th Wonder of the world.
@Molly
I grew up in southern New Mexico and in the 1980s, aside from the local NM fare, it was the last place you'd expect anyone to care about ethnic cuisine that wasn't typical Italian or Chinese. Then a family opened an Indian restaurant. The grandson of the owners was attending the local university so his family moved there to be close to him and they opened a restaurant and grandmother was the star chef. A local woman married a Japanese man who opened a Japanese restaurant. Every time I passed by these places I wondered how many people actually cared enough to eat there. Then I met a new boyfriend. He was European professor at the university and had lived in and visited many college towns. He had eaten Japanese and Indian cuisine abroad and in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. He said the restaurants I passed by and wondered about were actually very good. So I tried them and he was right. I even convinced my mom to try them and they became her new favorite places to eat out with her friends. Once the grandson of the Indian family graduated from university, the family closed up the restaurant and moved. The Japanese restaurant closed after about 10 years due to a divorce. I am thankful my boyfriend (now husband) convinced me to try these new foods. And I am glad the owners of these restaurants thought it would be a good idea to see if anyone in my community really cared enough to try something different and to bring a bit of their world into mine.
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Many!!! And we are happy about it too - It's not like we have much else to get excited about
Salud, Amor y Pesetas! Ms. Gallardo.
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Really ? Is this the South Australia Morning Times ? In what way is this helpful / relevant for the vast majority on NYT readers ?
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@Eopishon
On the other hand, it’s surely good to read an article that’s not about Donald Trump. :-)
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@Eopishon
NYT is now a global newspaper, and that includes trying for a local flavour in different countries. No need to let it threaten your view of the world. Other NYT readers might find these non-US articles deepen their understanding of the world and other cultures.
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Are the Australians obsessed with Mexican food, of all the other cuisines brought by the waves of settlers? Even if the food of the first transportees from England -- boiled beef and vegetables, and eggs fried in porc fat -- is not (or is no longer) a typical Australian fare, there must be many local modifications of the Italian, Greek, German, Ukrainian, etc., cuisines.
From one of the earlier exchanges of comments, I understand that the Aboriginal foods make no part of the general diet.
And of course, Native American influences are such a huge part of modern American cuisine.
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Back in spring of 1997, a colleague and I were wandering the Finchley Road in north London after a few too many drinks. We saw a flier for a nearby Mexican restaurant and thought, hey why not. It was run by a couple of young white British women and, bless their hearts, it consisted of a tepid buffet of baked beans, straight-from-the-packet tortilla crisps and some gently spiced bangers. But the margaritas flowed forth. I suspect that was the main motivation for opening the place. Anyhow, it's always good to see globalism has cross-pollinated great cooking in the twenty years since.
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thank you so much!!!!!!!! Finally. We moved back here in 2005 and have been bemoaning the lack of real Mexican food ever since. We'll be going at the first opportunity. And it's only 45 minutes away. Heaven.
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Wonderful (but a little sad)! This makes me happy (as an ex-pat from the American southwest living in Perth who misses nothing more than Mexican food) knowing that at least someone in Australia is getting decent stuff (Los Amates in Melbourne was also fantastic, but it shut down recently); and sad because the restaurant's a three-days' drive across the desert!
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@Kirk It's funny you said that, because I think the worst "Mexican" food I've ever had was in a little place in Northbridge a few years back. I hope the options have improved!
I can't believe I arrived in Adelaide for the first time yesterday and stumbled in this article. so... headed there for lunch today. It was delicious.
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Can I take a moment to gloat? There are places like this all over Houston. It’s one on a very short list of reasons this left-leaning voter finds it impossible to leave my home state. I’m glad to see Australians being blessed with the miracle that is Mexican cuisine.
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@Joshua Krause
It's true. It would be easy to take for granted the number of humble but excellent taquerias and taco trucks within walking distance of my home in East Austin. I note that the "Aussie" style taco toppings sound suspiciously like boring ol' Tex-Mex...
That said, I too am glad to hear that this wonderful food is crossing the Pacific.
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Oh, where’s my fainting couch...Tex-Mex is “boring?” Lord a’ mercy. I must disagree with you there. I’ve got chili con carne in my veins. I love the native dishes of Mexico but I love the native dishes of Texas, too.
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So interesting that this place is in Salisbury. I imagine that if it was in the Central Market or Rundle Street it would be packed to the rafters. So hard to get proper Mexican food in Oz.
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Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ve had great Mexican overseas, but have never found (really good) fare here. I look forward to heading out and giving this place a go, though you’ve set expectations high!
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Amy, have a look at La Popular Taqueria at Port Adelaide.
226 Vincent Sreeet, great Tacos with amazing quality.
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Applaus to Margarita Galindo Gallardo for making the "Down Underers" familiar with the Mexican cuisine. Although I am not one of its fans, I always enjoy observing people who consume with great gusto Mexican dishes.
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