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Recommended Reviews - El Loco
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The hotdogs are amazing, I don't even like hotdogs! The cheese, the toppings yum yum yum!! If you're looking for something different, something fun, friendly service & COLOURFUL- this is your spot. Why only 3 stars then? Well, the downfall is the hygiene. We ordered a jug of coke & some glasses, which were horrifyingly dirty. I'm not kidding- all 3 were absolutely disgusting. & That's a big no no for me. Confession: we were so desperate for a drink we drank out of them
I love this place!!! Went here on a Friday night whilst in Syndey and it was pumpin'. It was a pre "going out dinner" but the party was at El Loco. Yes it was crazy busy, we had to share a table, and there was many personal space violations but it was so much fun! I was with 1friend (both from perth) and we made friends with a few people. The bar service was fast and usual sort of price for Syndey. The food was extremely fast and pretty tasty! We got the $33 for 2 menu which had 2 drinks, a hotdog, 2 tacos and a quesadilla (value what's up!?). The only thing that let the place down is the food is not high quality but for the price, who cares. Well worth a visit, would definitely recommend to people travelling.
Here I am, the Mexican food Natzi coming to bulldoze everyone's favorite new taco y nacho eatery. Okay, to be fair, El Loco DOES have cool written all over it. Walking in the doors tonight I thought I was stepping into a private party. People were clustered, the music pumped and the room seemed to pulse. Hipsters clenching Mexican imported cervezas and tall green cacti (painted with order numbers) matched the brightly colored decor perfectly. There were kitschy Latin Amercan figurines and Mexican wrestler posters on the walls. But you go to a restaurant for the food, don't you? Maybe you don't. But I usually do. Glancing at the menu, I instantly noticed that a very important Mexican standby was glaringly missing. AYE! Donde esta mi burrito?! It took a second, but I found my feet again and ordered an al pastor taco and a camarones (shrimp) taco. I suggest if you're trying to cut calories, order your tacos on lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. Now THAT'S pretty clever. We also got corn chips and guacamole / salsa. FInding a seat on the busy Wednesday night took a little while, but the food took longer, so at least the order of operations was right. Chips and dips came first; enter my first disappointment. The guacamole was simply avocado mixed with sour cream (boooooring) and the salsa looked like mud and tasted like, well, nothing at all. We added some bottled hot sauce to it and turned the flavor into "ooow, my mouth hurts," which was a bit better. The tacos were okay, but nothing life changing. Best part about them was the price- $5 each. I would recommend El Loco for a good time, but I wouldn't travel far and wide for the food quality. Maybe they are still sorting things out, but I reckon they best get their comida up to snuff in a hurry to make a raving fan out of me. But that's just me being muy difficult. Si?
Hello quaint lil place tucked into the back of a pub that I never knew existed! This is a great gem of a find. They do $5 taco's people, soft shell - don't be decieved by the price like we were! I got 1 and a the salad, the taco is about half a meal. The beef and lemongrass titilated my tastebuds so much so that I regretted not getting another taco and forgoing the salad. You get a number on a huge cactus. I believe I did try to convince one of my work mates to bend over so we could play tennis with him - they were huge. The salad came out like a tower of awesome that had just errupted and spat out sliced tortilla chips! It included radish, a wee spicy chicken, cabbage, coriander and avocado topped with queso fresca cheese. It was a volcano of crunch covered in shredded cheese that made me clap and bounce in my seat a bit. The salad itself wasn't very tasty, but the tortilla chips and cheese were yummy so I was sort of glad that I got the taco to begin with. They also have a huge selection of tequila drinks that made my heart sing. I'm coming back. If only to have every single tequila drink on their menu. The food is resonably priced, the decor is colourful and draws you in like a venus fly trap. Except you aren't the food, they are! So go eat, make merry, share around some taco boats and enjoy the zest.
It took a minute to find El Loco when I was meeting a friend there. If you walk through The Excelsior pub on Foveaux Street, El Loco is in the back. It's styled like an open air Mexican joint similar to what I've experienced when visiting Mexico. The ordering is separated with food on one side and the bar on the other. A tip: you can order food from the bar side. The carne asada taco is delicious. Whatever they use as their steak marinade is sweet with a smoky flavour. The shrimp taco was okay, but I thought the shrimp was bland and in need of some spice or marinade. My favourite was the special taco. If you aren't aware, the special taco changes based upon the chef's choice and is usually something on the offal spectrum. Guacamole appeared over-blended but was still tasty. I just prefer it chunky. The one I had contained buttery tasting deep fried chunks of meat. It was sweet and tangy with great definition of flavour. I found out later that it was minced portions of meat from a sheeps head. Had I have known that, I wouldn't have ordered it. I was glad I didn't know because that thing was tasty. On weekend nights they have a DJ who plays upbeat fun pop music mixed with some classics. My group of American expats had a great time and now need to learn some of the traditional Aussie songs as not to be "that group" at El Loco that had no idea what the song was. Def return - 5 stars.
El Loco serves up tasty little tacos at 5 bucks a pop. We tried the chicken and the prawn taco and got a side of chips with guac and salsa. The prawn taco was by far my favourite which came drizzled with a tangy salsa verde. The guac was good but could have been a little less creamy and a bit more advocado-y, but I'm just splitting hairs here, and the salsa was delicious. They have a great range of margaritas, although as others have mentioned they come in a disappointing plastic cup. I tried the jalapeño margarita and it was fantastic, it just had a nice hint of jalapeño while not overpowering the flavour of the tequila, Cointreau and lime. El loco gets pretty packed so if you want a seat make sure you get there early!
Mexican has become my new favourite recently. I got in here on a Friday afternoon for best tacos in town. The atmosphere is pretty good, casual setting, busy bar, and people chatting, laughing a lot. All Tacos $5.00. Al Pastor and Carne Asada are all in good taste. They are not as big as you think. The taste is fresh and well-balanced and tortilla is soft and moist. However, the flavour is not like some Mexican food I tried in LA and San Francisco, more like fusion.
I like you El Loco -- you're a good friend to have in the neighbourhood. The $5 tacos are great. I'm a fan of the prawn and tofu ones especially. Tofu is a weird choice by me (not something I would normally pick) but I loved it. My friend and I like to get 2 tacos each and then split a chips with guacamole and salsa (also $5) which is a awesome deal in Sydney. The guac isn't real guac though, but whatever... I'm cool with that for $5. Only bad thing about El Loco is that it gets quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights. It's tough to find a table even just for two. If you're coming with a group and want to sit down and eat I recommend getting there early for dinner or trying a week night.
So this was my first time at El-Loco Surry Hills - I've been to the one at Slip Inn and last summer's pop-up bar at the Opera House. LOVED IT! It has such a great atmosphere, good service. I had the fish platter - good flavours. I don't like the fusion stuff they do*, but they do the traditional things well, its just a bit hard to tell which is which on the menu. Hopefully it's all just more traditional flavours these days. * At the Slip Inn earlier this year, I had the American waiter lecture me about how we aren't in Mexico or even North America, so therefore, I shouldn't expect traditional flavours and somethings at El-Loco are in fact, Asian fusion. I don't come to a Mex theme restaurant for Asian fusion stuff. Kthx.
Verdict: Tacos that pass the taste-test of even a native Californian - and for $5?! Yes, please. El Loco is located on Faveaux Street in Surry Hills inside the Excelsior. It's Dan Hong's new venture and having been to both Ms.G's and now El Loco - I'm pretty sure I'd be a fan of anything Dan Hong cooked up. We've ordered all of the tacos and my favorites are the Al Pastor (pork with pineapple salsa), the Cameron (prawn with salsa verde) and the Pollo (chicken with sweet corn salsa). The tacos are small, but surprisingly quite filling. My one complaint - $13.50 for a teeny tiny margarita in a plastic cup? Okay fine...since that $5 taco was delish, but really?!
I was one of legions of music lovers pissed at the news that Justin Hemmes had taken over one of Sydney's best loved live rock'n'roll venues, the Excelsior Hotel (RIP). The only thing that mollified me was the fact that he's turned it into a Mexican eatery, and my love of Mexican food and the sign saying FIVE DOLLAR TACOS finally got the better of my urge to boycott. I'm sitting there right now and the jukebox has gone from Bowie to Dolly (9 to 5), first marks "for". All the old band posters still grace the walls which made me nostalgic and I'm glad that bit of history survived the redecorations. It's 4pm Tuesday and there are 3 other customers here so I was a little surprised when my El Loco salad took 20mins to arrive, but having received it it's obviously freshly made, and it's really good. Fresh fennel and tortilla slivers add crunch and zing, but the chilli spiced tofu could do with a bit more spice and the salad could do with a bit more than the two teaspoons of avocado I encountered... I'm about to start work in the area so will no doubt be back, but I'll reserve judgement til a few visits in,and definitely want to try the jalapeno margaritas, ariba!
The Excelsior Hotel holds a few treasured memories for me, so it's fair to say that it has a place in my heart. There are three little memories of the Excelsior Hotel I'd like to share with you today, I'll do this as informally as possible. Memory number one, aka, 'The Happy Snapper.': Amazing Indie Rockers, Somasek, were playing a set at the Excelsior and so I, after a few drinks at a different establishment made my way to watch the show and continue with the drinking. Next thing I know I wake up at home to find a whole series of photos on Facebook with me and my glassy eyed whimsical expressions, strange stances and moments of madness in my dancing feet. Now, before their RSA is called into question, I would like to offer that I am exceptional in disguising my drunkenness apart from those lightning quick instances when a camera's shutter is opening. Memory number two: 'Successful Video': Paper Moose had just completed the micro budgeted music video clip for rock and roll outfit, Smitty & B. Goode and were at their CD launch to celebrate. Wild dance moves and singing along to the lyrics of Solo ensued as we revelled in our music video success. Memory number three: 'The Maths Teacher': I, being a little inebriated and full of confidence happened to spy sitting on a couch in the back of the concert room, a pretty young woman all by her lonesome. I decided that it was in my best interest and the polite thing to do to go and converse with this lonely woman. I sat down on the couch and introduced myself, got into talking about what she did, what I did and the usual, when all of a sudden the boyfriend walks back over with their drinks, I'm not an ass so I tell her it was nice to talk to her and make my exit, then I realise who the boyfriend is. I throw out my hand in drunken cheer and embrace the hand of my high school maths teacher, the man who said, "You should probably drop maths, it's going to drag your marks down." Good times.
8 years ago
7 years ago
My partner didn't like it,the weird tower of salad was hard to eat and not that healthy! For me I thought it was really good the fish taco was tempura and my pork burger though small in size had a lot of filling it in. I like there tacky decor so a yes from me,a no from my partner read more
8 years ago
The hotdogs are amazing, I don't even like hotdogs! The cheese, the toppings yum yum yum!! If you're looking for something different, something fun, friendly service & COLOURFUL- this is your spot. Why only 3 stars then? Well, the downfall is the hygiene. We ordered a jug of coke & some glasses, which were horrifyingly dirty. I'm not kidding- all 3 were absolutely disgusting. & That's a big no no for me. Confession: we were so desperate for a drink we drank out of them read more
12 years ago
I love this place!!! Went here on a Friday night whilst in Syndey and it was pumpin'. It was a pre "going out dinner" but the party was at El Loco. Yes it was crazy busy, we had to share a table, and there was many personal space violations but it was so much fun! I was with 1friend (both from perth) and we made friends with a few people. The bar service was fast and usual sort of price for Syndey. The food was extremely fast and pretty tasty! We got the $33 for 2 menu which had 2 drinks, a hotdog, 2 tacos and a quesadilla (value what's up!?). The only thing that let the place down is the food is not high quality but for the price, who cares. Well worth a visit, would definitely recommend to people travelling. read more
15 years ago
Here I am, the Mexican food Natzi coming to bulldoze everyone's favorite new taco y nacho eatery. Okay, to be fair, El Loco DOES have cool written all over it. Walking in the doors tonight I thought I was stepping into a private party. People were clustered, the music pumped and the room seemed to pulse. Hipsters clenching Mexican imported cervezas and tall green cacti (painted with order numbers) matched the brightly colored decor perfectly. There were kitschy Latin Amercan figurines and Mexican wrestler posters on the walls. But you go to a restaurant for the food, don't you? Maybe you don't. But I usually do. Glancing at the menu, I instantly noticed that a very important Mexican standby was glaringly missing. AYE! Donde esta mi burrito?! It took a second, but I found my feet again and ordered an al pastor taco and a camarones (shrimp) taco. I suggest if you're trying to cut calories, order your tacos on lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. Now THAT'S pretty clever. We also got corn chips and guacamole / salsa. FInding a seat on the busy Wednesday night took a little while, but the food took longer, so at least the order of operations was right. Chips and dips came first; enter my first disappointment. The guacamole was simply avocado mixed with sour cream (boooooring) and the salsa looked like mud and tasted like, well, nothing at all. We added some bottled hot sauce to it and turned the flavor into "ooow, my mouth hurts," which was a bit better. The tacos were okay, but nothing life changing. Best part about them was the price- $5 each. I would recommend El Loco for a good time, but I wouldn't travel far and wide for the food quality. Maybe they are still sorting things out, but I reckon they best get their comida up to snuff in a hurry to make a raving fan out of me. But that's just me being muy difficult. Si? read more
12 years ago
Hello quaint lil place tucked into the back of a pub that I never knew existed! This is a great gem of a find. They do $5 taco's people, soft shell - don't be decieved by the price like we were! I got 1 and a the salad, the taco is about half a meal. The beef and lemongrass titilated my tastebuds so much so that I regretted not getting another taco and forgoing the salad. You get a number on a huge cactus. I believe I did try to convince one of my work mates to bend over so we could play tennis with him - they were huge. The salad came out like a tower of awesome that had just errupted and spat out sliced tortilla chips! It included radish, a wee spicy chicken, cabbage, coriander and avocado topped with queso fresca cheese. It was a volcano of crunch covered in shredded cheese that made me clap and bounce in my seat a bit. The salad itself wasn't very tasty, but the tortilla chips and cheese were yummy so I was sort of glad that I got the taco to begin with. They also have a huge selection of tequila drinks that made my heart sing. I'm coming back. If only to have every single tequila drink on their menu. The food is resonably priced, the decor is colourful and draws you in like a venus fly trap. Except you aren't the food, they are! So go eat, make merry, share around some taco boats and enjoy the zest. read more
14 years ago
It took a minute to find El Loco when I was meeting a friend there. If you walk through The Excelsior pub on Foveaux Street, El Loco is in the back. It's styled like an open air Mexican joint similar to what I've experienced when visiting Mexico. The ordering is separated with food on one side and the bar on the other. A tip: you can order food from the bar side. The carne asada taco is delicious. Whatever they use as their steak marinade is sweet with a smoky flavour. The shrimp taco was okay, but I thought the shrimp was bland and in need of some spice or marinade. My favourite was the special taco. If you aren't aware, the special taco changes based upon the chef's choice and is usually something on the offal spectrum. Guacamole appeared over-blended but was still tasty. I just prefer it chunky. The one I had contained buttery tasting deep fried chunks of meat. It was sweet and tangy with great definition of flavour. I found out later that it was minced portions of meat from a sheeps head. Had I have known that, I wouldn't have ordered it. I was glad I didn't know because that thing was tasty. On weekend nights they have a DJ who plays upbeat fun pop music mixed with some classics. My group of American expats had a great time and now need to learn some of the traditional Aussie songs as not to be "that group" at El Loco that had no idea what the song was. Def return - 5 stars. read more
14 years ago
El Loco serves up tasty little tacos at 5 bucks a pop. We tried the chicken and the prawn taco and got a side of chips with guac and salsa. The prawn taco was by far my favourite which came drizzled with a tangy salsa verde. The guac was good but could have been a little less creamy and a bit more advocado-y, but I'm just splitting hairs here, and the salsa was delicious. They have a great range of margaritas, although as others have mentioned they come in a disappointing plastic cup. I tried the jalapeño margarita and it was fantastic, it just had a nice hint of jalapeño while not overpowering the flavour of the tequila, Cointreau and lime. El loco gets pretty packed so if you want a seat make sure you get there early! read more
Mexican has become my new favourite recently. I got in here on a Friday afternoon for best tacos in town. The atmosphere is pretty good, casual setting, busy bar, and people chatting, laughing a lot. All Tacos $5.00. Al Pastor and Carne Asada are all in good taste. They are not as big as you think. The taste is fresh and well-balanced and tortilla is soft and moist. However, the flavour is not like some Mexican food I tried in LA and San Francisco, more like fusion. read more
I like you El Loco -- you're a good friend to have in the neighbourhood. The $5 tacos are great. I'm a fan of the prawn and tofu ones especially. Tofu is a weird choice by me (not something I would normally pick) but I loved it. My friend and I like to get 2 tacos each and then split a chips with guacamole and salsa (also $5) which is a awesome deal in Sydney. The guac isn't real guac though, but whatever... I'm cool with that for $5. Only bad thing about El Loco is that it gets quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights. It's tough to find a table even just for two. If you're coming with a group and want to sit down and eat I recommend getting there early for dinner or trying a week night. read more
12 years ago
So this was my first time at El-Loco Surry Hills - I've been to the one at Slip Inn and last summer's pop-up bar at the Opera House. LOVED IT! It has such a great atmosphere, good service. I had the fish platter - good flavours. I don't like the fusion stuff they do*, but they do the traditional things well, its just a bit hard to tell which is which on the menu. Hopefully it's all just more traditional flavours these days. * At the Slip Inn earlier this year, I had the American waiter lecture me about how we aren't in Mexico or even North America, so therefore, I shouldn't expect traditional flavours and somethings at El-Loco are in fact, Asian fusion. I don't come to a Mex theme restaurant for Asian fusion stuff. Kthx. read more
Verdict: Tacos that pass the taste-test of even a native Californian - and for $5?! Yes, please. El Loco is located on Faveaux Street in Surry Hills inside the Excelsior. It's Dan Hong's new venture and having been to both Ms.G's and now El Loco - I'm pretty sure I'd be a fan of anything Dan Hong cooked up. We've ordered all of the tacos and my favorites are the Al Pastor (pork with pineapple salsa), the Cameron (prawn with salsa verde) and the Pollo (chicken with sweet corn salsa). The tacos are small, but surprisingly quite filling. My one complaint - $13.50 for a teeny tiny margarita in a plastic cup? Okay fine...since that $5 taco was delish, but really?! read more
I was one of legions of music lovers pissed at the news that Justin Hemmes had taken over one of Sydney's best loved live rock'n'roll venues, the Excelsior Hotel (RIP). The only thing that mollified me was the fact that he's turned it into a Mexican eatery, and my love of Mexican food and the sign saying FIVE DOLLAR TACOS finally got the better of my urge to boycott. I'm sitting there right now and the jukebox has gone from Bowie to Dolly (9 to 5), first marks "for". All the old band posters still grace the walls which made me nostalgic and I'm glad that bit of history survived the redecorations. It's 4pm Tuesday and there are 3 other customers here so I was a little surprised when my El Loco salad took 20mins to arrive, but having received it it's obviously freshly made, and it's really good. Fresh fennel and tortilla slivers add crunch and zing, but the chilli spiced tofu could do with a bit more spice and the salad could do with a bit more than the two teaspoons of avocado I encountered... I'm about to start work in the area so will no doubt be back, but I'll reserve judgement til a few visits in,and definitely want to try the jalapeno margaritas, ariba! read more
15 years ago
The Excelsior Hotel holds a few treasured memories for me, so it's fair to say that it has a place in my heart. There are three little memories of the Excelsior Hotel I'd like to share with you today, I'll do this as informally as possible. Memory number one, aka, 'The Happy Snapper.': Amazing Indie Rockers, Somasek, were playing a set at the Excelsior and so I, after a few drinks at a different establishment made my way to watch the show and continue with the drinking. Next thing I know I wake up at home to find a whole series of photos on Facebook with me and my glassy eyed whimsical expressions, strange stances and moments of madness in my dancing feet. Now, before their RSA is called into question, I would like to offer that I am exceptional in disguising my drunkenness apart from those lightning quick instances when a camera's shutter is opening. Memory number two: 'Successful Video': Paper Moose had just completed the micro budgeted music video clip for rock and roll outfit, Smitty & B. Goode and were at their CD launch to celebrate. Wild dance moves and singing along to the lyrics of Solo ensued as we revelled in our music video success. Memory number three: 'The Maths Teacher': I, being a little inebriated and full of confidence happened to spy sitting on a couch in the back of the concert room, a pretty young woman all by her lonesome. I decided that it was in my best interest and the polite thing to do to go and converse with this lonely woman. I sat down on the couch and introduced myself, got into talking about what she did, what I did and the usual, when all of a sudden the boyfriend walks back over with their drinks, I'm not an ass so I tell her it was nice to talk to her and make my exit, then I realise who the boyfriend is. I throw out my hand in drunken cheer and embrace the hand of my high school maths teacher, the man who said, "You should probably drop maths, it's going to drag your marks down." Good times. read more
7 years ago
Only after I ordered he tacos did I learn the hot dogs of all things are the specialty here. Great happy hour though! read more
13 years ago
Seriously good tacos and very quick service. Also the chips/dip were a bargain and the salsa and guac were both awesome! Add in plenty of beer choice and could easily spend the night here ... will be back. read more
The tacos were absolutely unreal. The restaurant is such a neat little gem. Great selection of drinks... Bring your wallet as these little tacos are &5 a taco...we'll worth the price in my opinion. This is a must try taco shack! read more
Now this place is cool. It's basically a pub that has been converted into a Mexican restaurant, but it is still actually a pub. Since I have developed a liking for Mexican food I am really kicking myself for not actually ordering a burrito, but I guess things like that happen when one is planning ahead to do other things and not working off the cuff, as I tend to do at times. Anyway it is a pretty cool pub, and a very colourful one at that. It doesn't actually have an outdoor area, just tables and chairs out on the footpath, and due to the NSW smoking laws you can't actually smoke there. I'm going to have to come back here again and have a burritto. read more
I've been here several times already and it's ALWAYS packed. Come early if you want a seat. One of the first players in Sydney's recent Mexican craze this place serves all types of tacos at $5 a pop. Try your luck with their daily secret taco...sometimes you win (soft shell crab ftw!) and sometimes you lose (liver ftl!) The people are hip, the service is quick, AND it's open late...but the tacos are kind of whatever for me. They're more Asian inspired tacos (totally not a bad thing) but I buy the Excelsior Hot Dog (PANCHOS FTW!) and Al Pastor Torta far more often than I buy tacos. Great place for groups and for a quick bite and a beer. read more
15 years ago
The night started with a few Taco's the salty, sweet slow cooked braised lamb, and pork was a delectable start to the night. This authentic feeling Mexi-Colombian-Texan stylised bar, with a great selection of cocktails is a local winner, it attracts a range of exciting and interesting people, and is great of groups, singles, and cocktail tasters. Soon further liquid inspired followed with the Jalapeño Margherita which hit the sweet (spicy) spot. The bar staff are very friendly, and happy to recommend some local flavours, as well as make drinks to your recipe. The freshness of the ingredients used for dishes such as the Excelsior Hot Dog for $9 which comprises of Grilled pork Frankfurt served on a soft bun with pickled jalepenos, pico ge gallo, mayonnaise and cheese, is a devils delight, looks like a gastronomic experiment gone wrong - but is undeniably a coronary heart attack that taste like it was created by god's evil love child. Love this place, thinking of going back again today. read more
15 years ago
There is literally a mexican wave of eateries opening and being enjoyed across Sydney in all forms. El Loco is a result of another partnership between Dan Hong and Justin Hemmes. Apparently inspired by a result of a recent trip to Mexico by the pair. This Cantina Barrio recently opened with its fiesta riot colour of decor and value for money food fare. Brightly coloured vinyl laminate tables and milk crates with coloured seat tops wait for your busy little behinds to order your tacos, hot dog, burger perhaps a margarita if not an authentic mexican beer. There is also tequilla on offer, 26 varieties to be exact. We select a combination of taco's including Carne Asada- which is lemongrass beef with salsa verde, Camaroon - thus being prawn, salsa verde, pico de gallo and the Pollo which is chicken with sweet corn salsa. The $5 corn chips with guacamole and salsa is necessary and goes perfectly with our beers. Finally a place where the food along with the atmosphere is fun. If you are searching for the best start to a big match or concert before you embark on that train to Olympic Park then El Loco in Surry Hills is the perfect choice and you can thank your lucky stars you are will be full with good food rather than be stuck in those hideous queues at the limited choice of restaurants or delivery trucks at the Olympic park itself. El Loco is certainly great value and fantastic atmosphere. read more
15 years ago
How do you tart up a tired old pub? Seems you should go a little 'loco' and turn the place into a funky Mexican restaurant/bar. That's Justin Hemmes' approach anyway, and if the crammed crowds last night are anything to go by, he's got another winner on his hands! You could almost get whiplash moving from the original, dark front bar to the brightly coloured Mexican fiesta out the back. It's quite jarring, but after a couple of Coronas it all seems perfectly natural. Friday night was heaving and so some sly table stalking was required to nab a spot on Bellevue Street. Once seated we then proceeded to gorge ourselves on the delicious Mexican offerings. $5 will get you a taco - which looks rather small when dished up, but they're deceptively filling. The hot dogs are devilishly good too - and of course you can't go past some simple chips and guac. It all goes down waaaay too well with Coronas or a margarita ($13.50) or three! Bravo Mr. Hemmes. I think it's pretty clear that Sydneysiders are going loco over the refurb. read more
15 years ago
I went here with a friend who was playing a gig one night, and I quite enjoyed myself! I like their Mexican food, and I certainly like the ambience of the place. The staff could stand to be a little friendlier, but it's not too off-putting. Excelsior is always busy, and can get quite warm indoors (in summer), but not to worry, there's plenty of tables and chairs to be seated at in the outdoor dining area! There are always live musicians and bands playing, which I think really adds to the flavour of the place. I've always preferred live music to recorded music. read more
15 years ago
When I finished my meal at El Loco, I thought I was about to have a coronary. The amount of mayonnaise and cheese I ingested - my body was going into overdrive to process it all. But it was delicious :) I had the Al Pastor taco which is filled with spit roaster pork and pineapple salsa. It was yummy but it didn't taste really mexican. And boy, it was hard to eat...it kinda fell apart while I tried to shove it into my mouth. Very elegant lol. Then I tried eating the Excelsior hot dog. When I first saw it, all I could utter was OMG. It was huge, covered (literally covered) in mayonnaise and parmesan cheese. I've eaten a LOT of hot dogs in my lifetime but this one was truly indulgent. After my Mexican pig-out, I felt truly sick...I had to go home and lie down for a while haha. The staff were friendly, bolstered by the location inside the Excelsior Hotel and the kitsch fitout. The waiters were quite chatty which added to the fun! I would recommend to try it at least once, but go easy on the food. It may be cheap but its really heavy so you can't eat a lot of it. Wash it all down with some margaritas or a few beers. Perfect on a warm night with great company! :) read more
13 years ago
On a balmy Saturday night, I took my partner here for the first time to sample the Mexican-inspired delights this joint had to offer. Yes, shame on me for not taking her here sooner. Since opening from April 2011, El Loco shows no signs of slowing down, always filled with people from all walks of life, music so loud it makes you want to dance, and a décor so festive, it's always party-time here. It marked the beginning of Sydney's love affair with Central American cuisine. Putting me into fiesta mode was the Al Pastor taco. Diced spit-roasted pork warm up the bed of crunchy cabbage, a tangy pico de gallo adds a bit of freshness and playfulness to the soft taco. It's a veritable bite-sized piñata! My next treat for the night was the Chorizo Quesadilla. My first bite lacked any of the liveliness the taco had. It's just melted cheese and chorizo inside a folded lightly fried tortilla. Like the highs and lows of a Mexican wave. I went from dancing with the partying taco, to awkward silence with this rather dull pastry: What felt like a naked pastry, I quickly dressed it in the chipotle sauce and voila, this quesadilla is in party mode too! Creamy, smokey and best of all, a little spicy for my earlier indiscretion. Now it all makes sense! Finally, I arrive at the El Hot Dog, and from the outset, I know this won't be a normal hot dog. Forget everything you know of the typical hot dog: dry bun, salty sausage, and generic mustard or tomato sauce (try both!). From the super-soft bun that taste like bread pillows, to the mountain of fluffy cheese floss on top of the mayonnaise, the zesty pico de gallo and refreshing coriander leaves spreading across the expanse of the smoke-grilled Frankfurter. This was the height of the El Loco fiesta. Pro-tip: sit near a tissue box, this can get messy! As I give the El Hot Dog its last remaining rites and drown it with my icy beverage, the Pink Cuco, a sweet, tequila infused, slushy. As I look around, satisfied at my full pork belly I can see why everyone is so festive. From the cheerfully drawn psychedelic cartoons on the wall to the stereotypical piñatas hanging off the ceiling, this joint was never about authentic Mexican fare. It's about having a fun slice of Mexico through the safety of and rose-coloured lens from Sydney. And there's nothing wrong with that! ~ Jambon Cochon read more
11 years ago
14 years ago
Coming from California it is really hard to find good Mexican in Australia but I had heard good things about this place so I had been wanting to try it for awhile. After visiting the pop up restaurant at the opera house I have no need to ever go back. The food was overpriced (as you expect for Mexican in Sydney) but it was also substandard in taste. Usually when I want vegetarian I can get something with beans and rice but since that's not an option I got a tofu taco. It was not good at all. It tasted almost Asian in flavour (ok maybe not Asian but definitely not Mexican) and at $6 for one taco it was about $2 per bite. The kids quesadilla that I ordered for myself was a joke. It was one tiny tortilla with cheese and that's it and it was 6 freaking dollars! The salsa was good but guacamole was basically puréed avocado with coriander and corn chips were straight out of a packet. Per usual there were about 3 times too many chips for the quantity of salsa and guac that you get. I spent $18 on three tiny things and left feeling hungry. El "Loco" is right, you have to be crazy to enjoy this place. Nothing about this place tasted authentic or special. The only reason I even gave it 2 stars is because the decor at the pop up was awesome. A great outdoor summer venue. Maybe I'd go back to have a few margaritas but definitely not to eat. Maybe I shouldn't judge this on one bad experience but I'd rather pay $18 elsewhere and get a massive amount of delicious Thai food served by people who actually know how to pronounce the dishes. I really wanted to like this place but maybe my Mexican standards are too high. I just miss my delicious $2 tacos FULL of toppings in CA. I'd eat Mad Mex fast food Mexican giant burritos any day over paying nearly the same price for 1 measly taco from El Loco. read more
14 years ago
12 years ago
10 years ago
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El Loco - mexican - Updated May 2026
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