This was a really unexpected treat for us, we didn't think we'd find such a good Mexican spot in New Zealand. We came on a whim and it was a really great experience. We came around dinner time and sat outside on the patio. The portion size was pretty good and the burritos were delicious. Enchiladas were packed with meat and very good as well. The food was really flavorful and each component really complemented each other well. The staff and server were really friendly and attentive. We really enjoyed our meal and there's lots to do in the area. read more

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An authentic Mexican restaurant with genuine Mexican food. Most Mexican food is American based this was truly authentic food. The service was amazing. The ambulance was very nice. The food quality was outstanding and it truly was an amazing experience. I would say that I would definitely visit here next time I come to New Zealand. read more

Coming from Texas, I was curious about this restaurant. The cheese dip (their version of queso?) was thick and gooey--but tasty! Salsa was extremely mild, but good. The shredded beef nachos were spectacular! Atmosphere was nice--we ate on the 2nd floor outdoor balcony with the cool breeze. I would definitely dine her again! A slightly tamer version of Tex-mex, but not short on flavor! read more

We started with chips and salsa - excellent. We ordered fried chicken appetizer and fries and the enchilada combination plate. The fried chicken was a little to spicy for my wife. The fried taste was a little off also for me. It did come with piri piri sause on the side which would have covered up some of the taste. If you dont like spicy don't get the chicken. Now on the the enchilada combination plate. The food was excellent. We will be in Auckland for a week and I will definitely go back again before we go home. The chicken would have been a two and the combination plate a 5 BTW. read more

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, I wouldn't necessarily choose this place. As a hispanic woman traveling abroad, I will say that this is the CLOSEST you'll get to authentic Mexican food in Australia/New Zealand. Despite lacking authenticity, the food was very good. I don't think it's necessarily worth the price we paid for everything (everything pictured was $127 nzd all together). The waitress was very sweet and patient with our questions. Overall it was a good experience, but I don't think we'll be back any time soon read more

Mexican Cafe - Chimichanga, cheese dip, garlic bread, nachos, fried chicken tacos - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Take this with a grain of salt as a Mexican raised on traditional Mexican Dishes and deeply rooted Mexican. I was excited to try some Mexican food abroad. I did not have the highest expectations, but I was not expecting to be so thoroughly disappointed. To start with the positives, the ambiance was awesome! The music was authentically Mexican mixing Mexican regional classics with modern music and sprinkling other popular Latin songs. The decor gave the feel of a typical Mexican restaurant with pictures and flags. The location was great with good views of the Sky Tower. The service was great as everyone was very responsive to our needs and pleasant. Here comes the more critical part. The chips and salsa came standard, and both were tasty as they usually tend to be anywhere. To start, we ordered a Margarita with a taco, the Margarita itself tasted fine, but my friend (also Mexican) and I were completely caught off guard when we tasted what was pure sugar instead of salt on the rim. Next, the taco. We tried to keep an open mind, considering it had lettuce (not a common thing in Mexico), but the chicken was shredded (chicken meat is usually grilled for a taco), cold, and with zero flavor. We added as much hot sauce as we could to add some flavor, but it didn't improve the taste all that much. Frankly, it was hard to finish. When the main course arrived (we both opted for the pork al pastor chimichanga). The presentation was fine, and I appreciated the red, white and green detail of the salsa, sour cream and guac on the chimichanga top. After mixing in the toppings and taking that first bite, it was another unfortunate disappointment. The pork al pastor did not taste like it should at all. It tasted more like American pulled pork BBQ (sweet, rather than salty), which al pastor is also grilled and salty not sweet. It was not edible for my taste. The beans were also fine (tasted like they came from a can) and the rice was undercooked (still hard). I know it can be challenging to run a restaurant that is not typical to the area and you have to work with the ingredients you have available, but this was just not good food. The tortillas tasted authentic and the chips and salsa were of great quality. I think if the restaurant simply changed the recipe to grilled meats rather than whatever method they use for cooking these shredded meats, it would improve the flavor TEN-FOLD. Simple seasoning like just adding salt to these meats would also vastly improve the flavor. You can keep the lettuce on the taco just please grill the meat and season it better. For the margarita, perhaps sugar is a preferred flavor locally, but maybe ask the customer which they prefer. I would not return to this restaurant as is, unless they changed their recipes. I do believe it has the potential to be a very successful Mexican restaurant in the southern-most part of the GLOBE! read more

I'm a Mexican mom traveling through this beautiful country. If you ask me where the best mexican food is located, I will answer "my mom's kitchen" every single time. While visiting Auckland, husband and I walked up to the Sky Tower and walking back we discovered a couple of Mexican joints, one of them was Mexican Cafe. The place is painted brightly and plays decent and current Mexican music. The food is not that bad considering that we are in New Zealand. I had a couple of crunchy tacos made with nice shells, a small scoop of rice, and a little bit of black beans. The shredded beef was seasoned a little heavy with bay leaf and oregano, but it still tasted good. The service was not great. One of the best things about being Mexican is that we are a friendly bunch of people. We make everyone feel welcome and treated nicely. The hostess looked like she was angry, and made me feel like I was bothering her by being at her restaurant. The waiter was nice, but again, he never smiled much. The kitchen had a window looking out to the tables. I could not even see a single Mexican person in the staff. Would I recommend this place? I guess if you are a New Zealander and don't know much about real Mexican food it will be okay. You won't be impressed, but you won't hate it. As far as the rest of the world who has had real Mexican food, I heard there are other fantastic places you can have dinner at. Friendlier staff too. read more

I would've given it five stars if they had C hili Relleno. The most Mexican food I found in Australia or New Zealand. read more

Mexican Cafe - The only Real Mexican food this San Dieagan has found in AU and NZ, Enjoy - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

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Service was absolutely terrible and it's seems there is a language barrier problem among some of the servers which caused issues. One person in my parting ordered a beer and another person asked for a cup of ice and these clowns bring the requested beer with ice! !! As for food is was just so so. I can't recommend this place at all. read more

Mexican cafe! A standard restaurant in CBD. Decent food with good portions although they have updated their menu with slightly higher prices in the past year or so. The space is vibrant and colourful. There's also a nice outdoor balcony space (that converts to indoor/sheltered if raining or cold). Service is a bit hit or miss sometimes however most of the times I've been here, there has been friendly staff that do their best to provide a good experience. Here are a few good things to know: - They serve complimentary corn chips with salsa on arrival. - They have a happy hour (5pm - 6.30pm Sun - Thur, 4pm - 5.30pm Fri & Sat). - They can take large group bookings and their updated menu includes a 'fiesta' option for larger groups than 15 ($45 per person for a range of their food). read more

The drinks are strong and the waiters are very nice. We met up as part of a group of 6 people. It seemed to be a busy night and I'm not sure they were expecting that. The table salsa is bad....it isn't Mexican salsa...I ordered the taco platter: chicken, prawn, beef, and fish. The prawn with fajita seasoning was the best taco followed by the shredded beef one. The fish taco was okay. The chicken one is just pulled roast chicken with no seasoning. Each one had the same toppings which was cabbage with a sauce. My biggest complaint is the factory produced corn tortillas weren't cooked or warmed so they were falling apart as you ate them. Can I recommend this place...no I can't, not for the Mexican food. Was it a nice place to get some strong beverages with your friends? Yeah, it was. read more

Mexican Cafe - Taco platter - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Can't go wrong with some Mexican in NZ, right? I was craving some familiar cuisine, nothing is more comfort food like than some nachos and tacos for me. Had a Sol beer with a lime, my friend had his Dos Equis. I got the extra special nachos with chicken, yes, that's exactly what I was craving with my beer. My friend had some beef tacos. The tacos and nachos weren't bad, served their purpose. The beers were so cold and refreshing. read more

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I went there with my friend a few nights ago. I ordered a strawberry margarita and a chicken quesadilla. The margarita was a-ok only, given that it wasn't that fragrant or refreshing but it still tasted nice. Also, it had lots of small chunks of ice in it, making it taste slightly watery. The quesadilla was pretty good, which had flavour and quite delicious overall. It came with rice and beans, which made it good value. The atmosphere on that night was pretty good (admittedly not the best Mexican food though), almost full but we were pretty lucky to get a seat. Also the meals came with a small bowl of corn chips and salsa. Only minus thing was that one of the staff thought that I was not a customer and asked me to wait before being seated (after coming back from the toilet). I would be more cautious about ordering cocktails if I come back to this place. read more

Mexican Cafe - Strawberry Margarita - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

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Located on the second floor, I found this place from across the street. Standing at the entrance it was empty. Monday night at 8:00 PM. Staff dude next to me says nothing. I tell him a seat for one. He sings the lyrics to a song playing back to me. WTF? Waitress walks by, "Seat for one?" I say yes. Another staff walks by and says "Seat for one?" I say yes. Third waitress walks by, "Seat for one?" At least she shows me to a table. "Do you have a seat outside?" "Not at the moment, but when one opens up I can seat you there." Four other parties come in after me and are seat outside as previous guests were leaving. Fish taco was okay, beef taco is mostly beans! Not much flavor. Small bowl of chips and salsa. I ate half the chips, the other stuff was broken bits. Waitress takes it away and never comes back with a new bowl of chips. I didn't even get a small full bowl! One tiny napkin on my table. Every table has one tiny napkin. It's Mexican food!! Seems like place gets packed in the weekend. Equivalent to a college hangout. No atmosphere, blaring music, seemly dirty, bright lights. There are other Mexican joints in town that must be better. read more

With this review I am going to be a bit bias due to my love of dancing social salsa (which happens every Friday at Mexican). But other than that, this place is always busy but for a reason. They offer the best nachos in town and have a range of the best drinks, especially their Sangria! If you haven't tried it, it's a must! Since I'm a regular, absolutely love this place! read more

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MEDIOCRE FOOD, WORSE SERVICE: I don't give less than three *** for anyplace I've visited, but..... Our group of five sought dinner early on Sunday night- the place was nearly empty but they proceeded with a charade of "we will see if we can arrange a table..." and insisted we "Wait at the bar...". An obvious ploy to cause us to buy alcoholic beverages. Waited at the bar for approx five -ten mins. YES we were going to buy some refreshments anyways, so this felt unsophisticated and grating. Once seated, Waitstaff was slow despite that it wasn't crowded. Further aggravated when leaving to see our request during the meal for an EXTRA bowl of chips and salsa was slapped onto our bill for +$6.50. The bowl of chips/portion size on the table when we sat down was SO SMALL- you'd make a bigger serving at home on the couch~ and it was insufficent for a group of five adults. When we asked for more chips, they FAILED to tell us that we would be charged for more chips. Also, the second bowl was mostly broken chip crumbs! As customers and in all fairness, we expect full TRANSPARENCY and DISCLOSURE from a business- just tell us: "sure, we will charge for more chips and salsa though...'. so we can make an informed decision. We discussed this with the management at the cash desk when paying our bill. The guy was unyielding and 'mansplaining...' and they wouldn't remove the extra chip charge. I do NOT RECOMMEND MEXICAN CAFE - feels like they are trying to get over on you- and they do! read more

Although the service at Mexican Cafe is not the best, I choose to ignore that and simply enjoy their $10 lunches. As a student there is nothing more appealing than lunch for $10 that includes meat, rice and a salad. It does not matter how the food tastes, $10 is a pretty good deal. Another element that makes up for the bad service at Mexican Cafe is the nachos and salsa dip they give you when you sit down. It doesn't matter how long the corn chips have been stored away for, its still free. The venue also hosts salsa nights on a Friday night and several other events during the week. It's a nice place to have lunch on a sunny day if you are lucky to get a table outside. read more

The Mexican Café was one of the only Mexican places in Auckland for many years. It's always a good time, but I think it's may be a little behind the times now. However, they still do amazing margaritas and caiprioskas. And pretty damn good Mexican food. The enchiladas are great and the staff are always really friendly and charismatic. If you're up for a good night, you should go on Fridays. There's usually a bunch of Salsa dancers who strut their stuff on the dance floor. But beware, they might just pull you up there with them. I've been there with just a few people and also with a huge group. There are loads of tables, inside and out. read more

Mexican Cafe - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

We've been out of Texas for 2 months and craving Mexican food. This place did not satisfy the cravings. The chips were tasteless cardboard. Salsa just so so. Mussels sauce spicy hot but tasteless and mussels themselves tasted "fishy". Beans tasteless rice so so and chicken enchilada just a chicken breast in a tortilla with some non authentic cheese. Too bad as the atmosphere was great. As another reviewer said in USA this would rate a 1. read more

Mexican Cafe - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

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I wish I had read other reviews before coming here The food was awful They were very understaffed and the service was poor We ordered single items a la carte and the brought 2 full orders and charged us even thought we didn't want it The only thing that was 1/2 way decent was the margarita If you want food that tastes authentic stay away! read more

I've always been amazed by Mexican Food and this place made my first time tasting it so enjoyable. The staff were kind and helpful, The layout of the restaurant and all the colours were appealing too. Such yummy food! The Strawberry Virgin Mocktail was top notch! Would definitely come back any day! 100/100 read more

Mexican Cafe - Chicken Enchiladas - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

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I've been going here since I was little and it gets better and better everytime. I love the vege nachos!!!! 10/10

Popped in for a late lunch after visiting Auckland Art Gallery. Unfortunately the food was below parr. Shared a ceviche which was too salty. The shredded beef taco bowl was a let down. I'm pretty confident that the mince meat was lamb. It had a strong mutton aftertaste. The drinks were ok. The music was absolutely dreadful. Elevator session music. A shame really. read more

This place is to Mexican food what Domino's is to Italian pizza. I've tried a sizeable amount of options from their menu and every single one I had was a disappointment.. something on my plate is always cold, lukewarm, tasteless, weird or unrecognizable. Considering they make you pay pretty swanky prices for what is essentially hospital cafeteria food you'd expect a bit of originality and presentation. Their food tastes like it came from a rancid Old El Paso taco kit. Why do so many people like this place and keep coming back here? The waitresses are always grumpy and sometimes downright rude (what is it with Mexican eateries in Auckland and awful wait staff?) to the point where not even the cheerful deco of the place can eclipse the bad vibes. Get over yourselves ladies! The one thing that Mexican Cafe doesn't mess up is their drinks, the peach margarita is my fave. However there are so many awesome new bars around town with NICE staff that also make excellent drinks so I don't really have a reason to come back here. If you're after good Mexican in the city you're much better off at Mexico down at Britomart where food actually tastes fresh and real. read more

I was SO excited to find a place that serves margaritas (you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl, etc.). So obviously I rushed over to Mexican Cafe. You can imagine my disappointment when they served me a cup of slightly flavoured blended ice. Uh, where's my tequila buzz? That wasn't even the worst part, though. The rudeness of the staff takes the cake for that. Avoid! read more

Been going there for years, and it's always a great time in good company! Good for happy hour [5-7pm every day], but I would never pay full price at Mexican Cafe. The drinks are swell, especially HH margaritas, and the Devil's Nachos are my go to for a cheap and filling meal. If you're an authentic Mexican food snob like me, beware. Burritos, quesadillas, and tacos will leave you wanting. But again, happy hour is the way to go! read more

I went here with work people the nachos was ok not the best and the one who prepared it had not put the jalapeños so bad I would of end up with bland nachos and the lettuce a other weird things on it gross as read more

Great place to eat and have a few cocktails before you head to a concert in the city. The prawn tacos were average. Definitely not the most authentic Mexican place around but they were still good. The cocktails we tasty and the staff were very friendly and we didn't have to wait too long for our food. If you want to go somewhere with a good vibe and great cocktails this place is great. I had the caipirinha, mango margarita and the blue moon margarita (i highly recommend this one!) read more

Mexican Cafe - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

The Mexican Cafe is the best Mexican restaurant I have been to to-date. It's located in central city (finding a park can be difficult) but it is up some stairs and across the road from the Skytower/Sky City - so after dinner you can almost instantly continue the party. Mexican Cafe is a great place to go to with your friends (they have a wide range of cocktails to chose from, and cheap Corona buckets!), but it's also a very family-friendly environment, suitable for all ages. I love the character in it's decorations and setup, it gives the entire place a great vibe. Staff are casual but bubbly and always willing to serve, I have never personally been disappointed in their service (and the complimentary chips and salsa to start with helps!). The food here is great! Not 'authentic', but so close you can't taste the difference. They offer many options for each dish (different meats etc or vegetarian option), and also have a great variety of dishes that warm the stomach, and the soul. I choose to come here for my own birthday dinners because I know I won't be disappointed. The food is fresh, but warm and filling, so it has the perks of mexican food without feeling like you've had two lunches and no dinner. It has both an indoor dining area and a small, smoke-free dining deck looking over the street as well (outdoor heating too!), so there are many seating options. The only downfall of going in the evening is the inability to book- it can pack out very fast so you have to get in there quick. Would recommend this place to everybody not only for Mexican food but as an overall restaurant. read more

On a whim I decided to walk up to the Mexican Cafe. Considering I was born and raised in San Diego, California, this was a long shot for good Mexican food. Well, needless to say, here I am in New Zealand and wow! Great food at good NZ prices. Great Montheit NZ beer as well. I had the beef enchiladas and was so pleasantly surprised. Great taste and very filling. The beans and rice had great flavor as well. So, coming to the other side of the world and having great Mexican food was a boon. Considering I now live in Los Angeles and good Mexican food is hard to find. I give a good five stars. One more thing...though you have to pay extra for a second basket of chips and some great salsa it really does not take away from my overall experience. So, when in Auckland, go on by to this slightly hidden gem (It is snuggled upstairs by a place called Hell and an Irish Pub) access is slightly obscure and the stairs may be daunting to the feint of heart. Well worth it. Great atmosphere, great service, great food! read more

Mexican Cafe - Good Tap beer great atmosphere - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

The Mexican Cafe was around long before many of these other Mexican places popped up. This doesn't really mean anything except that it knows what it's up to. It's situated right in town which makes it a great place to start a night, or if you happened to be there on one of the salsa nights - a great place to spend the night. The restaurant has really cool decor, creating a pretty authentic Mexican feel. There is a deck over Victoria Street with a plastic covering so you can sit out even when it's raining. The food is generally meals, rather than the tapa-style of many of the Mexican restaurants recently. But it's definitely easy to share. Try the cheese dip - oh good lord, it is good. Drinks are yum, sangris and Margaritas are a must-have. And service is good. Friendly, fun and efficient. read more

I have been to Mexico and know Mexican food, this place isn't authentic its a bit TexMex, but I have to say its still really good and its great when you are hungry as the portions are good. And I love that the always have something organised for the Mexican holidays, like Day of the dead and Mexican Independence day. This place has been around for as long as I can remember and this year they turned 30th, Wow what an achievement, and they are still going hard and strong. Over the years I have had many good meals and many good tequilas here. Thats one of the things I think they have a good variety of Tequila and they have some of the good really good stuff, that goes for $22 a shot. They also have some of the good Mexican beer available like Bohemia and Dos Equis. The other great thing is that the often have live music and a DJ so makes it one of the only latin places to come and have a dance at. read more

This might not be "authentic" mexican food, but it tastes so good that I think I'll let this slide - after going to mexicali and not particularly enjoying their macho burrito, and failing to go to the next door Thai Cafe that was closed on sundays, I tried Mexican Cafe. I bought their chimichanga - a deep fried burrito (which is super yum and worth all those calories) with some sort of sour cream/cream cheese, guacamole sauce, and seasoned fried rice. The girl on the cashier said that the chimichanga would be great if you're hungry, and at $20 this does really fill me up even though it's quite pricey - not to worry, they have $15 dinner menus and if not mistaken, $10 lunch menus too! The place is hidden behind a little door on Victoria St near the corner, which leads to a staircase, but once you enter you're engulfed by mexican dance music and a lot of mexican decorations, from frieda kahlo portraits, to old mexican advertisements, to a mexican flag hanging right on the wall! The staff are okay, not the best, but definitely not bad at all. They have a bar inside too - their happy hour is from 5-7 pm, and they've been around for 30+ years, so overall, Mexican Cafe is a pretty okay place to get food especially when you're really hungry, even though they don't sell supremely authentic mexican food. read more

A Mexican colleague recommended this place when I asked him "Are there any authentic Mexican restaurants in Auckland?". I'm glad I finally got a chance to check it out. The food was delicious and the staff super friendly. The background music is in Spanish & there is a comfy (if slightly grungy) atmosphere. A Dos Equis will set you back $8 -so worth checking out when happy hour is. read more

Mexican Cafe - Sad - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Mexican Cafe has been around forever. While it's facing some stiff new Mexican competition nowadays down the harbour end of town, this is one place that won't be changing anytime soon. It's carved out a cult following as a funky spot where the cheery vibe is more important than the frankly average food, and it still works! It's a happy space, and a great spot to grab a Corona or a Mojito with some mates and just laugh away. In short, don't come expecting amazing food, but there's something wrong with you if you manage to not enjoy yourself. Guaranteed to leave with a smile on your dial! read more

Mexican Cafe - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Ok so if this restaurant was in Florida or frankly anywhere else in the U.S. or in Mexico, I would give this place one star. However, New Zealand is not exactly known for great Mexican food so I shall give this place three stars. The chips were great but the salsa was a bit watery and bland. The red bean tacos were filled with mushy red beans and beans were very bland along with the rest of the taco. The service was sporadic at best and I had to ask them to bring a glass of ice water. After being there for a half and hour. Overall, decent Mexican food for New Zealand; horrific Mexican food in the U.S. or in Mexico. read more

Great food, great waiter, value for money. Try the Devils Nacho and the chicken enchiladas Yum read more

Mexican Cafe - Great night out at The Mexican Cafe, Auckland - Bars Near Me - Auckland, AUK

As many of the other reviews state, this place doesn't serve particularly authentic Mexican food. In fact I think I could cook better myself at home. The refried beans are like prison slop and I think the Margaritas fall short of how strong they should be. However I can forgive a lot when I'm not being robbed blind and am having a good time. The Mexican Cafe has a great atmosphere - it has a lovely genuine time-warn ambience and the decor is interesting. You can bring a large group here or sit cosily as a couple, the service is fast and efficient and the waitresses are attentive and know the menu. The tables turn over pretty quickly so you shouldn't need to wait although I guess if dancing is on then it may be a different story. read more

Ended up going here twice during our visit to Auckland. Was extremely happy with the Nachos and Taco Salad. Lots of delicious food. We got both take away and dining in. The virgin strawberry margaritas were excellent too! read more

Ok I know it's not 'authentic' Mexican, but wow this place is good! I come here whenever I can to get some good mexican food and the delicious virgin Margarita. Yum! The enchiladas and quesadilla are delicious - especially if you like cheese (like us!). The virgin Margarita is very sweet but delicious. They have heaps of food on their menu including mexican pizzas, and they have a kids menu. They're good with Gluten free too :) AND if you've been up the Sky Tower, they're just across the road read more