Restaurant Review: Mamasita

Location: Level 1, 11 Collins Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9650 3821
Link:  mamasita.com.au
Cuisine: Mexican
Overall Impression: 7/10

Mamasita needs no introduction. Its increasing popularity is clear for all to see. With their no booking policy (all groups of less than 8 people are on a walk in basis), avid fans are willing to wait for up to 2 hours to indulge in their delicious Mexican fare. 

BB, Alice, KM and I headed down to Mamasita for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and were lucky enough to be immediately seated (albeit at the bar) but promptly offered a table only a few moments later – an offer we graciously accepted. BB mentioned that this was the first time she had ever been seated in less than 45 minutes (so we were off to a good start!).

The menu encourages sharing and features a variety of Mexican delights like platters of braised meat, beans, tacos, quesadillas and tostadas (all of which are gluten free). 

Esquites de maíz  

Sautéed sweet corn, epazote, chilli & lime 

We decided to start our meal with the popular Esquites de maíz.

We then ordered as many different tacos as we could handle.

As expected, the famous Mamasita corn was a delight to indulge in. Beautifully charred, it has beautiful flavour from the sheep’s cheese, a lively kick from the chilli and paprika and the perfect dash of acidity 

from fresh lime.

 

We had ordered every taco on the menu and we enjoyed them all! Our favourites were the de Lengua y Cachete (braised ox tongue & cheek, pickled vegetable and ghost chilli mayo) and the de Camarones (marinated prawns, red chilli and chipotle almond salsa).

BB, Alice and I had been looking for a fourth member for our S.A.T.C. group and it suddenly occurred to us during our lunch that our fourth member was staring us in the face. It was always going to be KM. We decided that the fact that he is male would not stop us from welcoming him into our group. And so, it was decided. KM would be our Charlotte York Goldenblatt.

The drinks menu offers a selection of tequila (that are 100% agave), mescal, wines, beers and cocktails from Mexico and other regions of Central America, South America and Spain. 

Aguas fresca – traditional refreshing fruit drinks - Horchata

 Jarritos – Mexican ‘naturally flavoured’ Sodas Guayaba – sparkling Guava 

Leading the way for the authentic taco/tostada, Mamasita has played a key role in satisfying Melbourne’s lust for both authentic and modern Mexican food. Gone is the perception that the American-take on Mexican cuisine is the norm. 

Mamasita is a testament to the fact that Mexican food is best enjoyed when it remains true to traditional cooking methods and flavours.