Amigos

Ordered Chilli burrito and Stuffed Jalapeños. Both delicious.
Also got a passion fruit margarita which I enjoyed but it was really sweet…

Being Central American I always jump at the chance of trying some Latin food.
It’s quite a surprise walking down hardware lane and everybody shoving their menus down your throat, it’s something you’d expect in a busy European tourist town, not down a seemingly fashionable lane in town full of professionals. The biggest surprise was the insistent nature and the way they attempt to leave you no choice with their promises of free drinks and discount, but only if you accept their offer right there.
After that sidetrack the tequila and tapas restaurant caught my eye. Me and my girlfriend took a table and had a look at what’s to offer. We weren’t very hungry so we each tried a taco and some nachos con pico de gallo. I has some hopes for the food but I was let down immensely. The taco’s were cooked ok but los frijoles were too mushy, not to mention the cheese they used looked like a mixture between cheese strings and the fake plastic cheese you can find in supermarkets (it wasn’t either of these but the taste and quality was of similar quality) there was too much of a mushy texture overall. My girlfriend enjoyed her taco but personally it could have used some improvements. The pork was barely cold and the consistency in ingredients was awful. Too much lettuce for too little pork. El pico de gallo was a little too bitter, I can only imagine it’s part of a much larger portion in a container in the kitchen and it’s there for a few days where the bitterness gets worse.
Overall pretty disappointed and as someone else said its a pretty cheap imitation of Mexican food. I still have high hopes of finding some good Latin food as I’ve seen plenty of the culture around.
Edit: I didn’t try some of the tequila but there was a big selection on the menu.

Amigo’s used to be one of my favourite places to eat when I visited Melbourne but after my last experience there I am a little worried the quality is slipping.
I took my American friend to the Hardware Lane location and was immediately dubious when I saw how small the menu was, I remember it being 4 – 5 pages of incredible entrees, mains and drinks! Pushing past the initial disappointment (especially when I saw the honey mustard burrito was no longer listed) we ordered some guacamole and sangria and I crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t be a total let down.
I was pleased to taste that the guacamole was really fresh and creamy and, to top things off, the waiter let me order a burrito with the honey mustard sauce on it despite the fact it wasn’t listed as available. My friend had nachos and they were pretty bomb as well (which is big considering his family is Mexican so they must be doing something right at Amigos).
My only criticism was the lack of atmosphere that this once awesome location used to have as well as the slow service times. I probably won’t be coming back just because I want to preserve the good memories I have of ²⁰¹²⁄₂₀₁₃ Amigos.

The chili con queso is fantastic! Do not leave this restaurant without trying it. We had some tapas, and I know that you’re thinking «tapas at a Mexican inspired place, what?», but it was excellent. We had the complimentary «check-​in-​churros» for dessert, and it was more than enough for the two of us. The drinks was very good as well.

A lovely little Mexican restaurant in the heart of Melbourne. The offer for one free churro was unknown there. The burritos were delicious and the service was also great.

More mediocre Australian style Mexican. Avocado watered down with cream cheese. Burritos you could make with a do it yourself kit at home. Mexican food is all about taste and flavour. This is a stodgy mass market attempt. Once you’ve had the real thing, you won’t settle for sloppy seconds. Nice spot on Hardware Lane for a drink, but that’s all folks.

Great location in hardware lane. We sat inside as it was a bit chilly. We ordered a jug of white sangria. It turned up quick but wasn’t up to it’s usual standard. Basically it tasted like orange juice with a few shots if booze. NOT sangria. I’ve had the exact same thing at this location before feels like standards have slipped cocktail wise.
The nachos hit the spot though.
The décor is cool, toilets clear and I did get a voucher for a free churro when I checked in on Unilocal!Bonus.

I went to amigos on the request of a friend that loves mexican and frequents this restaurant. I was pleased to arrive to a 4 – 7 happy hour of $ 5 wine, assorted beers and & $ 20 1L jugs of sangria. So we ordered some red sangria and were under impressed. It was quite watery and not very fruity at all.
Once everyone arrived we ordered for a table of 9. It took over half a hour for our first serve of corn chips and dips to arrive (pretty much just salty corn chips, salsa ok, guacamole extended with sour cream). Second serving arrived 30 minutes later. Then dinner took another hour after follow up prompts. Being told «I’m not sure, the chefs pretty busy» and «8 minutes and your food will arrive» (actually took 30 after that point).
I had the chicken burrito which lacked any spice or flavourings. The burrito itself seemed to be overpowered by cheese and sour cream. Everyone else had assortments of fajitas. All except the person who suggested the venue were underwhelmed. I’m a big dessert eater but I didn’t order anything. We had already been there for 4 and a half hours.

Had a great meal here today. The nachos are fantastic. If you ask nicely, they will swap the shredded beef for chorizo on the nachos. The chimy changers are crispy and the drinks service is quick.

We chose this place because they were the only ones that didn’t spruik from the front. We figure that must mean the food speaks for itself.
It did!
The food was delicious. It wasn’t pretentious, it just did the job. Solid servings with plenty of taste without being a mess of sour cream and cheap melted cheese.
The sangria made it go down pretty well too. Highly recommended.

Nice location and atmosphere. The Mexican food looked decent and smelled good. Portion size is also large. However the food is not the most authentic and more of a tex mex. Sangria was really sweet. The biggest disappointment is the name it’s called tequila and tapas bar yet there was no tapas on the menu. But they did have a large selection of tequila cocktails. Overall it was a pleasant experience

Great little tapas place. Staff were sensational. I was looking for somewhere fast and tasty and this nailed it.
I had the Pork belly, fish Tacos, chicken skewers and a side serve of guacamole. All of this wShed down with a couple of Dos Equis. Bill came in at $ 80. Oh did I mention I had two servings of the pork belly tacos. What can I say when your on a good thing.
NB all tacos came in sets if two. What can I say there’s a lot of me to fill;)

After reading the reviews below we decided to chance our luck — a lot closer than Mamasitas and no queue.
The night started with only outside tables, which was a shame since it was a bit cool, and an overly solicitous waiter who was as Latino as me.
Still, onwards. Menu was as expected, but actually pretty standard (boring) Mexican fare.
Margarita selection was good, the lychee, lime and coconut frozen one fantastic. Had two! Nice selection of tequilas also.
Sadly, that was the end of the good stuff really. The salsa was nice, but the guacamole was a shocker– had better out of a supermarket. Blended smooth, tasted bland, and I suspect with sour cream, a real disappointment.
The enchilada was tasty, beef well cooked, but the two servings of fajitas were also disappointing, one chicken the other mixture of beef and chorizo. The sauces were both overpowering, on the beef too salty, on the chicken too casseroley (is that a word?!) the sides were ok, however the serving of three wraps was a little on the mean side.
All in all we were thoroughly disappointed. Mexican yes, best in Australia? Not by a long shot.
Not likely to go again.

The food is good. Slightly overpriced, slow service. Guess I am not a huge fan of Mexican fine dining, I like my Mexican more street food style. Be prepared to drop 40 dollars easy for a proper meal.

Best Mexican I’ve had in Australia. Oh yeah, I went there.
No «watch out, the plate is hot» because the meal has been microwaved. No soggy beans. No soggy tortillas.
Beautifully flavoured food. Amazing meat. Although I really am a spice coward (lemon & herb at Nandos), I couldn’t stop eating. Had the Chimi Changa and although it was wayyy too hot for me, I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Amazing!

First time here and won’t be the last. Good service, good range of menu items. More limited wine list as they concentrate on tequila. Disappointed that sparkling water was only in 250ml bottles. Had a lovely entrée of corn chips and guacamole. Mains arrived promptly — but you might want to consider entrée size as the portions are generous. My only grip was that as we sat outside, other tables were able to smoke around us. Never makes for a pleasant experience. Overall, good menu, good prices and the atmosphere of Hardware Lane is a further plus.

Good food and sangria, perhaps a little pricey for what you get, but tasty and generous serves.

Starved after forgetting lunch my gf and I stumbled upon hardware lane — famished we looked for who could serve our 4pm craving. The Italian place was closed for a function but pointed us to the empty Mexican eatery. We went down the stairs and there they were ready to serve and indeed we made them work hard.
We started with some dips and a small entrée and then decided to stay for a main — I got the Chimi Changa — two words I will fear for the rest of my life, so big and so delicious I forced myself to eat it all which was a painfully enjoyable experience — I couldnt walk for a while after and skipped dinner as I was still stuffed at midnight. I will be back for round 2 one day when I build up the courage but for now the memory and the new pant size remain.

I spent New Years in Australia and went for a brief tour of the big cities while down under. And while the Indian, Chinese, and SouthEast Asian restaurants were just as good as the Southern California counterparts that I am used to, there was no real good Mexican food experience. Until I reached Melbourne CBD (Central Business District) and found amigos.
As usual, this cute little nose on my face found the place for me. Located along the Hardware Lane that you often see in the tourist guide books for Melbourne, I was quite surprised to have my nose lead me here. Any fan of good chorizo (minds of out of the gutter, kids!) knows that you can pick up the aroma over other restaurants, which is the case here. There was a few Italian places and some other small fine dining, as well as Asian spots all along the Hardware Lane, but (for me) Amigos stood out because of the aroma and the great sense that I could find REALLY GOOD Mexican food here.
LUNCH: Appetizer of chorizo and black beans. Not the standard lamb chorizo or Aussie sausage with spice that tastes like pâté’ with chili sauce that you see in other Aussie attempts at Mexican food, but genuinely GOOD chorizo on caribbean black beans, with a side of marinated carrots and pretty decent chipotle spicy sauce. While the tortillas did not the «fresh out of the oven» taste, they were still quite good. The best part was the subtle hint of lime/​citrus flavor in the black beans along with good cheese slightly melted on top. Someone has recently been to tropical zones in Mexico and remembered what was good about that food and duplicated it here.
The Sangria Blanca, while not exactly what should go with red meat meal, was a very refreshing beverage to enjoy. While the white wine was a local (forgive me, I did not write down the name) the taste of citrus and other wild berries was very subtle and very refreshing. (It was a 103+ day… imagine 103 degrees in Downtown L.A. and you can imagine how good a cool glass of white sangria was welcome.) Now, anyone who knows sangria knows that it should have a very relaxing smooth flavor while not making you loopy and letting your inhibitions go out the window after a glass or two. No, this was a very good blend of a fine fruity white wine and really fresh citrus and fresh cucumber (a really nice touch!)
Now, Aussie’s have a world wide reputation for being good, friendly people, and the staff of Amigos really went out of their way to make me feel very good and that I had a great dining experience. I felt like I was eating at a friend’s house and that I was well taken care of. The place was busy with a growing lunch crowd, but I was well attended in terms of food and drink, with quick service that did not make me feel like they wanted me in-​and-​out so that they could serve others. Quick, but not rushed. That’s the way I like it.
(MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTERS!)
Kudos to the staff! I was told that the place was brand new, but they operated like a well oiled machine with a true team of well experienced people who have worked successfully together for so long.
The tequila bar upstairs was not open yet, so I promised to return in the evening, to try more Mexican food (a little taste of home) and see how good the tequila selection could be in this part of the world.
DINNER:
When in Rome…
Ok, so I decided to see what kind of creativity I could find here at Amigos. I had the traditional food and they «knocked it out of the park» (very good, for all the Aussie readers). Now was the time for something new.
The Signature Burrito:
Chicken, honey and seeded mustard.
Oh my goodness, now THIS was a welcome change. The flour tortillas were much better than the corn tortillas from earlier in the day, and the chicken had a great mexican taste to it, but the most brilliant surprise was how dark honey really worked well with the food. To try to compare with anything I have had GOOD in the States would be a disservice. At my best I could try to compare this to a fine Filipino BBQ marinade, but it still doesn’t do it service as the level of capsicum and light saltiness keeps the flavor of Mexican food, and the slight char on the chicken gives the «stone oven» taste to it, not something made in a fine establishment like this. And the best part was the mustard. Not the mustard you put on hotdogs or hamburgers, but ones with more… grain to it, more of that mustard seed flavor that replaces the chilis and tomatoes that we are used to. Sure, tomato /​chili sauces were made available in case I did not like the mustard, but the honey really balanced off what should normally be an overpowering taste on it’s own. An excellent mix!
Dessert: Flan. A deceptively simple dish, but because of it’s simplicity it is always a good measuring the strength or weakness of the cook, to get it right. And they nailed it. Sweet, creamy, with the right blend of custard and vanilla. And the fresh fruit on top really helped the dish.
Amigos gets my support!