Contrabando

We had a really fun evening here. The drinks were great, most of the food was really tasty (chicken quesadilla was very bland) and the waitstaff were attentive and polite.
However at 10pm the restaurant was empty and the bill was put on our table before we asked for it. So we got our cards out to pay and were told we could only pay cash, or use just one card. I asked why, because we know this is a) possible and b) easy. The waitress said that this was the house rules and there was nothing she could do. I asked why it was the rule and the only reason she could give me is because they can make mistakes. It was us doing the calculations so not sure how this is an issue. We can understand it might be a problem if the restaurant was packed but we were literally the only people there. It’s 2016. Our bill was almost $ 400. The eftpos machines can easily accommodate more than one card. There is really no excuse for this stupid policy.

The $ 3 tacos on tuesday is a winner. Be sure to make a booking as it gets very crowded, otherwise you will be disappointed. (Also the tacos takes a while to get served and they will refuse to serve you if you try to order during the last quarter hour of your table reservation)
The tacos to choose from consist of Crispy Fish, Popcorn Prawns, Wagyu Beef Cheeks, Korean Chicken, Al Pastor (8 hour open-​fire rotiserrie pork), roast mushroom and the cheese burger.
We had three tacos each and I got the Al Pastor, the Korean Chicken and the CheeseBurger. The Al Pastor was my favorite followed by the Korean Chicken. And incase you are wondering what’s in a cheeseburger taco, it’s Wagyu pattie, salsa roja, Mustard mayo, cheese, pickles and lettuce of course.
Although I only ordered 3 tacos on this visit, I recommend ordering 4 or 5 instead as 3 wasn’t enough. And the only reason why we didn’t order more was because we tried but was told that our reservation was until 1pm (it’s was 12:45pm) and they can’t serve as anymore because they don’t know how long it would take to make the tacos and our table needs to be freed up for other patrons at 1pm. That was a real disappointment…

I love Mexican food! Who doesn’t?! I met my friend in town for business and enjoyed a divine meal with excellent service in a funky cool joint!
We shared the truck stop guac (corn chips with guacamole and salsa) as a starter and it was amazing! Had so much flavour! Next were the soft tacos with a fish filling and mushroom and eggplant. Yum!
The place had a great atmosphere and vibe and played some cool old skool tunes. Got busy as time went on so there was a line up later on!
On Tuesdays, there’s taco night so I will be sure to be back with a group of friends and introduce them to this seriously awesome eatery!

Hmm this was a tough one. I’m hovering between 2 – 3 stars because of how messy the tacos (lunch special) was to eat. Ambience wise — kind of dark although it’s a good space. I can imagine booking the place for a private party! We went on a Friday where you can have 4 tacos for $ 20 so it was a good deal. You don’t feel too full afterwards however you’re not hungry either. The tacos were tasty (favourite was probably the eggplant and the fish) but I think I’ve had better value for money and tastier food.

The waitstaff were excellent, attentive and quick but not overbearing. I had a few varieties of tacos including crispy fish, popcorn prawn, and roasted vegetable, and all were beautifully presented and full of flavour. Sauces and veggies pay tribute to the flavour palette but dare to be a bit different.
A fun, relaxed environment and unique location topped off a lovely meal. I had a Groupon deal for tacos and drinks, but their nightly special looked to be good value, too.

Beautiful, full of flavor tacos that you can’t miss. I loved the mushroom one! Give it a go.

It seems cool, underground, dark, well fitted out. Then you notice. Actually, sort of tacky, cheaply done. Seems ok. The menu looks good.
And it goes downhill from there. Food is mediocre. Service a little better. You finish, get the bill. Realise that the experience was ok. Would you go again? Well, maybe I guess.
Uninspired. But not awful. Meh.

Not sure how I haven’t found this place before (except for the fact that it’s not very well marked from the street and down in the basement) but I’m a massive fan.
They do $ 3 sliders on Mondays and $ 3 Tacos on Tuesday and lemme tell you… their fish taco will rock your world!
I ambitiously got 4 tacos thinking I’d be hungry still after (I mean c’mon, tacos are tiny right, especially when they’re $ 3 a pop) but could barely get through three. They fill these puppies up– I got a fish taco, chicken, pork and beef. Fish taco with it’s delightful lightly fried batter and flavoursome aioli definitely topped the bunch, with the chicken closely behind.
Pork and beef were ok and definitely worth trying but if I could have my way I’d try to power through a dozen of those fish tacos–
They also have a great Friday deal — bucket of beers for $ 22 and 4 tacos for $ 20.
Book a table so you’re not left drooling over everyone else’s food!
Elliott

Accidentally we find this place for dinner and it was one of the best choice that we have made. The restaurant is in the heart of CBD and serves Mexican food.
We tried tacos with popcorn prawns, one bite steak and BBQ octopus (quite spicy) and all of them were delicious.
Fried sweet potatoes were ok and they have good Mexican beers!
Decoration of the restaurant was quite interesting, it wasn’t look like a typical Mexican restaurant but more like fine dining place. No worry, the prices are acceptable! (tacos for 7 –10dolars)
We will definitely go back there again!

Gotta thank Victor L. For this amazing find !
What a cool place — once you go down the stairs you find yourself in a large bustling room.
3 $ tacos Tuesday is a real bargain — filling is generous, fresh, tasty with very interesting falvours ! I really loved the fish and popcorn chicken in particular. Was full after 4 I reckon :-)
I agree with some other reviews — Service is unequal — it is a bit disorganised but there are a few staff running around so you always get what you want — and it is super quick ! And honestly for this price and quality… Forgiven !
I wanna go back to try some other things on the menu and the cocktails
Unusual place — amazing food — best company = 4 stars

Tonight was a special night: because I was having dinner with Mailys P. mostly, but also because we were celebrating her one-​year anniversary of Australian life … ok mostly because it was $ 3 Taco Tuesday, you got me.
The tacos are simple and the choices all very different, from a simple stir fry of mushroom and herbs to a crunchy popcorned chicken, through beef with creamy hot salsa or slow-​cooked pork.
The value for money is great and the quality of the tacos is amazing — less pretentious and tastier than other tapas joints I’ve been to.
The venue isn’t pretentious or noisy and the service was pretty good.
And the company was amazing as usual.
So yeah, it’s a four on Tuesday’s.
Gotta tell you though, a spoon of duck fat a day keep the doctor away ;)

You know that episode of The Simpsons when Dr Nick wipes a piece of fried chicken on the paper bag, telling Homer that if the paper goes clear, its his «window to weight gain»? I feel as though I could have done that with the quesadilla and corn that formed pet of my «express lunch».
Others I was with tell me the whole thing took a couple hours. That seems a bit much by my estimate. I wasn’t watching the clock, but it did seem a bit long for something advertised as «express».
For $ 20, we each got a glass of beer or cider, chargrilled corn, a crispy fish taco, a suckling pig quesadilla, and a mini chorizo hot dog. Safe to say Contrabando’s got value down.

My friend purchased a Groupon for all you can eat tacos for $ 36 for two people. We made reservations for a Wednesday night at 6 pm. Promptly greeted and seated. Loved the décor and atmosphere– lovely artwork all around!
Our waitress greeted us and explained the groupon deal– which had a lot of rules and fine print but once through the schpeal was a breeze. The deal included as many tacos as you could eat– ordering two Flavors at a time– and a beer or cider or soft drink. There was also a $ 5 beer/​cider option for after you’d already had your included beverage.
Being a vegetarian I was wary of my options, but our waitress let me order all the tacos sans meat, so just with the other fillings. That was great and I enjoyed them all very much, I thought it was great they had the vegetarian option.
Overall we only paid $ 10.00 (for additional round of beer) on top of the $ 36 groupon, so for $ 46 we had two beers each and 7… Yes 7, tacos each! We enjoyed our visit a lot, and would recommend the Groupon deal to friends. I’d also like to come back and try the full menu.

$ 3 a taco on Tuesday, what a bargain in the CBD.
Got seated and served in minutes, I had 5 tacos including chicken, prawn, fish, pork and beef. They are all delicious, and the beef taco is my pick.
Food court speed with restaurant quality.

First visit to this restaurant. Went there to celebrate a colleague’s birthday. Unfortunately I didn’t get to stay until the end. Service was fast, food delicious and sangria was yum! Staff seemed friendly enough and they got us exactly what we ordered. Will definitely be back!

Visitor to the area. Found the venue nice and grungy but was disappointed by the service, it was terrible. And from what I can tell from reviews, it’s been a long time issue.
Food was okay, I’ve had better Mexican in Sydney. The lamb was the best, the chicken — dry. Tacos were okay but a little lacking filling wise.
Overall service was awful. Waited half an hour for drinks, continually asking for water, wrong drinks brought, had to fetch the drinks from the bar myself at times, rude service from some. Food delayed, plates not cleared, menus not brought out; It really ruined the night.
Try another venue if you don’t want to spend your whole night chasing service. Otherwise, not bad value for what you get.

Awesome tacos. Love them. The service is, hmm not the best. Everyone is in a rush to get the orders and I had to wait ages to get water. The atmosphere is really great too. I will definitely go back for the tacos and beer.

Once you find this place (which wasn’t easy) it’s a very cool restaurant.
Suckling pig, popcorn prawn, crispy chicken and fish tacos were some of my favourite. The food was really good, fresh and tasty.
The 3 stars was for the service, it was terrible. Very chaotic and disorganised!
If you have lots of time and don’t mind asking for things numerous times then try this place.
Suckling pig taco is a must!

The staff is not very organized when it comes to getting orders to the right people and remembering to refill your water. However, for $ 3 taco Tuesdays. the portions are decent. The tacos are made with flour tortillas with sliced tomatoes versus diced.
The «carnita» taco is actually the beef taco which was pretty tender. However, the pulled pork slices was extremely fatty. I didn’t like this pork taco much.
Overall, it’s still a nice place to come hang out with a group of friends. The walls are colorful and there’s a decent bar area.

Awesome South American Resturant. The set menu is cheap and fantastic. I’m so full at the moment. The suckling pig was fantastic, I suggest that for everyone. I’ll come here again for lunch.