Taco Tuesday deals plus more Mexican specials in Sydney
$3 tacos, bottomless margins, and a 12-hour slow-cooked birria sandwich: Mexican restaurants offering specials during Cinco de Mayo (and beyond).
Cinco de Mayo falls on Taco Tuesday this year; A rare transit event known as the “taco eclipse” that won’t occur again until 2037. This is as good an excuse as any to explore Sydney’s Mexican food scene, which expanded in the wake of the birria boom of the early 20s. Many of the best offers arrive on Tuesday, while others are valid throughout the week or month. From taco specials to bottomless margins, here are the best deals in Sydney.
Vandal, Newtown
Tuesday special: $4 tacos and $15 margaritas
It’s not immediately obvious that Vandal is a vegan restaurant; especially from photos online showing tacos stuffed with juicy birria (slow-cooked “meat”), slices of plancha-grilled “chicken” and shiny “tuna.” The birria is actually made from shiitake mushrooms, the chicken is made from a homemade hemp blend, and the tuna is made from sliced watermelon marinated with yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit). Vandal has been running one of Sydney’s best Taco Tuesday specials for the past six years; with $4 tacos and $15 margaritas starting at 5 p.m.
59 Enmore Road, Newtown, vandalsydney.com.au
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Taco Street, Beverly Hills and North Strathfield
Tuesday special: $3 tacos with any taco wrap
When Annabelle and Andy Luu opened Taco Street in Beverly Hills in 2019, they sold just one item: birria tacos. This is still a signature dish made with beef, chicken, or mushrooms, slow-cooked in a hot, broth consommé built on five Mexican peppers (guajillo, ancho, arbol, chipotle, and pasilla). The taco range has since expanded to include chargrilled lamb al pastor with pineapple and pepperoni con carne. On Tuesdays, a three-pack costs $20, with additional tacos $3 each (excluding seafood).
314 King Georges Road, Beverly Hills and 165 Concord Road, North Strathfield, instagram.com/taco.street
Radio Taco, Redfern
Seasonal special: $20 torta dinner deal
The torta, a Mexican sandwich served on a crunchy “bolillo” baguette, is almost as popular as the taco in Mexico City, where Radio Taco co-owner Pablo Galindo grew up. Jalisco-style, 12-hour slow-cooked birria has just been added to the menu as a seasonal special made with melted Oaxacan cheese and shredded lettuce tucked into a white roll and topped with pickled onions. It’s offered as part of a $20 meal deal that includes fries and agua fresca (a non-alcoholic fruit drink), and is currently available through the end of June. “It was designed to be a rich, comforting and affordable meal,” says Galindo.
67 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale, radiotaco.com.au
Chilangos Hermanos, Rozelle
Cinco de Mayo special: $5 tacos
You may have seen Jonatan Morales cooking pork carnitas this season. MasterChef Australia. The dish is now on the menu at Chilangos Hermanos, a new Mexican restaurant in Rozelle that opened last month. There are also quesadillas, burritos, and tacos topped with tinga (shredded chicken in tomato sauce) and picadillo (ground beef in chipotle seasoning). For Cinco de Mayo, Chilangos is offering $5 tacos when you buy three or more, and additional specials will be added in the coming weeks.
576 Darling Street, Rozelle, chilangoshermanos.com.au
Tijuana, Manly
Weekday and Sunday special: $15 for two tacos, $12 for happy hour margaritas
Tijuana may be on the border of Mexico and the United States, but this restaurant and bar in Manly is more interested in the intersection between Mexico and Peru. Just minutes from the beach, the whitewashed coastal-themed spot serves dishes from both countries, from ceviche and anticuchera (smoky Peruvian marinade) chicken skewers to guacamole, tostadas and tacos. A serving of two tacos filled with Baja-style pounded barra or beef birria (cooked for 12 hours) usually costs $19, but drops to $15 during happy hour (4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) on weekdays and Sundays; margaritas are also $12, house wines are $10 and Mexican beers are $8.
1a/4/8 Darley Road, Manly, tijuanasmanly.com.au
Little Birria, various locations
Tuesday special: $5 tacos or $14 for tacos and beer
With its brightly colored interiors and festoon lighting, Little Birria echoes the cozy cantinas of Cozumel, the Mexican island where chef-owner Sunil Pundir lived and worked for seven years. It hosts a weekly Taco Tuesday special in Mascot and Gladesville, featuring select tacos including adobo-marinated beef, braised pork belly and chipotle chicken, priced at $5 each from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Specials on Thursdays include $2 honey chipotle wings, and on weekends you can share a Mexican feast with a 90-minute bottomless margarita for $89.
293 Coward Street, Mascot and 199 Victoria Road, Gladesville (also at) 161 Perry Street, Matraville), littlebirria.com.au
Que Pasa Tacos, various places
Monday through Thursday special: $6 tacos when you buy six, 3-5pm
This taqueria in Sydney’s south serves Mexican delicacies from HSP (Halal Snack Pack) as well as street food. Called MSP, it features hot chips filled with pulled beef, cheese and spicy mayonnaise. Owner Bruno Gabriela Santos, originally from Brazil, opened his first Que Pasa Tacos at a Speedway gas station in Liverpool in 2023. It has since grown into three stores and a small fleet of food trucks and trailers. Tacos are $8 each and served on corn tortillas with fillings like Jalisco-style birria de res (slow-cooked beef) or chicken with pico de gallo. You can also score six tacos for $36 Monday-Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.
Erina Starkey- Erina is the Good Food App Editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Previously, Erina held various editing roles at Delicious.com.au and writing roles at Broadsheet and Concrete Playground.
