Prickles restaurant to get new owner after 22 years

Things are about to get even hotter at Darwin’s best-known Mexican restaurant. Read what's planned.

Darwin’s oldest Mexican restaurant - and one of the Territory’s best-known eateries - is about to change owners.

Opened in 1981, Prickles in Parap has been a Darwin institution for decades and is about to change hands for only the fourth time in its long history.

New owners Carla Johnson and Alex Waman will take over Prickles next week, officially ending Diane Harvey and Jimmy Brook’s 22 year tenure as the restaurant’s owner-operators, with a “reopening event” planned for Sunday, November 17.

Carla and Alex have owned Taco and Grounds on Anictomatis Street, Berrimah for the past 12 months and jumped at the chance to buy Prickles when it hit the market earlier this year.

The old and new at Prickles: Left to right - Diane Harvey, Carla Johnson, Alex Waman and Jimmy Brook.

As Prickles’ longest ever owners, Diane said the time was right for new adventures.

“It has given us a wonderful life, our daughters have never known a time where their mum and dad didn’t smell like Mexican food,” Diane said.

“I’ve gathered so many remarkable stories over the years that I could easily fill a book with them and it has been an absolute privilege to hear them.

“Prickles hasn’t just been a place to dine; it has carved a special place in the hearts and histories of those who have visited. We hope Prickles continues for another 43 years.”

While there was a lot of interest in the business, Carla and Alex eventually won out because they ran a family business and had a couple of kids.

Tacos and Grounds in Berrimah.

Jimmy estimated that over 25 years, he assembled up to half-a-million versions of one of their signature dishes, Great Balls of Fire.

“We are so excited for Alex and Carla,” he said.

“While there was a lot of interest in the business, their ambition and enthusiasm won us over. “We want to thank all our regulars for their support and our wonderful, dedicated staff.”

With the change of owners comes a change of brand - from next week on Prickles will be Prickles by Tacos and Grounds.

Chilean by heritage, Carla and Alex will also rename their Berrimah restaurant La Mes Latina (The Latin Table), with the addition of Latino flavours to Darwin’s food scene.

“We’ll do our Mexican menu at Prickles, offering traditional and tex-mex dishes, although we’ll keep some Prickles staples like their famous Great Balls of Fire,” Carla said.

“We’ll be doing Latin American food at the Berrimah location, reflecting as well our Chilean heritage such as loaded dogs, and specialty dishes like Chilean sandwiches or shepherds pie,”.

“We wanted to keep Prickles in the name when we moved because a lot of people have lots of stories about Prickles. It’s an institution in Darwin and we wanted to respect that and keep on with the legacy.”

Food and service at the rebadged eatery will begin about 5pm on November 17.