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The barbacoa estilo Hidalgo at El Columpio comprises three tacos and a bowl of consomme. Topped with onion, coriander and salsa, the tacos look like plenty of others. But this barbacoa is next level. The quality of the lamb, the focus on texture and the careful spicing set it apart.

It’s one of several dishes this small restaurant serves that are hard to find done well in Melbourne. The fried tortilla dish chilaquiles is layered with chicken, salsa and refried beans. Tamales are stuffed with Oaxacan-style pork. Pozole, one of the great hangover-curing broths, is brimming with dried corn kernels, pork and oregano.

Mexican tchotchkes serve as decoration, service is friendly but haphazard, and every now and then a live mariachi band shows up. El Columpio already has a lasting legacy: lifting our city’s taco game.