Exclusive first look inside Cartel Del Taco’s New Farm taqueria

Come with us as we take an exclusive first look inside the highly-anticipated second venue from a cult-popular Mexican taqueria ahead of its upcoming opening.

Cartel Del Tacos new venue in New Farm – Photo Steve Pohlner

They are the brains behind the massively popular Cartel Del Taco, and now Marco Ramirez and Erick Martinez are taking the cult brand “across the bridge” to open a new venue, giving us the exclusive first look inside.

Cartel Del Taco, whose first venue at Hawthorne opened in 2022, is a true labour of love for the pair, and their second venue is now finally ready to welcome city-siders, a little closer to home.

Eagle-eyed fans will have spotted signage at 79 Merthyr Rd in New Farm some time ago, but now after months of blood, sweat, tears, and the eventual arrival of three tonnes of authentic Mexican wares, that firetruck red, Mexican dream is about to come to life, officially opening on February 28.

“A lot of our really good clients are from Tenerife and Newstead, and so we just listened to them, and if you listened to the community talking about this vacant space on the corner, it really needed to be activated and finally create a fun, happy vibe,” Ramirez said.

Claiming prime real estate on the corner of Merthyr Rd and Brunswick St, the new venue will bring the desperately needed good vibes for the area, that locals have been crying out for since the building first came onto the market.

It was previously home to a real estate agency, but the duo said they had heard the calls of their clients and residents that the corner site needed to be “activated to finally create a really fun happy vibe”, and they have not disappointed.

The pair said the focus for the new space was on giving the community a truly authentic Mexican experience, curating all of the things that shaped their own childhoods, while tempering some of the food offerings to the Australian palate.

“Being in New Farm, the area gives us the opportunity to elevate our offerings in the techniques we are using especially … we want to keep this a traditional Mexican taqueria, but with an Australian touch,” Martinez said.

L to R, Juan Areu the Head Chef, Erick Martinez the Owner Marco Ramirez the Owner, exclusive first look at Cartel Del Tacos new venue in New Farm. – Photo Steve Pohlner

A dish the pair are already expecting will be their ‘viral’ standout, will be their version of the classic Mexican street food gordita’s, a flat tortilla stuffed with meat and other fillings, that are huge in Mexico City, and the standout version at New Farm is their pork carnitas, jam packed and topped with a rich, salty tomato and chilli sauce with a squeeze of lime.

The new restaurant is still deeply infused with the culinary passion and vibes as the Hawthorne venue, but Ramirez said they hoped for each venue to have a distinct offering that would set them apart from each other, with Martinez and head chef Juan Areu introducing charcoal and wood-fired cooking and smoking to the menu, as well as a heavy focus on seafood.

“A highlight for this new restaurant is we will use a lot of smoking and charcoal, like wood-fired vegetables, smoked meats and we really want to develop it here,” Martinez said.

“Seafood in Mexican food is really big, especially along the pacific coast, and we want to bring that here and keep things really fresh.”

There will be an oyster bar, sponsored by Patron, and a dish called tiraditos, which is similar to sashimi or ceviche.

The attention to detail on a seamless blend of cultures goes beyond just the menu, with two massive pallets of furniture, art and servingware handcrafted in Mexico delivered to the venue just a few short weeks ago.

“Our chairs and tables are all handmade in Mexico, we have volcanic stone plates and even the uniforms have been made there,” Ramirez said.

“The artworks and decorations have been made the same way that these families have made them for hundreds of years.”

“We have these brown clay pieces which are exactly what our grandmothers used to cook dinner in … it’s really special.”

Right down to the tiniest details, like each table’s branded napkin holder that were handcrafted by Martinez’ aunty in Mexico, the love and passion the pair have for the cuisine and their restaurant’s is interwoven into every aspect.

Exclusive first look at Cartel Del Tacos new venue in New Farm – Photo Steve Pohlner

Over 5000 hand placed tiles line the walls and counters inside, pulling together that fresh 1970s vibe Cartel Del Taco is known for.

Custom work by artist Mauricio Groenewold, who Ramirez describes as the “Banksy of Mexico” features a lucha libre fighting a boxing kangaroo, while another features a chilli-surfing skeleton.

The indoor dining space will fit up to 100 people, and the team has approval for up to 25 seats on the streetfront.

In the near future, they have hopes to introduce a breakfast service, with traditional items like chilaquiles, which are tortilla chips cooked in a salsa or molletes, which are a traditional breakfast snack, alongside Australian classics with a Mexican twist, like an eggs benedict.

“People think of Mexican food and they think its really heavy, spicy, fatty – but its not that … there are even traditional breads and pastries we want to introduce,” Martinez said.

For now, the venue will open seven days a week, for lunch and dinner dependant on the day.

What’s next for the team? Hopes are on a Sydney and Melbourne restaurant in the future, though Ramirez says he doesn’t want to get “too big”.

“Eric (Martinez) and I are in the kitchens with the staff most nights … we are here until one, two o’clock in the morning,” he said.

The grand opening of Cartel Del Taco New Farm will be this Friday, February 28, though the venue is completely booked out, Ramirez says, with over 1000 guests expected in the opening weekends.

Originally published as Exclusive first look inside Cartel Del Taco’s New Farm taqueria