mamasita

URL: http://www.mamasita.com.au/
Physical: 11 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD

Mamasita is pretty much impossible to get into at night. They won't take bookings unless you're in a group of a certain size and then, of course, then you're obligated to go for some set menu. For everyone else it's a case of having to line up on the narrow staircase, giving your number to someone and waiting for a call some time in the next, oh, two or three hours.

Getting in at lunchtime is a lot easier assuming you go early. When you get in, it's easy to see why there is such a long wait at night: the dining room is fairly small. Thankfully, though, it's not cramped.

Mamasita is everything a reasonable person would expect and want it to be. The menu provides a much fairer representation of what Mexican food is about than, say, Taco Bill or any of its equally nasty competitors. The service is friendly and speedy. You order whatever and, before you know it, it's sitting on your table. The food looks nice and tastes nice. The braised pork dishes--the both of them, the tacos and the sandwich-like things, with shredded, seasoned pork sitting between a thin corn chip and a thick slice of jalapeno--are both very nice. There's reasonable cider on tap (Coldstream Brewery) that goes for five bucks a pot. The housemade corn chips, which I bought for the kids at work, are nice and plentiful. Overall, Mamasita is excellent for what it is.