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I see the colour first. Bright, cobalt-blue and beautiful, Bondi Road’s Mexican cantina is painted the exact same shade as Frida Kahlo’s former home in Mexico City. The same home (which is now a museum) that I stayed a few blocks from in 2019. You can’t miss it. And after eating here, one thing’s for certain – you sure as hell won’t want to.
Named after the Spanish word for “mummy”, Mami’s was opened in late 2023 by Mexican-born owners Erendira and Juan Perez, who wanted to create a home-style eatery where families and friends could pop in for an affordable and yum feed. Inside is indeed homey and low-key – much of the furniture has been upcycled from things the couple found on the side of the road – but it feels cosy and welcoming. There are a handful of communal wooden tables with stools, with more seating down the back, and upbeat Mexican tunes play over the speakers. A tiled mirror, traditional ornaments and paintings of Kahlo add colour, and on one wall there are more than a dozen old photos of mums and grandmothers. It’s a fitting nod to the people in our lives who first show many of us what good food – and love – really is.
Talk about good food. Mami’s is an all-day eatery, so there’s a brunch offering – chilaquiles made with tortillas topped with salsa, beans and a fried egg, scrambled eggs with pico de gallo and guac and enfrijoladas with beans and cheese – on the menu. But we’ve just walked from Coogee, and it’s lunchtime, so we’re ready to dive into the full spread like it’s a cenote in Tulum on a 30-plus-degree day.
The first thing you need to know is that nothing on the menu costs more than $20. Which these days in Sydney is great, but given we’re in Bondi, it’s truly remarkable. That doesn't mean the team skimps on quality, however. Instead, they source their veggies daily from local farmers, and their meat comes from a butcher down the road in Randwick.
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We begin with Mami’s special: a soup with pulled beef, tortillas and shredded purple cabbage topped with coriander, white onion and a sprinkling of cheese. It arrives hot – I can see the steam coming from it – and there are tiny pools of fat on top of the consommé. It smells incredible – and it tastes even better. Full of flavour, spice-rich, unctuous and comforting, it’s the kind of bowl that would cure any ailment or worse, a hangover. The different textures – soft tortillas, crunchy onions and fall-apart meat – with the hearty broth is a winning combination. Is it rude to slurp? Probably. But who cares when it’s this good. Oh, also: it costs $14.
Tacos are a must – and holy guacamole, the ones at Mami’s are just like the ones I fell in love with in Mexico. Corn tortillas with fresh, charred and zippy toppings, and without the sugar-laden sauces you often get in Westernised Mexican joints. It’s one for $6, or four for $20, so four it is.
Mami’s signature pork taco is banging, and takes me right back to scoffing them standing up in Oaxaca City. The pork is marinated in orange juice, which imparts subtle fruit notes, and then braised for four hours, so the meat is succulent and flavoursome. It’s crowned with a bright salsa verde, fresh onion and coriander for an authentic home run.
Birria tacos see slow-cooked beef with melted cheese and the usual suspects wrapped up in a corn tortilla, then dipped in a delicious, complex broth. This is the kind of thing I want to eat post-swim, on a Sunday, or really, every day.
The hits keep on coming. Chicken gets amped up with a hint of adobo before being paired with a pico de gallo, avo and slaw, and our lamb barbacoa is meltingly tender with charred and crisp bits throughout, and fresh lime lifts and cuts through.
Elsewhere on the menu, there are burritos, quesadillas, bowls, steak sangas and Texas nachos, if you have that itch. For something sweet, the traditional Mexican lime dessert, postre de limon, nearly lures me (churros would have) but after a bowl of soup and four tacos I am like an overstuffed burrito.
To drink, there are rainbow-coloured Jarritos and Coke. Which leads me to the second thing you need to know: Mami’s is BYO – and if you head to The Royal across the road you can score 10 per cent off beer and 20 per cent off wine. How good is that?
I leave Mami’s feeling as pumped up as a lucha libre competitor ready to take to the ring, and as content as if I had just enjoyed a home-cooked meal by mum. And that’s because there’s a lot to love about Mami’s, which serves the best Mexican food I’ve eaten outside of Mexico. The cobalt-blue cantina is the real deal, and an excellent cheap eat. If you’re looking for an authentic Mexican feast after your surf, you know where to head. Pick up a six-pack of Tecate and save me one, please. I’m on my way.
Time Out Sydney never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.
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