Café Mexicho

Last week's cold front left me with a serious chilli craving and a mild case of the winter blues. With this in mind, I headed to Caf� Mexicho, which turned out to be the perfect place to solve both problems.
 
The attention to detail is obvious from the second one steps through the swinging saloon doors. The simple wooden furniture and bright primary colours welcome relaxation, while funky wire light fittings, a long wooden bar and a huge portrait of Frieda Khalo create a sense of fun and let patrons know that they should be prepared for a party.  
Caf� Mexicho offers an impressive selection of tequila, as well as some unique cocktails and some seasonal specialities. I tried an Ajuaaa, which consisted of a Corona mixed with a shot of tequila, seasoned with salt and lemon. It was a remarkably smooth drink, with a pleasant kick from the tequila at the end. My friend went for the gluwhein, which was piping hot, fantastically well-spiced and served in a lovely tin teapot.
The food at Caf� Mexicho, prepared by a chef who hails from Mexico City, is as authentic as you get. I started with deep-fried tacitos stuffed with chicken and topped with a creamy salad, while my friend tried the jalapeno poppers.
 
The tacitos were crispy and fresh, nicely complimented by the creamy salad and a large helping of Mexicho's famous hot sauce. The jalapeno poppers were generously stuffed with cheese, fried to perfection and offered just the right amount of flavour from the jalapeno.
Deciding to go all-out to satisfy my chilli craving, I opted for chilli con carne for my main. Although they offer a mild option, I ordered it hot and I was not disappointed. The mixture of meat and beans had a great flavour and I was impressed by the fact that they used actual shredded steak as opposed to mince. The chilli in the dish snuck up on me, but once it hit, all cravings were satisfied.
 
My dinner partner went for the sincronizada, the Mexican equivalent of a pizza, consisting of cheddar cheese, onions, bacon and chicken between two large tortillas. He declared it rich and filling, the perfect dish for a cold winter night.
In a city that has lacked a decent Mexican restaurant for years, Caf� Mexicho would be welcome just for the variety they provide. However, this superb venue does a lot more than just fill a niche; they create an atmosphere that says: come in, kick back and get your fiesta on!
 
Caf� Mexicho
78A, Fourth Avenue, Melville

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What Others Said

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Randy Jackson said
on 07 May 2010

Jozi really does need a PROPER mexican restaurant, with QUALITY food. Take notes from Panchos in Observatory Cape Town. They really know what they are doing!

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Ally said
on 26 April 2010

Hi I was wondering if you guys did tequila tastings,
I read some where you had a large variety of different tequilas.

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Daniel said
on 20 November 2009

Elena come to Cantina Tequila for a real Mexican experiance

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Lanah-Lee said
on 07 October 2009

Frida paintings, good music, frozen margarita's, tequila and awesome food. What more can you ask for. LUV IT!! It's a great place!!!

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all StaR said
on 22 September 2009

Does anybody have a contact number for Cafe Mexicho? Please reply ASAP!

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Elena said
on 28 August 2009

I am Mexican that is sooooooo not Mexican, the food was horrible, bland, uncooked.  

Jozi really need a proper Mexican place were cliches are not the common denominator.

ANd the chef might be mexican but he told me grew up in america...

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Poncho said
on 01 July 2009

We're listening to your comments, so from next week Tuesday 7 July our Chili Poppers have a Bacon Bits option!!!! They're awesome! The Chillis byte depends entirely on where they are farmed... We're looking into this. Also we've introduced a
new Strawberry Frozen Margarita!  All food is prepared with passion by our own Mexican Chef - Lucio.
Please remember to book Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays... things get a frantic on weekends, and we've had to show people away! Our number to book is   (079) 1659617. Our address is 78 4th Avenue, Melville. Oh, Amigos, don't forget Tequila Tuesdays! Sorry closed on Mondays.

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milton keanes said
on 25 June 2009

I agree with "rOXANNE CAN I SWITCH ON THE RED LIGHT".
Chilli poppers were slightly boring...but overall its a awsome place

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koketso said
on 23 June 2009

ur place looks very nice and i would like 2 know  more about it cuz im from a tv station and i would love 2 interview sum1 from your restaurant.pls reply on my email koketsoramaila@rocketmail.com

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Brad said
on 23 June 2009

A proper Mexican spot!!!
We loved the Chilli poppers, and traditional nachos (apposed to the "original" Spur variant). This is authentic Mexican, the food, the atmosphere and the tequila.
We loved it!!!

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rOXANNE CAN I SWITCH ON THE RED LIGHT said
on 22 June 2009

Nice place, decent nacho's but the main reason i came was for chilli poppers and they were so disappointing. This is one of the few places in jozi that has them and they were so bland.The only filling is mozzorella/?/?/?  COME ON MIGUEL PRADO!