Cartel Del Taco - New Farm

Cartel del Taco brings Mexico City-inspired street food to New Farm, with a menu built around tacos, tortas, wood- and charcoal-grilled mains and classic desserts. The restaurant also offers a bar selection featuring mezcal, tequila, margaritas, Mexican beers, micheladas and cocktails, making it suitable for a full meal or a casual catch-up over drinks. The website lists breakfast, lunch and dinner service, with bookings available for the New Farm dining room.

The New Farm menu includes the venue’s award-winning tacos and Mexican street-food dishes, while dessert includes a churro taco filled with orange diplomat cream and strawberries. Other offerings mentioned across the site include salsas, slow-cooked-meat tacos and tortas, although some promotional specials, including birria tacos and all-you-can-eat chicken wings, are specifically advertised for the Hawthorne location rather than New Farm. Checking the current menu before visiting is the best way to confirm what is available at 79 Merthyr Road.

The space is designed as a lively, 1980s-inspired taqueria and bar, with music and interiors intended to reflect Mexico City. Furniture, crockery, glassware and artwork were sourced from Mexico City, giving the venue a distinctly themed setting rather than a generic restaurant feel. It is positioned in New Farm’s riverside precinct, close to Teneriffe, Fortitude Valley, Newstead, Brisbane City and Bowen Hills.

Cartel del Taco was founded by two Mexico City locals and remains Mexican-owned and run. Executive chef and co-owner Erick Martinez is from Mexico City, while New Farm’s kitchen is led by head chef Jaris, who grew up in a family of bakers in Saltillo, Coahuila. With its shareable street-food style, bar offering and energetic atmosphere, the restaurant suits groups and family meals, as well as friends or couples looking for tacos and cocktails in New Farm. Groups of more than eight are placed on a set menu, so larger bookings should check the venue’s conditions in advance.