Concrete Playground

A bucketful of icy Coronas? $10 frozen margaritas? Beachside location? Consider my arm twisted.

Indeed, it’s pretty hard to fault the notoriously popular Bondi Beach Burrito. Suitably loud and colourful, the restaurant knows its market (bare-footed Bondi beach dwellers, backpackers and party-goers) and caters to it well with low-fuss, pay-as-you-go Mexican fare that rarely pushes the $15 mark.

The menu is extensive and features plenty of hits, but also some misses. You certainly won’t be disappointed with the Green Chilli Roasted Pig Quesadilla ($12.95): super tasty and with just the right amount of spice, it goes down well with a Coopers Green long neck or a dark Mexicali lager. The Nachos – in particular the vego option ($13.95) - also gets a large tick for its smoky flavour, crispy chips and killer guacamole.

The salads ($13.95) on the other hand are a let down. While the cabbage is fresh and crunchy, everything, including the meat, is shredded up into thin slithers and tastes downright bland. The up side is that you can snack on the flour tortilla bowl!

The burritos are forces to be reckoned with and will leave you stuffed to the brim. There’s a huge range to choose from, too. And while I struggle to get my head around why people love them stuffed with rice, if you’re a fan then you should go all out and try the Mucho Burrito ($13.95) with pulled seasoned beef, spicy pork, chipotle chicken, black beans, mexican rice and chilli con carne.   Arguably the cuisine won’t blow your mind, but it’s cheap, flavoursome and the dishes make for good stomach-liners before a night out.

Lastly there’s something to be said for a place that maintains a consistently great vibe the whole week through. We walk in on a Wednesday night and the space is packed, with trays of tequila shots flying about, and 90s hip hop and reggae booming.

Bring on Summer!

Images: Alex Relic