Mexican Taqueria
Settle on in for a fiesta like no other at Maitland’s very own Mexican Taqueria; El’ Chapos.
Owners John and Lani Elsley opened up the space early this year after an inspirational honeymoon to Mexico.
“A trip my wife and I did on our honeymoon to Mexico. We fell in love with the food and decided to bring it back here,” John told me.
Originally from Newcastle, John opened up local favourite, The Whistler that’s just a few doors down with his brother Phil. With two venues in Newcastle as well, they’d been wanting to track down a space for another venue here in Maitland.
“We wanted something to complement what the Whistler had up the road… we wanted another bar and we wanted to grow.”
Named after ‘El Chapo’ the biggest Mexican drug lord of all time, John tell us that’s it’s about having a bit of fun and ‘it just rolls off the tongue!”
The big winner here is the food and drinks menu. Satisfying all of your Mexican cuisine cravings with their extensive range of tequila and all the comida (food) you could ever want.
Jalapeno poppers, burritos, quesadillas, tacos and churros with chocolate dipping sauce. You name it; these guys have got it.
The downstairs space screams with colour, with the interior decked out from top to bottom in an authentic and iconic Mexican theme.
“We’ve made it that casual dining feel. Come in, eat, drink and relax.”
The upstairs space is something that needs to be seen. Available for functions of 40 or more guests, the room transports you to the streets of Mexico with extravagant high ceilings, fairy lights, cracked surfaces, and finished with traditional and rustic furniture to match.
El’ Chapos has specials almost every day of the week from their $10 Nachos (with any drink purchase) on Mondays, $5 taco Tuesdays, $15 burritos on Wednesdays and Thursdays and sangria Sundays; that’s $20 for a jug!
Offering auténtico Mexican street food to dine in or takeaway, El’ Chapos should be on your ‘to eat’ list!