Calaveras, Newtown

Have you ever been to Calaveras in Newtown? Their owner Gerry was born in Mexico and has brought authentic Mexican flavours and booze to Newtown. I recently drop by on a Friday night after a long week at work.

Calaveras is located right near Newtown Station on King St. You enter by going up the stairs and as you enter, you see their bar. It's a dimly lit restaurant/bar with Mexican hats and decorations everywhere. Get in touch with your inner child. Calaveras has a wicked cocktail and drinks menu. 

If you want something different you should definitely order "the mexican way to drink beer" ($10). MW tries the Dos Equis Lager with the salted with fresh lime, chipotle and chilli seasoning. I have to say that chilli hit really hit me suddenly. MW really enjoyed this beer as it was unique.

For something more sweet, I would recommend the Fairy Floss ($18) which has vodka, fresh lines, strawberry coulis and it's topped with fairy floss which just adds that extra hint of childhood magic. I also quite like the lychee cocktail called the Lychee Laguna which is a tequila based cocktail that I tried last time I was here.

Soft tortilla tacos are always a nice snack or entree. I order the Don Pastor ($5, above) which is the pulled pork taco with fresh pineapple, coriander, spanish onion and chipotle sauce. MW prefers the flavoursome pulled pork taco. 

We also order the Senor Pollo ($5, above) which are delicious spicy chicken strips topped with cabbage and salsa ranchera. I prefer the chicken taco which has the slight crunch from the cabbage.

For a bit more crunch - Next up are the Ceviche De Pescado ($16, 3 pcs, above) which is fish slowly cured in lime juice with tajin and pico de gallo (salsa with lime juice) and it's served on a crispy corn tortilla with a spicy salsa sauce. This is a refreshing dish with the fish which is a nice contrast to the crunchy base.

Flautas De Pollo ($16, 3 pcs, below) are hand rolled crispy taquitos filled with pulled puajillo chicken topped with salsa ranchera, feta and coriander. These are fun cigar shaped taquitos are quite fun to eat. I've never seen this dish before so it was nice to try something different.

MW has such a sweet tooth and was eagerly awaiting dessert. We had to order the The Flaming Choc Brownie ($13) which is served on fire with vanilla ice cream and berry coulis. Don't worry - the blue flame doesn't last too long and leaves a slightly smokey flavour to the chocolate brownie.  The ice cream cuts through the light brownie - it's not dense at all. 

My favourite dessert are the house made Churros ($13, 4 pcs) which are traditional straight mexican donuts coated with cinnamon sugar and warm nutella sauce. They are of similar length to a hot dog and have a nice thickness. The crunchy coating makes it perfecto.

Summary: Drop by Calaveras for some seriously delicious cocktails and authentic food. The meals are more snack-like although there are the heavier option of DIY Fajitas ($26) or Enchiladas. 

Price: $30ish per person

Location: 32A King St, Newtown, right near the station

Opening Hours: 
Closed Monday
Tuesday, Wednesday: 6pm to 10pm
Thursday: 5pm to 11pm
Friday, Saturday: 5pm to 12am
Sunday: 5:30pm to 10pm

Weekend Food Esapes dined as guests of Zomato. All words, opinions and photos are my own.