Monday, May 21, 2012

Guzman Y Gomez

The burrito is the American souvlaki.  Antidote when the late-night munchies strike...seedy stomach settler, full of glorious grease and sauce.  A knight in shining silver foil armour.  When Mr Baklover moved here from Chicago, he began the transition from burrito cravings in the wee hours to settling for a souvla instead.  Of course, that was before the Mexican and American food craze swept across Melbourne, and now in Swan Street, Richmond alone - right near where we first lived - there are two new authentico Mexican joints where he could have found hangover salve in the form of burritos and tacos.

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In a coup of sorts, Highpoint is the location of Victoria's first Guzman Y Gomez store - a chain that first started in Sydney, specialising in burritos, tacos and quesadillas.

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It's an upmarket fast food setup similar to Nandos.  You order at the counter but take a table number and in a few minutes your grub is delivered to your table.

Thank you Ms A!

That day Mother needed a Bex and a good lie down after one Chardy turned into three.  Perfect, I thought, a big greasy burrito oozing with cheese for lunch - that will cure what ails me!  So off to Guzman Y Gomez we went.

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The condiment station is extremely generous - you can load your burrito up with jalapenos and test your manliness with three different grades of Tabasco for nada.  

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There are two burrito sizes - the adult mini and the kids version are the same size, as shown here.  If this is mini, the large must be the size of a small dog.  They are quite satisfyingly heavy and warm when clutched with two fists.

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Two beef guerrero tacos, $8.50

These tacos were yummy.  The beef is super slow cooked and shredded in a rich, earthy sauce.  I'm pretty sure the cheese is proper Monterey Jack cheese.  The big surprise was authentic, healthy (and hard to find in Australia) black beans.  Pretty good.

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"Little Guy" burrito with chicken, $5

This kids' burrito was packed with chunks of marinated chicken, smoky from the grill, white rice and a smattering of cheese.  The tortillas are delicious, really toothsome and tender.

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Pork chipotle 'mini B' burrito, $6.50

This grown-up spicy chipotle pork burrito also had meltingly tender, pull-apart meat.  Those lovely black beans appeared again along with a pico de gallo chunky-type salsa, with all the juices running into soft white rice.  Out of the three meat fillings, I think the chicken was my fave.  They also do barramundi and an all-veg version.

Now hang on - where is the gloop, the mountains of yellow cheese and fatty, cheap meat?  It's clear that these were not the fast food burritos that I had been expecting.  Guzman Y Gomez don't appear to be perpetuating the Taco Bill-style cheese and sour cream fest that we have come to expect from el cheapo Mexican.  This lunch was fresh and relatively nutritious.  It's still a chain and it's still fast food, but it's a better option when you're marooned at Highpoint - although I wish they had real crockery for eat in like Nandos do, instead of everything being throw away.

So Guzman Y Gomez didn't cure my hangover.  In the long run, though, that's a good thing.  However, they do serve Coronas and margaritas, so maybe next time they can help me start a new one!

Guzman Y Gomez Mexican Taqueria Highpoint on Urbanspoon

Guzman Y Gomez
Lower level, Highpoint Shopping Centre
Hours:  Sun-Wed 11am-10pm, Thurs-Sat 11am-11pm


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13 comments:

  1. I'm trusting you on this Lauren. So I will be bravng Knifepoint at some stage to check this out!

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    1. Oh oh - my credibility is on the line with this one! Hey, if it's bad just douse it in their habanero-flavoured Tabasco. Have you seen this The Onion comic? "TASTY FIRESTORM!!!" http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha

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    2. haha ... I think I need the T-shirt!!

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  2. Wow I can't believe there is yet another Mexican place in Melbourne - when will they stop? Looks like this place is decent enough for a chain.

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  3. Looks quite good-- looking forward to trying to get out there soon!

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  4. I walked this place the other day when I was shopping, looked like it was buzzing. Glad to hear the tacos are good!

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  5. My daughter and I went to knifepoint yesterday just to go to Guzman Y Gomez but they were closed, with a sign blaming an electrical problem. We had to have Grilled instead. We don't eat the bread and it annoys me that we can't get a discount for a bunless burger. I am excited that GYG has some gluten free options, yay!

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    1. Bummer, how annoying! Here's hoping they get organised soon. Footscray Milking Station has quite a few gluten free options, and I have heard that the gluten free pizza bases at Eat Pizza (cnr Gordon Street and Ballarat Road) are really yummy.

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  6. this looks really good. i hope they would decide to franchise internationally so we can have a taste of those delicious tacos!

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  7. Tried the pork chipotle burrito last weekend, and as far as Mexican fast food goes it was pretty awesome! Kid-friendly too. We'll be back, thanks for letting us know about this little gem!

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    1. My pleasure! We did the same not long ago after couch shopping at Highpoint. Beats all the other greasy food court options hands down.

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  8. This chain is on every corner in Sydney!

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    1. Yes I know! Still, in that section of Highpoint where it's a choice between La Porchetta, Nandos, Grill'd etc, I would go the Guz.

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