Everyone has been talking lately about Florida Road’s latest addition, Taco Zulu. I finally had a chance to check it out last night, and needless to say the place is fantastic.

The first thing that strikes you is the friendly and relaxed attitude of the venue, especially the waitrons, who have no uniforms and thus blend in perfectly with the crowd. The lack of formality between staff and customers creates an awesome vibe, as it feels like you’re eating at good friend’s house rather than a Mexican restaurant. ‘Good evening sirs’ is substituted with ‘Howzit okes’, as handshakes, smiles and friendly greetings are seen everywhere. The inside of the bathroom has been covered with stickers, from Decay Clothing to surf brands and Volcom Stone, and even the walls are covered in photos of the staff and customers chilling out together and stuffing around.

Despite the informal attitude, the service was outstanding with our food arriving in perfect time, and our drinks never getting low without someone offering another round. I had the infamous Steak Chimichanga, which is large deep fried (but not oily) tortilla wrap; stuffed with beans, rice, cheese, mushroom, onion and topped with sour cream, guacamole and fresh salsa. It was superbly filling, and a real steal at R31!

If you are trying to keep your costs down (every last cent counts towards another beer, after all), then you’ll be stoked to see that despite the insane quality of the food at Taco Zulu, nothing on the menu costs more than R40! Finally, some competition for Florida Road’s long standing champion, Spiga D’oro!

Even if you’re not hungry, go for a quick drink at the upstairs bar, or chill out while watching some surfing videos and browsing a Zigzag magazine on the couches. With a young, trendy crowd and refreshingly relaxed staff to compliment, this Mexican restaurant looks perfectly at home on the east coast of Africa.