5/92 Marua Road,
Ellerslie
Auckland,
1051

(09) 580 2497

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5 out of 5 stars

A hot international trend in eating out right now is the rise of secret, private door restaurants. A passionate amateur chef opens up their house for one night only, and lucky guests receive an invitation by Facebook, text or email. Think of them as culinary Speakeasys. The next month the tasty action moves onto another chef and another underground location. It’s a trend that’s been slow to catch on in Auckland, but hidden in a grocery-meets-gift shop in a suburban shopping centre is the next best thing.

Mexican Specialties is only open from 11 to 3 on Thursdays and Fridays and 10 to 4 on Saturdays. That’s still plenty of time for husband and wife team Jose Carlos and Maria de la Macorra to dish up the most authentic Mexican food in town. In a city where most “Mexican” is actually an Americanised Tex-Mex approximation, the tastes at this suburban gem are the closest you’ll get to the markets of Mexico City or Oaxaca. And you’d go a long way to find another place in Auckland where the food is prepared with so much care and passion.

It pays to get to Mexican Specialties as they open as there are only a few tables squeezed in amongst the Frida Kahlo T-shirts, quirky Day of the Dead dolls, and silver crucifixes. All this Mexican clobber is for sale and on the way out you can also pick up super-spicy home made sauces, gossamer-light flan (like crème caramel), and Auckland’s best nachos, made fresh that very morning.

Ten in the morning might seem a tad early for getting into a shrimp taco ($12.50) trimmed with a smoky chipotle sauce or zingy Serrano chilli sauce, but I could honestly eat this food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Especially when it’s washed down with a mug of delicious hot chocolate ($3) with the added horsepower of a dash of chilli.

Jose Carlos’ tacos are a world away from old or new El Paso; Light and tender, and filled with a creamy mix of plump shrimp and fresh guacamole. The beef version is just as good, crammed with tender steak.

Eating at Mexican Specialties is exactly like eating at someone’s house. The curious foodie in me is already lining up a return visit for interesting goodies like the chilli relleno (stuffed chilli) soup, the Aztec pie, a creamy combo of chicken and cheese, and the sincronizadas (tortilla sandwiches).

Can I come round next weekend too?