Touché Hombre

Over the last 6months I’ve been hearing about a place on Lonsdale Street that has quietly been impressing Melbourne’s love of tequila and Mexican food. Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit for a late lunch. Touché Hombre is a restaurant bar in the heart of Lonsdale Street. Upon entering I was expecting to walk into a traditional Mexican cantina. I wasn’t disappointed. Whilst I didn’t see a skull of a dead animal on the wall there was the required cactus in the corner.
I was greeted by a young staff member in a very rare way; a smile and a friendly and genuine welcome. Regardless of what was on the menu I knew I was in for a great experience.
The first thing that impressed me was the knowledge of the staff and the exceptional explanation of the menu, and I must say the menu didn’t disappoint. Well structured with the ability to share or have on your own. I opted for the express lunch for $ 20. Corn on the cob, a serve of taco and a glass of house wine.
First to arrive was the ELOTES or bbq’d corn on the cob with chipotle mayo, queso, lime, tanjin. I love corn especially fresh corn on the cob. So many establishments get this simple dish so wrong, but I’m pleased to say Touché nailed it. Well seasoned with a good amount of cheese and lime coating the juicy corn kernels. Whilst it wasn’t the best corn I’ve had it certainly is up there in my top 5.
My next dish arrived was the serve of tacos, grilled grass fed flank steak, with guaillo chilli, poblano, fried onion salsa. I was unsure about this dish. I mean it was nice but unfortunately the meat in parts was a little dry. Apart from that it was full of flavour and was refreshing to see it wasn’t drowned in salsa. I would have liked a bit more heat, but that’s just me and my love of chilli.
This was a great establishment with great food and exceptional service. So if your in the city and looking for reasonably priced lunch head down to Touché Hombre, I highly recommend it.

Second time here because the first time was so good! Definitely not your average («same as all the others») Mexican place.
A lot of thought has obviously gone into the different, but still great tasting, menu. A good selection of beers and tequila.
Fast and friendly service too, with a great vibe. I reckon it’d be a great place of an evening.
Prices probably a tad above average, but worth it.

Have been here a few times and was just around the corner with a hankering for Mexican. Whilst we enjoyed ourselves, there were a few things which soured the experience. We struggled to place our orders, with each staff member referring to another and dashing off in a huff. We had a drink spilled on us (although largely contained). More service staff wouldn’t have gone astray.

I’m a big fan of Touché Hombre and have been coming here since it’s opening. Although a massive fan of their tacos, on my most recent trip to this awesome piece of Mexican paradise I decided to go with their Fast Lunch special. For a super low price (under $ 24) you can get grilled corn, nachos and a burrito/​taco! I was so incredibly amazed with how everything tasted, the fish burrito was delicious!
My only complaint was the service, I came in alone and sat at the bar and it took about ten minutes for anyone to notice me and take my order. The restaurant was super busy and once the staff did pay attention to me they were exceedingly apologetic for taking so long and very, very friendly.
Love this place and definitely recommend to anyone wanting good Mexican, great vibes and rad tequila!

A fairly new Mexican style restaurant with a slight American twist to it!
This restaurant is very accommodating to meeting all needs with a lot of vegetarian options, gluten free options and for the meat lover delicious gluten free chicken wings!
It is highly priced for the quantity you get also its not the biggest restaurant but can still fit big groups or small groups!
Seems to be a resturant were you go to share a few things ad drink tasty margaritias!!!

Not sure why this place is so busy– cocktails were good, but the food is very average. We had the guac and some tacos and they were pretty much tasteless.

Found myself at Touché Hombre on a Wednesday night. The staff were really friendly and accommodating, making room for the large group I was with. It’s in a great spot, perfect place for dinner before heading out in town.
Now this place had been on my bookmarked list for a while for one main reason… Ice cream sandwiches! Unfortunately they let me down. Dry cookies made it hard to eat in general but the flavour was a bit ott too. Luckily the rest of the food was pretty on point. Mexican corn, delish! Spicey lamb ribs, SUPER SPICEY and delish! And the Quesadillas were tasty too. Some of the tacos were a bit hit and miss with their flavour combos but this place definitely has something for everyone. Which is impressive considering their menu is relatively small.
Also important to keep in mind, while the cookie wasn’t my cup of tea, their vanilla brûlée defs elevated the dessert game.

Great food, great staff. Try the secret taco, it changes, so you don’t know what you’ll get.
The staff were amazing. Our waitress was very friendly and even helped us with suggestions for where to go one the rest of our holiday.

Average food, annoying wait staff who treat you like it’s your first time eating out as an adult. Overpriced. Vibe not quite right.
There are so many better taquerias and cantinas in Melbourne to try that this is not worth the bother. Try ‘La Tortelleria’ in Kensington for a start.

It’s Saturday night and we’ve got a sitter so it’s time to enjoy the most livable city. With some trepidation, we forged ahead with Touché Hombre. We didn’t have a booking and geared for the worst.
We were pleasantly surprised that they greeted us enthusiastically and we’re able to seat us immediately without fuss. So I didn’t have an issue with the service like many others.
The reason you shouldn’t bother with this place is, in fact, the food. We had $ 12 worth of guacamole and chips. Oh wait, I mean we had $ 2 worth of it but we paid $ 12. We even took a picture to send to our American friends.
On top of that, they basically just serve tacos. Which is okay, but they are made with flour tortillas. Very ordinary. I had the pork with habanero mayonnaise and the steak. The pork taco was actually pretty tasty. The steak had virtually no taste whatsoever. My wife had the chicken taco and said it was good, not great.
The décor was nothing special. I kind of got the impression they would convert it to something else once the faux Mexican craze dies down. For example, I’m not sure how the Ghostbusters paraphernalia ties in.
They do have some good tequilas, and proper Mexican beer (don’t drink Corona, it’s the Fosters of Mexican beer). There are so many good places to eat in the CBD, let this one move on to whatever it will be next. It’s not Mexican. It’s really even that good. Sorry.

I am a lover of all things Mexican and was therefore pretty excited to try this place out. The décor is fun and retro and feels more like a nightclub than a restaurant. We booked for two people and were seated on a communal table. Stop me if I’m wrong but if you’re going to make people share a table you should probably forewarn them first. We were a couple sharing with three very loud (and borderline drunk) girls who were discussing our food and listening in to our conversations. Awkward.
The food itself was good. Tasty and flavorful and I would be happy to go back if they had their doughnuts available for takeaway only. The portion sizes are small and on the expensive side. You either leave full or broke. Your choice.
The music is my biggest complaint. If you go out for dinner on a Wednesday night with your partner you probably don’t want to listen to Jarule at the volume level you would expect from a nightclub. It you don’t like the people you’re dining with and don’t wish to converse then this is an ideal location.
I’m sure this place will suit certain people, I’m just not one of them.

Friday night and this place is pumping, so if you are in a group get a reservation to avoid disappointment.
There is a option for a «Feed Me» on the menu which takes out the hassle of decisions, and great for sharing with a group. What really got me was the Tequila selections, which some stuff that is hard to find. All I was thinking was how great it would be to sit at the bar during a quieter time, order the feed me and then match Tequilas to the meals.
Great place for a meal, the food is good and staff seemed to cope but to be fair it was absolutely chokers.

Flipping awesome! Even though I haven’t had any of the drinks and that usually
contributes a fair whack of my rating approval system. But it’s a good layout;
Cocktails, tequilas and other drinks. La Paloma, I’m looking at you! The taco’s de cameron– king prawn with popcorn is amazing, as too, the meat ball Albondiga’s,
both of which are served in soft shell taco’s. It has definitely fixed my taco cravings,
but now I’m wanting to go back to Touché for drinks and such. Good service, and nothing really to fault, though I did come here when it was dead quiet. But everything worked well. I liked the concept, even if I am far behind the times and trend on this one! I gotta say, I’m really liking the food here. This means Roast potatoes too ;)!

I went back today for lunch and sat at the bar (after many previous visits).
Excellent food and service as always, but was especially impressed with how my newly diagnosed celiac disease and obvious food restrictions were handled. I had previously asked them on Facebook about which of their menu items were gluten free and had received an extensive reply which gave me the confidence that they knew what was required (trust me you don’t always get this!)
Then when I talked to the bartender today he remembered the fb request and asked the chef what I could safely eat. I was especially impressed that they offered to make a change to the fish taco if I wished to order it in order for it to be gluten free.
I had the (grilled) fish taco ($ 5), guacamole with delicious homemade tortilla chips ($ 8) and the mushroom tostada (sorry don’t remember the exact name but it was really really nice, think it was around $ 10). Flavours are always so fresh and interesting. I look forward to the new menu which is apparently coming out when they re-​open in a couple weeks.
The atmosphere is great (only time I have some issue is on the busy nights but I tend to go at the quieter times). Great music. All in all a great experience. I will be back for sure.

Vegans! Listen up!
Don’t be fooled by the menu; that this place can «vegan-​ise» any dish.
Not true.
They will remove ingredients, but will not substitute meat, cheese or cream for vegan alternatives.
If you come on a Monday, you have the privilege of choosing from vegan options, but every other day, they don’t have those substitutes prepped.
I had a tofu taco after nothing else on the menu worked (how original). It was almost tasteless. I don’t find it hard to make tofu taste like … something.
Also, TINY portions for a hugely inflated price. Size does matter. Un pequeño taco and guac appetizer did not satisfy me in the least. Aaaand they don’t split bills.

Great service from our perch by the bar. Maybe that’s the secret here? But then again, all service from the moment we walked in was faultless.
Tasty guacamole, added a bit too much hot sauce. Whoops…
On this visit we had the monkfish taco and pork jowl taco. What a cracker. Will be back to try more.
We were lucky enough to get some outstanding bar recommendations. Sipped some great cocktails, and straight tequilas with orange to follow, wouldn’t have tried with out the friendly bar man’s guidance.

Great location and great décor is let down by mediocre staff attitudes, small serving sizes and high prices.
The menu appears to have a great range of the typical and expected Mexican fare, and flavours are good.
Worth a try, but I wouldn’t be returning without a pricing overhaul and some training for the staff.

I’m on the fence about Touché Hombre.
On the one hand, the pork belly and moreton bay bug tacos were fantastic. I actually liked that they came in two small serves each because it made sharing easier. The guacamole was also tasty with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and my crème fraîche panna cotta with spiced pineapple was to die for.
On the other hand, the venue was quite crowded and noisy and we appeared to be seated next to where the drinks were served up. I had to reach halfway across the bar to get cutlery and napkins and was too self conscious to go a third time for sauces, lest I disturb the neighbouring patrons’ experience. The fried soft shell crab taco — one that I was looking forward to the most — was just too fishy for my liking and not even the sauce could cover it.

So with so many Mexican options, I am sure most people are wondering how I am managing to give Touché Hombre 5 stars.
Simply this, food was great and service was excellent. I did not find the menu overpriced but felt that it was simple and easy to order. Food was quick and well presented, we had ceviche, soft shell crab taco and a chicken taco. Also asked for sparkling water which came in a 1 litre pitcher style jug with free refills. (Good value $$)
Staff were super friendly, attentive and helpful.

I’ve been meaning to visit Touché Hombre since I saw the construction crews clattering about creating what I could only assume was some kind of tex and/​or mex style restaurant in the CBD, and today I finally got to live that culinary adventure!
I popped in for lunch and drooled over the menu — chargrilled chicken with smoked avocado and chorizo with caramalised onions winning prize position on my table — and my suspicions of deliciousness were confirmed! My only complaint — they were too delicious, I needed many, many more taco than should be consumed by any one human in any one sitting! I restrained myself, plotting my next visit, while listening to a tequila-​class that was being conducted in the back of the restaurant in the wee projector space.
Service was personable and friendly, atmosphere was lovely, décor an interesting mix of Fitzroy meets Mexican bar (think pinball machines and Ghostbusters fluros combined with rustic tables and mismatched stoolware).
I’ll definitely be back, only next time it will be for dinner so I can justify ordering the glut I’m preparing to nom!

A friend and I found ourselves diverting from a chinatown trip to check out this new Mexican restaurant and were not disappointed.
Walking in we were greeted and offered a choice of a table or seats at the bar, service was friendly and fast with the waitress taking us through the tequila, beer, and wine offerings in good detail. Being a weeknight we stuck with the wine, the tempranillo was great.
The décor of the place is fun, with a neon sign featuring two ghostbusters capturing slimer (complete with ghost traps on the wall around it) and a few arcade machines at the entrance. The seating area is a bit more reserved with dim lighting and wooden tables, so don’t worry about being attacked with neon lights. A DJ in the corner was also playing laid back but fun music while we were there.
Moving on to the food again the waitress had great knowledge and took the time to assist us with our choices. We ordered the lamb ribs (yum!!), tostaditos and a taco each. Food arrived at a good pace and we found ourselves ordering another taco each so we could try more.
The pricing is in line with other new Mexican restaurants in the city — think $ 6 – 8 per taco and $ 10 – 12 for entrees that can be shared with 2 – 3 people. I found that the quality was much higher though without the bland tastes I’ve encountered elsewhere.
Definitely going back.