Review El Calibre - Melbourne

Massive regret. Ordered 2 cocktails. 1 came AFTER the meal. The other didn't come at all with the explanation they didn't have the ingredients. While we waited for our 2 meals(and drinks) we ordered corn chips and salsa and then fried chips and Chipotle turned up. I ordered a quesdilla which was was only pulled pork and 4 bits of canned pineapple and 6 bits of canned corn. Flavourless and disappointing. Then we were waiting on one main meal to go (got one cocktail at this point) and the host with blue hair said "oh did you order a meal?" ... so we got 2/5 of what we ordered. Worst experience ever. Would never ever recommend this place. Oh to add people next to us tried to order a few different meals but were quickly said "no" because they didn't have the ingredients.

Honestly the worst Mexican in Melbourne I have ever eaten at. Went there with a group from work...should have turned back when no one else was in it on a busy beautiful sunny day. tentatively ordered some crispy sweet potato chips to start our meal off with (anything but crispy) - they were terrible. Then we had a plate of nachos to share, they were microwaved nachos with some packet guacamole, jar tacos sauce, and sour-cream slathered over the top... For main I ordered the signature dish "butter chicken burrito" as it was a fusion restaurant I wanted to see what that meant... It was terrible. Just mush and rice and sauce, nothing fresh or good about it. I had to add sauce (the options: Masterfoods Smokey BBQ (?!?), Tabasco and Chahula) to make it somewhat flavoursome. My friend who ordered a vegetarian quesadilla, found chicken within his. Honestly I'm going to be surprised if I don't have a stomach ache within the next 30mins... There is nothing authentic or fresh about this food. I hope that they take this review and try to incorporate something fresh into their menu... at the very least put some music on to add some kind of ambiance and replace of the smokey BBQ sauce with some proper hot sauces!!! How hard can it be...

Avoid at all costs. The nachos were just bad, topped with store bought salsa and guac. The sweet potato fries were soggy & oily. To top it all off, there was some chicken in my vegetarian quesadilla.

Friendly staff. Quick service. Tacos were ok. Nachos ok.

This restaurant is no longer in operation. Restaurant is closed. Please see photos. It was open for such a short time. Goes to show just how fickle the hospitality industry is.. It’s not that easy to open a restaurant and keep it open.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to try El Calibre last night, a brand new Mexican restaurant on degraves st. It’s a fabulous addition to the laneway given the surrounding options are mostly Italian. It seems looks aren’t everything because on arrival I was expecting to see vibrant bright decor but the subtle Mexican touches such as little skull vases on the tables were quite pared back. Turns out they were going to let the food do the talking because the dishes were just exceptional. <br/>It could probably use a little more atmosphere but the cocktails were simply outstanding. All four we tried were absolutely delicious; pink senorita, raspberry mojito, coco fresa and Dutch iced tea. They have an extensive list and they all sound as fabulous as each other. Would love to go back and try the mango lassi cocktail. The Indian fusion theme is echoed a little through some of the dishes on the food menu.<br/>We kicked off with nachos which were yummy and then tried a selection of tacos. I absolutely loved the chicken with its subtle hint of spice and the beef brisket which was tender and saucy. The fish taco was a bit spicy for my palate but was thoroughly enjoyed by the rest of the party. <br/>We then tried the brisket quesadilla and the butter chicken quesadilla. Exceptional value with the generous serving size and packed full of flavour. We finished with the butter chicken burrito and the Mexican seafood dish. The burrito to me was perfect and came with a side of avocado and sour cream (as did the quesadillas). None of this charging for those as extras rubbish you see in so many Mexican restaurants. To me the night was flawless and I wouldn’t hesitate to return. It’s certainly my pick of the laneway and if you sit outside you get plenty of ambiance from the surrounds

I can’t express how excited I was to be invited along by El Calibre to try their Mexican menu. This newly opened Degraves street eatery has cornered the Mexican food market in this high volume tourist street. <br/><br/>The restaurant itself is quite minimalist in decor but there is certainly a subtle theme of Mexico, glass skulls and cacti and a message on the wall asking Why Not Both? The menu explained this message. A light selection of fusion dishes in amongst the classic mexican. <br/><br/>We started of with cocktails and these were positively a delight. We tried the Raspberry Mojito and the Pink Senorita which were probably our favourites but I also rated highly peachy Dutch Iced Tea and the Coco Fresha was dangerously drinkable (packs quite the vodka kick). <br/><br/>We started with classic vego nachos which were good with plenty of melty cheese and cheese sauce. Tacos next and we loved the Beef and Chicken ones. The fish tacos had a bit more kick to them and were very light and delicate portions of fish. Fillings were generous and complex. <br/><br/>Perhaps my favourite dish was up next. The quesadillas we chose were a combination of slow cooked beef and omg Butter Chicken!!!! The Beef was great but the butter chicken magnificent. Two of my favourite cuisines in one. 👌 <br/><br/>We butter chickened again in our burrito which was hearty and full of rice, beans, slaw, guacamole and of course the butter chicken curry. This was a main size and was exceptionally large.<br/><br/>Our last dish of the night was a lovely tomato seafood dish which was well cooked and that tomato sauce very flavoursome. Perhaps the only let down for me this evening was the rice accompanying this dish which was a little over cooked. <br/><br/>Sadly on the day we visited the deep fryer was out of action so this leaves a heap of menu items still untasted. I’d be keen to give the dorito chickos (dorito covered chicken wings) and the truffle fried chips a go on a future visit.<br/><br/>Thanks so much for having us

Peking duck taco was a good blend with mexican flavors<br/>Cocktails were amazing, staffs were friendly and helpful!<br/>Loved the quesadillas as well. Was quite a bummer that my gf and i did not get to try the lotus root chips but we will be back next round for more!<br/><br/>Great mexican fusion place although they are new<br/>

If you like Mexican done differently, then this is the place with you. Set in the hip vibes of degraves lane, a good old fashioned burrito gets a dash of modern fusion (ie with buttered chicken) or Mac and cheese bites with bacon. Coupled with a refreshing mojito, it’s a fun but casual night out! While they’re still getting things right (they just opened), with things missing on the menu (no dessert available at the moment) and the wow factor not totally there, we think el calibre might be on the right track to a great mexican fusion restaurant!

Staff friendly and helpful. Flavours good. Portions very small. Several menu items were unavailable. Taco tortilla was very dried out unfortunately.