The best Mexican restaurants in Dunedin run from a sit down feed of tacos and margaritas in the middle of town to birria burritos brought to your door. These kitchens serve Mexican food in Dunedin with house made salsas, share plates and dishes marked for vegetarian, plant based and gluten free eaters, plus catering for parties and events. Del Sol on Moray Place and Amigos on Bath Street both sit within a short walk of the Octagon.
1Del Sol
Del Sol is an independent Mexican restaurant on Moray Place in central Dunedin, serving tacos, burritos, chimichangas and a long list of Mexican tapas. The kitchen makes its own salsa, guacamole, chipotle mayo and diablo hot sauce, and marks vegetarian, vegan and gluten free choices right through the menu. It suits groups and families as much as a couple after dinner and drinks, with set menus, a kids menu and online ordering alongside table bookings.
Services
- Soft and hard shell tacos with pork belly, grilled steak, prawn and chorizo, polenta chicken or vegetarian fillings
- Burritos, chimichangas, fajitas and nachos
- Mexican tapas including quesadillas, patatas bravas, jalapeño and cheese bites and grilled corn cobs
- Set menus for group dining
- Kids menu, desserts and a full drinks list
Highlights
- Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options marked throughout the tapas and mains menus
- House made salsa, guacamole, chipotle mayo and diablo hot sauce
- Gift cards and set menus for group occasions
- Table bookings and online ordering through their own site
Location & Contact
Name: Del Sol
Address: 12 Moray Place, Central Dunedin, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 477 7560
Website: delsoldunedin.com
2Amigos Dunedin
Amigos began in Wānaka in 1995 and opened its Dunedin restaurant on Bath Street in 2021, a block from the Octagon. The kitchen prepares most dishes from scratch and builds the menu around soft tacos, burritos, nachos, share plates and margaritas, for dine in or takeaway. It works well for casual dinners and larger celebrations, with more than half the menu able to be made vegetarian.
Services
- Soft tacos, burritos and nachos
- Share plates built for groups
- Margaritas and a drinks list carrying New Zealand craft beer and wine
- Dine in and takeaway
- Table bookings, with group bookings for parties of more than eight arranged by phone
Highlights
- Trading since 1995, when the first Amigos opened in Wānaka
- The Dunedin restaurant opened on Bath Street in 2021
- More than half the menu can be made vegetarian, with a growing number of dishes fully plant based
- No gluten added and dairy free options marked on the menu
- Soft tacos at $7 every Taco Tuesday
Location & Contact
Name: Amigos Dunedin
Address: 13 Bath Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin
Phone: 03 470 1616
Website: amigos.co.nz/locations
3Taco Vida
Taco Vida is a Dunedin birria specialist run by chef Ash, working from a home kitchen for pick up, delivery and catering rather than a dining room. The menu is built on slow cooked birria served as tacos and burritos, and the kitchen states a no seed oils policy, cooking with extra virgin olive and coconut oil only. It suits anyone after Mexican food at home, a box of frozen burritos for the freezer, or a caterer for a fair, show or party.
Services
- Birria tacos and birria burritos
- Fresh meals for pick up or delivery
- Catering for events, from large fairs and shows to small parties at home
- Boxes of frozen burritos to reheat at home
Highlights
- Specialises in birria, slow cooked and served across the whole menu
- Stated no seed oils policy, cooking with extra virgin olive and coconut oil only
- Named after the owner’s late mother, Vida
- Started as a student focused food truck, then a popup at St Clair beach, before moving to a home kitchen
- Featured in the Otago Daily Times
Location & Contact
Name: Taco Vida
Address: Dunedin
Phone: 022 615 6115
Website: tacovida.nz
Mexican Restaurants in Dunedin at a Glance
| Business | Highlight |
|---|---|
| Del Sol | Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options marked throughout the tapas... |
| Amigos Dunedin | Trading since 1995, when the first Amigos opened in Wānaka |
| Taco Vida | Specialises in birria, slow cooked and served across the whole menu |
How to Choose the Right Mexican Restaurant in Dunedin
- Decide whether you want a dining room, a takeaway counter or delivery, because some Dunedin kitchens run all three and others only one.
- Check how the menu handles dietary needs. Look for dishes marked vegetarian, plant based, no gluten added or dairy free rather than assuming a swap is possible.
- Ask what is made in house. Salsa, guacamole, hot sauce and slow cooked meats prepared on site taste different from bought in equivalents.
- Match the format to the occasion. Share plates and set menus suit a group, while tacos by the plate suit two people after work.
- If you are feeding a crowd, ask about catering and group bookings early, since larger parties usually need to be arranged directly by phone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dunedin Mexican Restaurants
Where are the Mexican restaurants in Dunedin?
The dine in options sit in the central city. Del Sol is at 12 Moray Place and Amigos is at 13 Bath Street, both a short walk from the Octagon and easy to reach from George Street. Taco Vida works differently, operating from a home kitchen with pick up and delivery, so it covers the wider city rather than a single address.
Can I get Mexican food delivered in Dunedin?
Yes. Taco Vida is set up for pick up and delivery, and Del Sol takes orders online through its own website. If you would rather eat in, both Del Sol and Amigos take table bookings.
What does a Mexican meal cost in Dunedin?
Prices vary by venue and change over time, so check the current menu on the restaurant’s own site. As a guide, Del Sol lists most of its tapas plates in the mid teens, and Amigos runs soft tacos at $7 on Taco Tuesday.
Are there vegetarian and vegan Mexican options in Dunedin?
There are. Del Sol marks vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes across its tapas and mains, including vegetarian tacos and vegan cheese. Amigos says more than half its menu can be made vegetarian, with a growing number of dishes fully plant based, and also flags no gluten added and dairy free choices.
What is birria?
Birria is a slow cooked, heavily spiced meat stew from Mexico, usually shredded and folded into tortillas with the cooking broth served alongside for dipping. In Dunedin it is the speciality at Taco Vida, which builds its tacos and burritos around it.
Can a Dunedin Mexican restaurant cater an event?
Yes. Taco Vida caters for events ranging from large fairs and shows through to small parties at home, and also sells frozen burritos by the box. For a group booking at a restaurant, Amigos asks parties of more than eight to call the Dunedin restaurant directly so the details can be sorted.
How do I check a restaurant’s food safety standards?
Food businesses in New Zealand operate under a registered food control plan or national programme and are verified by a council or a recognised agency. The Ministry for Primary Industries explains how the system works and what a food business has to do at mpi.govt.nz. Verification is carried out by a council or a recognised agency, and any registered food business can tell you which plan it operates under.
Do these restaurants open on Sundays?
Opening days differ between venues and change seasonally, so it pays to check before you head out. Amigos lists its restaurants as open seven days from midday until late. For the others, the current hours are on their own sites and phone numbers are listed above.
How We Chose the Best Mexican Restaurants in Dunedin
Every business in this guide was found by searching for mexican restaurants in Dunedin, then checked against what the business publishes itself: its own website, or where it has none, its official social or booking page. Names, addresses and phone numbers come from those pages rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what the business says about itself. We also check that each one is still trading and is actually based in or genuinely serving Dunedin, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business we can’t confirm from its own pages is not listed.