Hidden in plain sight is where you’ll find some of Perth’s best Mexican and South American food.
You could easily walk past Two Chihuahua’s Gringo’s Bar and Restaurant on Scott Street without noticing it was there. That is until you start to smell the food and hear the faint sound of Latin American hip hop.
But it was Google Maps that got me to the restaurant on this sunny Saturday afternoon that I found myself in Perth.
Two Chihuahua’s Gringo’s Bar and Restaurant
The first thing you’ll see entering the long lane off of the street to the restaurant is bold and bright outdoor furniture.
You’ll then pass a Tiki bar on the right where the space opens up into a courtyard with outdoor seating.
The building itself surrounds this space and with plenty seating inside and out, there’s clear opportunity for it to be busy.
There were a few tables of couples, families and friends sitting outside enjoying the weather so my boyfriend and I decided to join them and grabbed a table for two in the sun. The décor is funky with pops of colour everywhere, and there’s a foosball table to entertain all ages at the entrance.
Our friendly server welcomed us and handed us a laminated A3 menu each. There’s a dietary and allergy key at the bottom which would make it really easy for those with dietary requirements, and the food and drinks all feature.
I was tempted by the frozen margaritas (£9) but decided on a Diet Irn-Bru. My other half was driving so it was a Diet Coke (£2.95 each) for him.
We were recommended to try three dishes per person so ordered a mix of five things with the option to order more if needed.
They included tacos (£8 each) with pulled beef shin and chilli and lime chicken, to the Cuban supreme (£9) under the street food vendors section, as well as the Barriga de Cerdo (£9) – crispy pork belly – and elotes (grilled street corn) (£7).
The food
Cutlery, a cup of water and a camping plate that had seen better days were placed in front of us. We could kind of see into the kitchen from where we were sitting and we had a good view of the whole eatery having plonked ourselves in the middle.
Around 20 minutes in a sea of dishes descended on our table in no particular order. I ordered a margarita to wash down the food at this point which turned out to be very frozen and very boozy. It was a traditional lime one, which was very refreshing, and had a salt rim with a slice of lime as garnish.
The tacos were first. Made with a small soft tortilla, each flavour came in a pair and they all had iceberg lettuce, sour cream, homemade salsa and pickled red onions.
The beef with chipotle, sweet pickled carrot and pico de gallo was by far my favourite of the two. It was super juicy and I was surprised by how well the tortilla held everything together. The beef had been marinated in spices and while it looked simple, was packed with incredible flavour.
Bits of smashed avocado sat on top of the chilli and lime chicken ones. The meat had been finely shredded and while it was soft, it lacked much flavour. I found the veg and sauces for this one did most of the work.
Next up was the Cuban supreme. This ciabatta sandwich packed with pastrami was heavenly. The meat 100% made this dish with its peppery crumb. The light saltiness really helped kick the mozzarella’s flavour into action and this added a bit of spice to the sandwich. A sweet chunky slice of roasted gammon was in the mix, too, and with the mustard mayonnaise, really rounded this off brilliantly.
The elotes however took me my surprise as I didn’t expect them to be as good as they were. Pieces of corn on the cob rolled in a spicy cheese sauce and then rolled in spicy breadcrumbs came served with a wooden skewer in them.
Biting into the corn the crumb was crispy and you could tell that the cheese had played a vital part in the flavour. The cheese and spicier crumb elevated it and it was definitely another favourite of ours. The simplicity of it made me think it was something I could recreate at home.
There’s also a a corn on the cob with tequila butter (£5.50) that I’d like try next time.
Last but not least was the crispy pork belly served with pineapple salsa and pico de gallo (£9). Served on a hot plate I didn’t hear it coming as it wasn’t sizzling.
The pork was crispy on the outside and had crackling on the outskirts. In the middle it was juicy and succulent. It had been cut into two long, slim pieces of meat. The pineapple salsa and pico de gallo had a bit of a kick because of the fresh red and green chillies which queued a runny nose, but the sweet fruit was deliciously cooling.
I was glad we hadn’t ordered a sixth item in the end as we were very full. Other dishes that had piqued our interest included the sweet potato enchilada, Mexican street fries, salt fish puppies, calamari and Mexican marinated chicken wings.
As tempting as the churros and tembleque – a South American coconut dessert served with fresh mint and pineapple – sounded, we couldn’t stomach another bite.
By this time more customers were arriving and the Latin American hip hop music had been turned up a notch, really bringing the place to life.
The verdict
Two Chihuahua’s Gringo’s Bar and Restaurant has a real street food feel to it which you know, come late evening, would be the place to go in Perth for a different party-style ambience.
The food was fresh and all of it was incredibly vibrant which made eating it even more enjoyable.
While the décor may look like it needs a little tender loving care, that is very much the vibe from what I got.
There are not many restaurants in Perth that will place worn-down camping plates in front of you to eat from, but with food like the offering here, I’d line up again and again with it.
Information
Address: 77 Scott Street, Perth PH2 8JR
T: 01738 248484
W: www.facebook.com/TheTwoChihuahuas
Price: £58.85
Scores:
- Food: 4/5
- Service: 4/5
- Surroundings: 4/5
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