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Restaurants
Sydney
Sydney CBD
Contrabando
Contrabando Reviews

Contrabando

Latin American, Mexican, Tex-Mex, South American

Dishes priced aroundA$10

Photo of restaurant Contrabando in Sydney CBD, Sydney
Contrabando is not bookable via Quandoo yet. To make a reservation, contact the restaurant using the details below. Checkout the opening hours first and bear in mind that if you reserve ahead, you won't have to wait in line.

Reviews of Contrabando (493)

Read what people think about Contrabando. All restaurant reviews are written by verified Quandoo diners. Learn more about Contrabando before you go by getting tips and ratings from other restaurant-goers. With real-life reviews, you can see what other diners loved about Contrabando and book a table with confidence!

5.3/6

493 reviews

5.3/6

493 reviews

Food:Outstanding
Atmosphere:Excellent
Service:Great
Value for money:Great value
Waiting time:Exceptionally Good
Noise levels:Pleasant
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"Excellent"
6/6
Chris R.5 years ago · 3 reviews

Love contrabando. It always delivers. The food and service is of a high quality. The tacos are always fresh. I love the beef short rib tacos.

"Excellent"
6/6
Josh M.5 years ago · 1 review

Great food, Great experience and the staff was extremely friendly throughout the whole dining experience. Tuesday night Taco night offers a great variety and should satisfy all needs.

"Excellent"
6/6
Anna B.5 years ago · 2 reviews

This is a great choice for work lunchtime as the food is delicious and the service is fast and friendly. It's also a great location if you're going to Circular Quay or the Opera House.

"Excellent"
6/6
Helen D.5 years ago · 1 review

Controbando is always a quick and easy dinner with friends. The tacos have a great combination of flavours - its hard to narrow down which ones to try....

"Good"
4/6
Valerie K.5 years ago · 4 reviews

I really liked the service. Everyone was attentive and friendly. Not too impressed with the food though. Pretty average and no low carb options unfortunately.

"Very good"
5/6
Greg F.5 years ago · 1 review

Great food - so fresh and flavoursome. The guacamole is fantastic and the variety and taste sensation withthe tacos is out of this world. Will be back for more.

"Very good"
5/6
Janette S.5 years ago · 3 reviews

Really good tacos, probably best I’ve ever had. Even some of the pickiest eaters that I dined with ended up saying how delicious it was. I am definitely coming back.

"Excellent"
6/6
Alex C.5 years ago · 1 review

Great tacos & quick service. The fish 🐠 taco was out of this world. Great views and ambience. There was good specials on the beers too.

"Excellent"
6/6
Jennifer L.5 years ago · 4 reviews

Their beef and fish tacos are the best :) cant wait to try their express lunch

"Excellent"
6/6
Jeb A.5 years ago · 1 review

Great food and service! The staff is friendly and helpful while the food is delicious for the price. I would absolutely recommend it for Mexican in the city

"Average"
3/6
Ashika B.5 years ago · 11 reviews

Great food, as always, but disappointed with the slow service this time round

"Excellent"
6/6
Kathy O.5 years ago · 1 review

Great food, great service and great location. Can be a bit noisy at lunch time, but great atmosphere.

"Excellent"
6/6
Charlie L.5 years ago · 2 reviews

Great food. Great service. Better atmosphere with new venue than when on Bent St. Would highly recommend to everyone and would continue to go back!

"Very good"
5/6
David D.5 years ago · 1 review

A great restaurant. Good atmosphere, very good food particularly the share plates, great service - helpful and friendly. Good well priced wine list.Value for money restaurant.

"Very good"
5/6
Tim D.5 years ago · 1 review

Great food at an ever greater price. $3.00 tacos with an electric vibe. High recommended. Recommend you try the beef rib taco - but really all are great.

"Very good"
5/6
Kevin P.5 years ago · 1 review

Great restaurant with great staff. The staff all very friendly and welcoming. Music could be slightly louder. But overall, the atmosphere is great in there.

"Very good"
5/6
Jackie R.5 years ago · 1 review

Friendly polite service from all the waitresses. If booking in and using a Groupon voucher please ring to let staff know they announced when we arrived, but they happily accepted our voucher for all you eat tacos. We tried all the tacos they had on offer. The meat options were generally good choices - our fave was the Bulgolgi beef and the crispy fish. The vegetarian options were not good. Crispy pumpkin was not crispy and the mushrooms lacking seasoning hence the less than perfect rating. Would recommend for groups (not vegetarians though).

"Very good"
5/6
Bronwyn W.5 years ago · 3 reviews

Delicious! Great pre-performance dinner and drinks only 7 minutes away from the Sydney Opera House. Service (as always) was prompt and unobtrusive. Well done Contrabando!

"Average"
3/6
Maryrose B.5 years ago · 1 review

The consistency of the food seemed different. eg. the ratio of meet with the sauce - there was a little too much sauce with each of the dishes. The process of distributing the food is a little confusing. It gives the onus back on the customer to figure out how to split the food across the table. Perhaps laying the food on the centre of the table would be better OR that you ask them who would be responsible for distributing the food amongst the group. That way, it is one person who manages it for the group.

"Excellent"
6/6
Trang N.5 years ago · 1 review

We had lunch at Contrabando. Great and fast service from the staff. Food was tasty and not over priced. We will definitely come back again - thank you!

"Average"
3/6
Olivia S.5 years ago · 1 review

Loved their croquettes and corns!! However, their tacos used to be better. The crispy fish was so so and the beef was way too sweet. The churros were the worst churros I've ever had in my life. 4 tiny little pieces of thick battered churros which came with cheap tasting chocolate sauce and marshmallow for $10 were very disappointing. The music was also way too loud which made it hard to have a conversation with my mates.

"Very good"
5/6
Bradley M.5 years ago · 1 review

Good service and tasty tacos. Particularly the pork and pumpkin tacos on Taco Tuesday where you pay just $3 per taco. One of my group ate 9 so they must be good.

"Very good"
5/6
Susan T.5 years ago · 1 review

We all tried the express menu .. a good way to have a little taste of everything and it was great. We'll definitely be back!

"Excellent"
6/6
Lina T.5 years ago · 1 review

I love coming here, it’s one of my favourite restaurants, they have amazing food. Great Margaritas. Fast service recommend booking. Especially on Taco Tuesdays where it’s $3 tacos

"Very good"
5/6
Edwin L.5 years ago · 5 reviews

great taco Tuesday deal with delicious starters also. Would recommend the fish taco! Service was very swift too.

"Excellent"
6/6
Jennifer Z.5 years ago · 2 reviews

The fish & beef tacos are so delicious, and also the loaded fries! They also do the fish/beef taco in kids version. Its really worth the money on taco Tuesday, but make sure you book.

"Very good"
5/6
Edwin L.5 years ago · 5 reviews

great food especially the taco Tuesdays deal and great ambience

"Excellent"
6/6
Courtney S.5 years ago · 8 reviews

The friendly staff and beautiful atmosphere made the whole dining experience that extra bit better - we arranged a last minute birthday cake for my friend and the staff were very accommodating

"Very good"
5/6
Courtney S.5 years ago · 8 reviews

The food drinks and staff were super friendly from the very beginning

"Very good"
5/6
Calvin L.5 years ago · 1 review

It was a fantastic place with excellent taco deals. Room was a little warm but the outside areas was ambient with a touch of flair

"Not good "
2/6
Brooke S.5 years ago · 1 review

If you are wanting the old Contrabando experience give this new place a miss. Tacos are still great however all the old basement charm, Mexican beers and proper chili salsa are missing - Just not the same Contrabando of old. Service also very flat in comparison to the lively engaging service in the past. Also a 1hr 15min sitting for lunch without notifying us at the time of booking so we were promptly shuffled off our table and out of the restaurant prior to being ready. Such a shame as this place used to be a favorite for the team!

"Excellent"
6/6
Emma S.5 years ago · 1 review

Always a great night but definitely need to book a table. Lovely food, decent prices. We come regularly for Taco Tuesday. The table times can be a bit annoying on a Tuesday.

"Very good"
5/6
Rachel B.5 years ago · 1 review

The food, atmosphere are amazing but the bathrooms do not match the rest of the place. The toilets were badly stained a very dark orangey yellow colour and super dirty. Time for a deep clean and/or renovation.

"Average"
3/6
Leigh R.5 years ago · 2 reviews

extremely busy in the lead up to Christmas, we had to flag someone down after 15 minutes just to get water, and so it went for our 2 hour visit. The air con must have been down as well, as it was extremely uncomfortable. What we went there for though, the food, was good as always.

"Good"
4/6
Eve H.5 years ago · 1 review

Food was good- service not great though. Everything was rushed- plates were taken away from us before we were finished and when I asked if they could exchange a chicken dish on the express lunch menu for a vegetarian one I got a categoric and uncompromising No in response. The service could have been friendlier.

"Very good"
5/6
LISA F.5 years ago · 1 review

We booked Contrabando for our team's Christmas lunch. The food for the Express Lunch was way more than substantial and really, really tasty. The staff were very attentive and service was quick. Thank you!

"Excellent"
6/6
Karen L.5 years ago · 2 reviews

Great tapas. $3 Tuesday Tacos deal is pretty good value. I would recommend the fish, lamb, crispy beef and pork soft shell tacos to enjoy.

"Very good"
5/6
Carolyn M.5 years ago · 1 review

Fun and lively atmosphere, delicious food and clever cocktails made for great pre Christmas celebration. About time a restaurant like this opened in the city, great location, perfect for after work get togethers.

"Excellent"
6/6
Laura H.5 years ago · 1 review

Fab food and friendly staff - highly recommend, especially on a lunchtime. Their express menu at lunchtime is such great value - $20 for lots of food!

"Very good"
5/6
Simrin N.5 years ago · 1 review

Food is amazing and delicious! My friends and I love the fish and beef tacos and the Taco Tuesday deals! It can be hard to get the attention of staff at times, but otherwise everyone is super friendly and always smiling! :)