Perth Voice Interactive

OPPOSITE Kings Park is a tasty Mexican hideout.

Situated in an elevated courtyard setback from the busy Kings Park road, you would only know about Donnie Taco if you glimpsed the small A-frame sign on the pavement or heard about it through word-of-mouth.

The eatery was like an upmarket food truck and there was a big alfresco with bench seating and a translucent roof.

Surrounded by swish apartment blocks, it’s a pleasant and rather chic spot with glimpses of Kings Park and leafy verge trees, which mitigate the traffic noise.

Adding to the slightly surreal vibe, the cafe was beside a spotless outdoor basketball court, which you could hire during the week.

Maybe a good one for the summer holidays – kids can shoot some baskets and you can enjoy a libation and some tacos.

The eatery was official partners with Warwick Senators, an NBL1 club, and WNBL team Perth Lynx, so you might see some talented players slam dunking from time-to-time.

The compact menu had a small range of tacos with chorizo, chicken, beef and pulled pork, toasted sandwiches and nachos. There was also kids tacos, gluten free tortillas, and a vegan taco with marinated jackfruit, papaya mayo, red slaw, grilled pineapple and coriander.

The joint was licensed so it doubles as a small bar – ideal if you live in one of the ritzy apartments closeby.

On Tuesday lunchtime, I managed to get parked directly outside and there was a steady stream of people arriving for takeaway and sit down meals.

The staff were efficient and friendly and I ordered at the counter, although there is also QR table ordering.

I kicked off with the Porky Pine taco ($9).

The tender pulled pork was delicious with a lovely smoky reprise and a slightly sweet tang.

When combined with the pineapple salsa and spicy mayo, it was a very moreish.

I’m not usually a fan of coriander, but it worked really well and gave this taco a lovely fragrant lift. The core of the dish, the freshly made tacos, were excellent – soft and light they went down easy and had a lovely texture.

They were thick, almost like mini naan bread, so while I thought $9 was a bit steep for the Porky Pine, they were very filling.

Next up was the Mexican ($8) – a medley of spicy chicken, pineapple, salsa, Japanese mayo and coriander.

This was a refreshing summer taco with lots of lively flavours and fresh toppings. The crushed corn chips gave it some texture and there was plenty of tender chook.

It didn’t have the same depth of flavour as the Porky Pine but it was still very enjoyable.

Last up on the taco front was the Choirze n Shine ($8). Best described as cheesy, this was an addictive mix of chorizo, egg, cheese and coriander.

It was like Mexican comfort food with the spring onions adding a little bite to the creamy cheese.

I also decided to try the El Jamon toasted sandwich ($10), but it was a bit of disappointment.

I was hoping for slices of delicious Spanish ham, but it tasted like the stock ham you would buy in packets from fridges in the supermarket, and there wasn’t much of it. However, the melted gouda cheese was yummy and the sourdough bread had been nicely toasted.

While not the cheapest, Donnie Taco does tasty, filling tacos that are perfect for a light lunch or for nibbles while enjoying a few drinks.

It’s a bit of a Perth curio and worth checking out (don’t forget to bring your Air Jordans).

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

Donnie Taco
66 Kings Park Road, Perth
donnietaco.com