Looking for a new and notable place to eat in Newcastle? Papalote is all about real Mexican flavours. Find out what is a must order and why this Mexican restaurant and agave bar is one of Newcastle's hottest new dining spots. Save this for your next foodie road trip!
It's a Friday night when Laura and I have left the boys (Mr NQN, Teddy and Milo) at the hotel and arrived at Papalote. The Mexican restaurant and agave bar is a collaboration between successful Newcastle hospo heavyweights Eduardo Molina from The Flotilla and Michael Portley and Stephanie Wells of Bar HUMBUG. The restaurant is decked out like a stunning terracotta dream with curved booths and agave motifs as well as a huge open kitchen with large charcoal grill. Once upon a time it was the cafe The Edwardsbefore its glow up.
Papalote is named after a prized wild agave used in Mezcal. The restaurant opened in December 2025 and by now they've got things down pat. Service is friendly and accommodating - Laura's allergy to capsicum is handled with aplomb by the team and we are sipping on cocktails and skimming the menu intently. There is also a separate entire vegan menu available too.
A tip: come here hungry and thirsty. We made the mistake of having cocktails before so we couldn't drink a lot and their cocktails are a highlight.
We start with frozen cocktails: the Sandia y Coco made with tequila, watermelon, coconut and makrut lime. This is heaven, the tequila is light so if you're not a tequila lover (I love tequila, Laura doesn't) it isn't too strong. The strongest flavours are the watermelon and the coconut water that just takes it to another level.
I definitely recommend trying the oysters. These are Stella Maris oysters that are a bit bigger and creamier than typical Sydney rocks. Here they are paired with a pineapple and jalapeño sangrita. Sangrita which means "little blood" and is a traditional non-alcoholic chaser usually paired with tequila blanco and used as a palate cleanser. Here it pairs perfectly with the salty oysters. At first the oysters seem almost too salty but once you have the pineapple and jalapeños sangrita it makes total sense. And a tip: follow it a sip of the Sandia y Coco cocktail.
We've all had guacamole but have you ever tried Sikil Pak? The pre-Hispanic Mayan dip comes from the Yucatan peninsula and is a roast pepita dip that is incredible with toasted pepitas on top and the most moreish crispy corn chips. It is not to be missed. The flavours come from the roasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds, arbol salsa, smoked tomato garlic and chilli with a chilli hit that lingers til the end. And when they see that our corn chips are running low they bring more.
At this stage, we are already planning a return visit. We will drive for three hours to have this king prawn tostadas again with pequin pepper and avocado. It's so luscious and fresh and the king prawns are chopped up with pequin pepper and diced avocado so each bite is tangy, creamy and crunchy.
We tried three tacos and the first is a Queso taco with grilled cheese, roast poblano and salsa macha which is a tasty vegetarian taco with a nice skirt of caramelised cheese. The tortillas are house made and are made with yellow corn (blue corn for the tlayudas).
I love lengua and this features thinly sliced lengua or barbecue beef tongue with onion and salsa cruda. The bright and fresh salsa cruda balances the rich and tender beef tongue.
The Ensenada taco has a beer and masa battered deep fried perch fillet with chipotle crema, which is fresh, crunchy with a juicy fish fillet.
You can either get the tacos made for you or you can order more substantial servings of meat or vegetables cooked al Carbon (on the charcoal grill) and fill your own tacos. We try two meats:the pollo en mole (they leave the mole on the side because of Laura's allergy). The chicken is tender and smokey with mole rojo or red mole sauce made with ancho and guajillo chillies with sesame seeds on top. You take a warm corn tortilla and top it with with meat and salads and a bit of sauce.
I also try the Carne Asada which is 300g of Rangers Valley wagyu hanger with roast garlic, morita adobo (spicy dried, smoked red jalapeños) with tomatoes and vinegar. The beef is tender and served atop thinly sliced green tomatoes. It's fantastic with the side dishes and sauce on the tacos.
There are four side dishes on the menu and the tomato salad is dressed with a fermented pineapple (tepache) dressing. You can really taste the fermented pineapple when you have just the dressing by itself, but as a pairing with the tomato, it just tastes like a really bright, fresh dressing.
The corn is a must order with the meats. It's charred and dressed with garlic crema, lime and smoked peppers for a creamy, sweet hit.
Although we are very full, we want to try some of the desserts. The tres leche is Laura's pick. It's made with several types of milk (milk, condensed and goat's milk yogurt) with a middle layer of Chantilly cream and raspberry compote.
The flan is my choice which is a lighter and wobblier than a traditional flan and more like a creme caramel or panna cotta. It's served with an ancho chilli caramel which is delicious with a light chilli spice, one that I'll try and recreate at home!
So tell me Dear Reader, what do you think of the food here? Do you like tequila?
Papalote
148 Parry St, Newcastle West NSW 2302
Phone: 0407 249 684
Lunch Thursday - Saturday 12PM - 2:30PM
Dinner Tuesday - Saturday: 5:30PM - late
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