Chachos, Chapel Street

The Overview…

Meal: Dinner

Food: Elote, El Seta, Del Toro, Whole Hog

Ratings:
Food: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Value: 4/5

The details…

When I heard Resto Bobo had been replaced by a Mexican pizza restaurant, it broke my heart a little as I adored the French inspired tarte flambe, but owner Dan Xerri assured me the Mexican inspired pizzas (despite initially sounding a little bizarre) were the way to go, so we headed down to give them a try.

Feeling a little more laid back that its predecessor, Chacho’s boasts a decent cocktail, wine and beer list and will eventually be adding a range of tequilas too! You can grab $10 margaritas / margheritas (the drink variety and the pizza variety) every Sunday from 5-7pm (Hello, Monday morning regrets anyone?), and there’s also a happy hour from 5-7pm every day. Now, sadly neither of us were drinking (downside of the job), but if the mocktails are anything to go by, the cocktails must be bloody fantastic. I’ve already developed a slight addiction to the salt rimmed Baby Viva and will definitely have to head back and give the alcoholic version a try.

Now on to the food, and I have to make a confession, I’m a bit of a corn addict; I absolutely love corn, so my eyes went straight to the Elote – a grilled corn with chilli, lime, tequilla salt and chipotle aioli. The aioli is SPICY, but so yum, it hits all those key Mexican notes and is the ideal light (and fairly healthy) side to go with your pizza.

We then sampled the El Seta, Whole Hog and Del Toro pizzas (by sampled I mean ate most of and finished the rest for breakfast). Now while they are Mexican pizzas, there’s plenty of simple, more classic options available, and even if you’re brave and go for something more adventurous (I would), the flavours are well thought out and work perfectly.

The El Seta felt like a very “grown up” pizza. The mushrooms, cheese and thyme give it quite an elegant, light flavour and it was both creative, yet well suited for those with simpler tastes. As with all three of our pizzas, it was served on a delicious base – so thin that you wonder how it holds up all the toppings, and with the thick bubbly crust that you know symbolises pizza done right – and with an ex LaserPig chef on board, these guys aren’t playing around. It’s not just stand out because of the flavours, or the concept: you could order a margherita from Chacho’s and still be impressed. There’s a serious quality underlying everything they do.

The Whole Hog is a meat lover’s dream and I’m feeling the need to have crackling crumb on all of my pizza from now on. It just pulled a wonderfully meat flavour through the whole pizza – deliciously different and probably our favourite one of the three. We paired this with the Del Toro which was a great fun pizza. Topped with corn chips, guacamole and sour cream, along with corn, chorizo and jalapenos, it’s definitely a very Mexican pizza. It’s got a bit of spice to this one, but it’s a clever pizza and is a must try. Our recommendation would be to share this one and order something a bit more classic for a nice balance of flavours.

Everything else…

Website: https://www.chachoswindsor.com.au/

Address: 110 Chapel Street, Windsor

Opening Times: 

Mon        5pm to late
Tue          5pm to late
Wed        5pm to late
Thu         5pm to late
Fri           5pm to late
Sat          5pm to late
Sun        5pm to late

Parking:  We didn’t brave the drive to Chapel Street and arrived on public transport. There’s paid parking nearby and some street parking, but to be honest, you’re probably going to want a cocktail, so just get a train!

Getting here on PT: About 5 minutes walk from Windsor station on the Sandringham Line, or on the 78 tram route (alight at Windsor Station, I think that’s closest). The 72 tram, trains to South Yarra and the 58 tram will also all get you reasonably close and you can change to one of the above to get you all the way there if you don’t fancy the walk.

Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Chacho’s, Windsor. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a cafe won’t change including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting.