The Trompo-Al Pastor Taco Of Your Dreams Is In A Moody Chinatown Den

20th Oct 2025
Written by: Kosa Monteith

A mysterious laneway door, marked only by a neon dingo head. Behind it? The best tacos this side of the Pacific.

Taqueria Sin Nombre is the new CBD home for Melbourne Tex-Mex favourites, Dingo Ate My Taco. Tucked just off Celestial Lane in Chinatown, it’s a shadowy den where flickering candles and the open kitchen illuminate a tiled bar, exposed brick walls and tables fashioned from Coca Cola crates.

Diners feast on an endless stream of fresh tacos as music plays, and with a DJ sometimes set up next to the tortilla machine, it feels both authentically Tex-Mex and deeply Melbourne.

Owners Kady Simkins and Paul Walcutt, along with head chef Isaac Castellano, have gathered a loyal following since their lockdown-founded food truck, graduating from their St Kilda venue to this CBD spot.

“We’ve always loved Chinatown, and the movement, energy and history of the area,” Simkins says. “We love that this location has a kind of hidden feel to it… Like Mexico City: it straddles the present and the past.”

Chef standing by the rotating meatImage Credit: Hayden Dib | Supplied

The centrepiece is the trompo—a specialist spit-grill from Mexico for al pastor tacos, where layers of marinated pork are shaved off with a slice of grilled pineapple. It’s the one constant on a seasonal menu where everything else changes. Even their famous birria tacos will only be a special. Other fillings could feature tender kanga asada, choripapas (chorizo and potato), Texan-style brisket, or huitlacoche (a delicious corn fungus) on the vego menu.

With an expanded kitchen and a benchtop hibachi-style grill, they’re exploring beyond tacos. Think zingy prawn aguachile, dressed Tassie oysters and crispy tostadas topped with seasonal veg or fish. The signature chicharron is a belter of a snack: smoked, fried chicken skins with chile salt, served with chunky guac for scooping.

Walcutt is a master mezcalier, hand-selecting agave spirits that will sit alongside local wines, Mexican and Australian beers, and cocktails. For now, it’s non-alcs like Mexican coke and house-made agua frescas.

On certain Saturdays, they also swing open the doors to sling daytime burritos: stretchy, hand-rolled-to-order tortillas stuffed with rice, beans and fillings like carne asada, fried fish or avocado.

Find them at 12-14 Celestial Avenue, Melbourne CBD from Friday to Saturday, 5pm–10pm, but with a liquor licence on the way, we can expect longer hours and, yes, booze. 

Main Image Credit: Hayden Dib | Supplied