Hecho en Mexico Eastland (Ringwood) — Restaurant in Melbourne

As a Californian who’s spent a long while no longer living among old fashioned Mexican restaurants that permeated much of my childhood— I’ve often felt a longing to revisit such familiar foods in Australia, to no avail. That was until Hecho en Mexico opened at Eastland shopping centre in Ringwood.

And I mean it in the most honest sense when I say Hecho en Mexico is by far and away the most authentic Mexican style restaurant dining you may ever experience outside of visiting Taco Bill in downtown Melbourne.

I am THRILLED that this restaurant has opened here!

Hecho en Mexico is somewhat on a pricier side but you’re paying for the closest authentic taste of old fashioned west coast meals you simply cannot get anywhere else here. From empanadas, chimichangas and taquitos— you will enjoy a very special and different kind of crisp to your meals that you wouldn’t get at an alternative restaurant. (I personally got and highly recommended chimichanga!)

This establishment was nostalgically decorated an interior look of the holiday Dia de los Muertos which is partially popular in Mexican culture and the service was reliable, coherent and surprisingly speedy!

Frankly, the service was quick and excellent! My group ordered a myriad of entrées alongside our main courses, and we were almost immediately getting those meals in rapid succession, even on a busy Sunday night. And despite the speedy delivery of our meals— the food was still absolutely delicious! Our waitress, Rachael, was an absolute darling who was lovely to chat with and great at making sure we were satisfied with our meals. And satisfied, we were!

I will reiterate that the meals may be somewhat on the pricier side, but what you’re paying for is a full satisfaction and delicious, unique old-fashioned style Mexican meal that you simply will not get anywhere else in this country— as far as I’m concerned.

I hope that this restaurant sticks around for a long time because I will be sure to revisit it again as soon as possible! If you want to treat yourself to some authentic Mexican food and have a little extra money to spare— skip Gomez and go to Hecho en Mexico! (Located at the front of Eastland shopping center across from the train station and to the left of the...

Whatever you do, never book a dinner reservation here. I made a booking on Monday for Friday night. Confirmed it twice, even just a few hours earlier when a staff member called me to double check we wanted to sit inside. Came in on the Friday, the place is packed, and I told a staff that we had a booking. She says "just give me a minute". Minutes later, nothing. I go back go her and ask what's happening. She says, "just give me a few more minutes". But she isn't doing anything other than serving other customers. Finally I say, "can you please help us get a table". She goes to who I assume is the manager. He explains that they are fully booked with no tables because the people at our table are taking too long to eat and he can't ask them to leave. I ask what's the point in having a booking if there won't be a table available. He then asks if we would be willing to sit outside as he can set us up with a table there. It's freezing and there were no heaters on, but I agree. By this point we've been waiting 20 min for a table. My dinner party go outside and wait and wait for someone to come outside and set us up with a table but no one does. What in the world is the point in making a booking and then having a staff member call to confirm our booking if they won't even reserve us a table! Worst customer service at a restaurant I've ever experienced. We ended up leaving and going to the Greek restaurant next door. The food was amazing and the customer service was next level. Hecho en Mexico at Eastland...

Update Tuesday 22 April: Response received from owner below, there is no contact information for me to respond or contact the business via email? I also feel strongly that other 5 star reviews are potentially fake/spam based on my experience being the polar opposite of what is described by multiple other five star reviews. Also these reviews all mention staff members by name consistently, red flag, are these bots or posted by owner?

Review left Thursday 10 April 2025: I ate at this restaurant this evening as a party of 2. We ordered a margarita and the three tacos each. The three tacos appeared pre made, not fresh. The crumbed chicken was dry, had a fishy taste. The shredded beef taco was cold, had a bland and off flavour, the consistency of tinned tuna. The soft taco wrap was also dry and slightly hard, as if it had been left out on the bench for too long. The veggie option tasted terrible, an off flavour, and was again cold and slightly congealed. I did advise the server of my concerns, who was lovely, stating she would advise the manager. She returned and said they had made some fresh options and they could offer me new meals. This implied to me that my original serving was not made fresh, and I did not want to take a chance on another dish. For the price and serving size, I would expect a freshly made soft taco. No offer of refund at payment. I would not recommend this restaurant. Tried to find an email to...