This restaurant is amazing. The queso sauce and the green sauce are as good as anything you would get in Texas/Mexico/San Diego. So delicious. Also, so great to be able to get jalapeno poppers in Wellington. It’s wise to call in advance – sometimes they shut on a Saturday night without warning and I’ve been disappointed. I also wish they would get a couple of extra outdoor tables – the wait can be long on a Friday evening. Get the enchiladas with queso sauce and you won’t be disappointed!

Excellent place. Cheap food, good atmosphere. Fast service.


The outside looks a bit dated/out of the way. But don’t let that stop you. At first I didn’t even know it was there. But when searching for the Argentinian place near it, this took my fancy.

The food is well priced and the service is fast and efficient

The most authentic Mexican in Wellington and since getting back from Mexico we’ve tried a few! The food here is always excellent and the owners are only too happy for you to give your Spanish a whirl. This place is a hidden gem.

We had a voucher for this place so randomly tried it. It was amazing and we will totally be back to pay full price! Excellent food and great service. I wouldn’t recommend a large group but for less than five people, this was the best Mexican I have tasted in Wellington. Highly recommend.

Excellent & authentic. Really enjoyed dinner & lunch here last weekend. It’s hard in NZ to find good Mexican food – this is one of the best. The guys who run the place are really friendly & great to practice Spanish with. The service was fast & food really fresh. Decor is just as find it in Mexico.

Best Mexican in Wellington. Been here so many times and it’s always delicious. I loved it since they opened few years ago and the new owners continues to serve authentic, fresh and tasty Mexican food as no other place. It’s not over priced as Las Margaritas, the staff is friendly, the food arrives super fast and the servings are huge. Que viva Viva Mexico!

We went here for lunch and the food is crazy delicious. Great value! Highly recommended!

Tried this recently after being it recommended to me by a friend and can say that hands down this is the best Mexican I’ve tried in Wellington. I’d been here when it was under the previous owners and wasn’t that impressed, but that has definitely changed.

Although the menu is small, it is highly customisable. With a range of fillings, salsas, sauces and sizes for their Taco & Enchilada dishes. Then there’s a set of Quesadillas options, as well as Mexican style egg/breakfast dishes and a cake of the day for dessert.

Personally I’ve only tried the Tacos, but can say that they were fresh & tasty, as was the salad, beans and sasla that accompanied them. As I commented that I’d like a hot sauce I was recommended the ‘Mayan’ red salsa, but was also given a small dish of delicious chili sauce to go with it.

Everyone that I was with really enjoyed their meal, as did I and I will definitely be coming back. Highly recommended.

I’m surprised there are any reviews of this place on here – they don’t ever seem to be open! One weekend example…

Friday: closed for private function. Saturday: closed for off-site catering. Sunday: just closed. No explanation, just locked doors and nobody home.

I had high hopes for Viva Mexico, but I’m thinking I may never get to try the food!

There’s been a LOT of talk of this place lately, and i was weary of the high praise, having visited the premises under its former name/ownership, and while the food was okay, the place formed poor surroundings, and the food felt a little overpriced, considering its simple nature, and the number of closeby competitors. (Satay Kajang/Kingdom are next door & sell massive portions for cheaper).


Anyway, I just got back from my first taste of the new joint. (Actually, we were headed for the excellent Newkor just down the street – but it was packed). The surroundings are slightly improved, but the place is still tiny, and it was busy, so we felt a little like sardines – you can’t really feel comfortable chatting with your dining companion in this environment. The waiter seemed somewhat less-than friendly, perhaps he was in a bad mood, or perhaps he’s always like that, either way, he seemed to have a pretty obvious problem with me, i’m not sure why.


Anyway, between two of us, we ordered 3 dishes: A lamb, cheese taco, an Enchilada, and a Quesadila (interestingly, dishes are available in 2 sizes), while some of the dishes allow you to mix n match toppings – yay! Our food was brought out at lightning pace – surprising given the fact that only two staff were present, and the little place was at capacity. The food was simple, basic, authentic feeling Mexican cuisine; each dish came with a small pile of simple salad, a small dish of delicious salsa, and some with jalapenos, black beans in sauce and lemons.


We woofed down the food so quickly, the entire dinner experience was less than 20minutes. The food was tasty, but in fairly small portions and very simple, cheap ingredients. While it is quite yum, and a welcome change from the usual Indian, Malay, Korean – i can’t help but think the prices are slightly too high for the simple nature and small portion size of the food. Don’t get me wrong – the place is worth checking out, but larger portion sizes for your dollar, and a larger or more comfortable setting would push it over the edge. Worth a try for sure – but i don’t think it deserves all the hype it’s garnered.

WOW! Most amazing takeaways I have had in a long time, and glad I got takeaways as shoveling that delicious food in my mouth would have been very unappealing to the other diners. Quick and delicious, seems way healthier than the alternative takeaways also. Great spice and flavoursome. I got two tacos, fish was my fav. So freakin good! Taking my friends there asap.

My girlfriend and I decided to go to Viva Mexico after reading all the reviews on this site. We were not disappointed. Without a doubt the best Mexican food we’ve ever had in New Zealand. Owners were really friendly, and everything was great value for money. If you like Mexican food, stop reading this and get down there!

I visited Viva Mexico after hearing that they’d had a change of ownership and a sprucing up and was absolutely thrilled with the new place. It’s had a good paint and is now adorned with pictures/paintings of revolutionaries and artists- very “authentic” feeling.Its also open at least 5 days a week now which is great. It doesn’t surprise me that the place is run by two Mexican chefs, the food is absolutely delicious and akin to what you’d find in a little taqueria in Mexico (I spent a month there) with a few added extras, ie. slatherings of scrummy sauce. Service is very friendly and they tell me they are in the process of getting their liquor license, Hurray! I’d definitely recommend to lovers of mexican food, and those wanting yummy comfort food also!

Delicious, authentic Mexican hidden away off Cuba Street, extremely affordable ($11 for two tacos, beans and rice which is more than enough), comes with delicious tomato sauce, worth the trouble of looking for it!

The only authentic mexican food I have found on the north island. The flavors are fresh and delicious. The owner is a lovely person and happy to talk to you. It helps that the cooks are from mexico.

One of the best meals you can have in Wellington. The Golden Tacos are very tasty and the Cheesy Enchiladas are a MUST. Rich flavours and cheap meals make Viva Mexico a great place to dine.

The best Mexican food in New Zealand. Actually, perhaps the only REAL Mexican food in New Zealand. And the best tomatillo salsa I have ever had (and I lived in Mexico).

I was so tired of eating in so called Mexican restaurants and all we ate was tex-mex food. We happened to be at Viva Mexico in Wellington and we finally tasted the REAL Mexican flavour. Yes, all the way to Wellington but it was real worth it. Congratulations to the cook! and we sure hope to go back again.

Love it! The flavours are just amazing. Very authentic. Highly recommended.

Easily the most authentic Mexican in Wellington, though I think Burrito Brothers is better (it’s double the price though!) Viva Mexico is charming and a great place to eat when it’s open! Check it out.

Yep, by far the best Mexican food in Wellington.

The hours are a bit frustrating – would like to take people there for dinner sometimes – but it’s becoming a regular Saturday lunch spot.

Easily the best Mexican restaurant in the city. It’s a small cosy place without any of the typical Wellington fancy-shmancyness (like really expensive decor and techno music). I got addicted to Mexican food when I was in California, and got even more addicted to it in Mexico. This place does it spot-on.. and for under $10.

My only complaint would be that the hours are sort of sparse, but at least you don’t have to wait for a table.