Ay Caramba Tacos is the taquería side of Ay, Caramba!, a New Zealand business dedicated to Mexican food and products, based at 33 Spartan Road in Takanini, Papakura. Under one roof you get two experiences: a kitchen serving genuine Mexican food — with crispy birria tacos the clear star — and a beautifully laid-out retail store upstairs filled with products from Mexico.
Visitors have certainly noticed. The business holds a 4.9-star average from more than 1,600 Google reviews, with diners calling the food authentic and delicious, the service friendly, and the range of Mexican products impressively wide. One traveller from Texas with a Mexican background called the food 'absolutely legit'; others rate it the best Mexican they've had in Auckland, praise the margaritas, and single out the spread of sauces and brined jalapeños that comes with the food.
Upstairs, the shop covers a full Mexican pantry: salsas, salts and seasonings, corn and flour tortillas, traditional foods such as Doña Maria mole and Maseca masa flour, tostadas, beans, chillies and vegetables, soft drinks, beer, mezcal and tequila, tea and coffee, snacks, sweets, and handcrafted artisan pieces like Talavera tiles, handblown glassware and wooden molinillo whisks. The same range is sold through the online store, where reviewers report fast shipping and responsive customer service, and wholesale pricing is available for the food service industry.
Takanini isn't the first place most people think of for Mexican food — which is exactly why regulars call this spot 'the best kept secret in South Auckland'. Ay Caramba Tacos on Spartan Road is the home of Ay, Caramba!, a business devoted to bringing Mexican products and flavours to New Zealand, and it works two ways at once: a kitchen turning out proper Mexican food, and a beautifully arranged store upstairs stocked with goods from Mexico.
The formula has clearly landed. The business holds a 4.9-star average across more than 1,600 Google reviews, and the same themes keep repeating: authentic and delicious Mexican food, great customer service, and a wide variety of Mexican products.
Start with the tacos. The crispy birria tacos are the dish reviewers name again and again. One visitor from Texas, with a Mexican background to compare against, called the food 'absolutely legit' and declared these the best. Another went further, calling it the best Mexican food they'd had in Auckland, and made a point of the beautiful, friendly environment and the great staff.
The kitchen's range stretches past birria. Tamales sit high on visitors' must-try-next lists, the food arrives with what one happy diner described as 'heaps of different sauces and brined jalapeños', and there are chamoy and Mexican snacks for the road. First-timers tell a warm story too — one guest, sent along by her daughter, tried authentic tacos for the first time, loved the different beverages on offer, and finished the visit browsing the shop upstairs.
One practical note straight from the reviews: taco hours can fluctuate, so check before you make the trip.
The drinks deserve their own mention. Reviewers highlight the margaritas in particular — nice enough, in one guest's words, to plan a summer return around, sitting outside in the sun with a glass in hand.
However good the tacos are, half the magic happens when you climb the stairs. The retail store upstairs is, in one reviewer's words, laid out beautifully and stocked with all the Mexican products you could ever want.
The shelves read like a primer on Mexican cooking. There are Mexican salsas alongside salts and seasonings; corn and flour tortillas; traditional foods meant to be warmed up and enjoyed at home, like Doña Maria mole and Maseca white corn masa flour for making your own tortillas, plus tostadas for ceviche. Mexican beans, chillies and vegetables round out the savoury side.
The drinks range runs from non-alcoholic options such as Clamato through beer, mezcal and tequila, with tea and coffee as well. Snacks and a dedicated sweet section cover the craving shelf — chamoy included.
Then there's the artisan collection: Talavera tiles, handblown Mexican glassware and shot glasses, mini cups in assorted colours and patterns, handcrafted pom pom garlands, wooden molinillo whisks for frothy hot chocolate, and handmade copal incense. It's the kind of range that turns a taco lunch into a fully stocked kitchen and a redecorating plan.
If you can't make it to Takanini, most of the range is available through the online store, and the reviews for that side of the business are just as warm — shoppers describe an easy-to-use website, quick and helpful answers when something goes wrong, and super-fast shipping with products arriving just as advertised.
Food service businesses are catered for too: Ay Caramba invites enquiries about wholesale pricing.
Ay Caramba Tacos sits at 33 Spartan Road in Takanini, Papakura, Auckland. Questions can go to [email protected] or 09 973 5823. Come hungry, check taco hours before you go, and leave room in your bag — between the salsas, the masa flour and the handblown glassware, it's rare to leave with just one thing.