RESTAURANTS & CAFES
El Camino Cantina Surfers Paradise
WORDS: Rachel Lebihan PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied
El Camino Cantina opened to a full house at the new dining precinct at the Paradise Centre on Friday 9th September and there have been queues to get into the high energy Tex-Mex diner ever since.
El Camino Cantina Surfers Paradise is one of 12 in the group, and six in Queensland, including a venue at Robina. The Surfers Paradise location is the first to serve breakfast: think tacos with breakfast fillings, fresh juices and espresso coffee.
The much-loved Margarita mecca has also launched with a six-week Ritapalooza festival showcasing its famous rockstar-style frozen Margaritas. There will be 24 flavours on rotation over the six-week period.
Guests are encouraged to round up their Margarita tribe to help with the Metre Rita – a one-metre-long tasting paddle of 13, 50ml frozen flavours. Margarita tasting paddles of four flavours are also available.
The sprawling Surfers Paradise site has over 300 seats and delivers the same explosively fun, one-of-a-kind casual dining experience, with a menu and interior design elements tailored to the iconic location.
Humming with trademark cool tunes, the colourful cantina is ablaze with neon lights, fluorescent signage and illuminated features, including skulls, crosses, cacti and lightning bolts. Other signature features include a flame graffiti decorated corrugated iron bar front, colourful festoon lighting strung overhead in the 30-seat al fresco dining space and a custom-designed mural by Australian punk music and surf art icon Ben Brown featuring a thrill-seeking, wave-riding skeleton surfer in a sombrero and board shorts.
Seating is a mix of booths, high-top large-group tables, settings for smaller groups, as well as custom-made swing-style seats that incorporate an element of beachfront fun.
El Camino Cantina’s menu is flavour-packed, fun and affordable. Quintessential Tex-Mex dishes include tacos, sizzling fajitas, burritos, buffalo wings, nachos and handmade tortillas. Weekday specials include $2 tacos every Tuesday and 10-cent wings every Wednesday.
