Trippy Taco

The only real reason I enjoy going to the doctor is because he’s right around the corner from Trippy Taco. So I always get Trippy Taco after an appointment. Have a bad sinus infection? Trippy Taco. Nasty cough? Trippy Taco. Messed up the knee while running? Trippy Taco. Birth control pills need refilling? Trippy Taco.
This is the cadence of my life.
In all seriousness, Trippy Taco has tasty food in a cute location with a good laid-​back vibe. It’s all Tex-​Mex style (which I say somewhat tongue-​in-​cheek because I’m actually from Texas and pretty much nothing in Australia comes close to authentic Tex-​Mex, which is understandable I guess).
It’s also 100% vegetarian, but this doesn’t stop the meat-​eaters from coming in droves because the flavours are nice, the food is fresh, and the atmosphere is casual, colourful and quirky.
Vegans have a wide variety of options to choose from: burritos, quesadillas, tacos, spiced corn with vegan chipotle mayo, tamales, nachos, and taquitos. They even have vegan desserts — vegan churros, soy ice cream + chocolate + banana or orange, etc.
They also do vegan breakfasts, subbing scrambled tofu and soy cheese for the eggs and dairy cheese in their regular vegetarian menu.
They use Daiya as their non-​dairy vegan cheese. They used to use Cheezly and I believe they may still use Cheezly in some of their dishes. So if you hate Daiya with a fiery passion, you might want to ask them to hold the cheese. Personally, I prefer Daiya over Cheezly so I don’t mind it. Even my non-​vegan friends don’t seem to mind Daiya.
Now for the bad news. The first is that I find Trippy Taco a tad overpriced for what it is. There’s a vegan surcharge of $ 0.50−2.00 for nearly everything — which is kinda understandable, given that Daiya and Cheezly (and other vegan substitutes for things like mayo) are imported into Australia and therefore expensive. I like the vegan Mixed Burrito, which comes out to $ 13 — but let’s be honest, even though it’s tasty, in my opinion it doesn’t taste nearly as good as a vegan Zambrero burrito which is about the same size but is only $ 10.90.
The other thing I don’t like about Trippy Taco’s burritos is they are literally drowning in sauce. It makes for an incredibly messy meal and huge pools of sauce sink down to the bottom of the burrito. So it may very well be possible to bite into the bottom of the burrito and squirt your dining partner in the face with vegan tofu asada juice. Consider yourself warned.

If you’re looking for a good cheap a cheerful Mexican place a la style of California, keep looking as you haven’t found it yet. I’m pretty sure there was stewed tomato in my burrito. And the burrito had cabbage in it, cabbage goes in tacos, not burritos.

Having been introduced to the wonders of Mexican food by a friend of mine, when I saw this place as I was wandering down Gertrude Street I decided that I would go straight inside and order a meal. Well, the first thing that I discovered is that this is a strictly vegeterian restaurant, so if you want meat in your Burrittos then you may need to make your way to the local Taco Bills. Anyway, having been to a few of the chain Mexican Restaurants that are appearing around the place, I was really keen on checking out something that was a part of a franchise. Well, this place turned up, and I have to say that it was pretty good. The Burrito, despite being vegetarian, was really nice. They also have beer available. However you should be aware that this place does get very, very crowded, and it isn’t the largest of places around, so you may want the takeaway option.

Happy Née Year fellow Unilocalers!
I must say at the onset, I am a pure carnivore and when I walked into this fine establishment, I was quite pessimistic if my Mexican fix could be quenched.
Everyone, I was definitely swayed immediately to taste the best Mexican street food I have had in Melbourne!
I ordered a bean and cheese burrito with guacamole and sour cream. The taste was fabulous and the flavours of home in Southern California slapped me right across the face and I embraced it with open arms!
My partner ordered the nachos and I must say — WOW! Amazing taste and nice spice.
I will definitely be returning for more and next time, I will try their all day breakfast and taqitos!
They are licensed so a beer is available to wash it down! Make a run to trippy soon!

I have been meaning to get to this place for a while, and I am sure glad I did. The atmosphere in here is great, although when it gets a little busy, it will be a long wait for a table.
We were lucky tonight, only waiting about 3 mins before one came up. There is no waiting for wait staff, as you order at the counter, and the options, although vegetarian are plentiful. I am a carnivore, and thus a fully vegetarian menu to me is a little unknown territory.
I ordered the Fries (as a carnivore would) and also the Special Quesadilla.
The first to arrive where the fries, covered in house spice, and paired with the house hot sauce, they were delicious. Next to arrive was my main course. I had added extra Jalapeño’s as I do enjoy a bit of spice, and I must say this dish did not disappoint. If it is a mouthful of various flavours you are looking for then this is not for you, however it was true to its name. Very cheesy, so much so, it lost the guac flavour, and if you do like a little spice, I would suggest to add the Jalapeño’s as this added some freshness to it.
It was a little heavy, but reading the menu and looking at the result, it is exactly as described.
Will I be heading back there, sure thing, delicious, healthy (well semi) and a great atmosphere.

Okay, so, confession time… my interest in the restaurant was initially piqued when I misheard a work colleague, thinking she was talking about a restaurant called ‘Tripitaka’ (I may or may not have been a fan of that ‘Monkey Magic’ show when I was a younger ‘un, and may or may not have had a slightly disturbing crush on said priest type person!!). Turns out the much more appropriately named Trippy Taco was worth as much excitement as the Tripitaka-​Monkey-​Magic restaurant in my head! I was once again thrust into menu selection turmoil due to the range of vegetarian/​vegan interpretations of Mexican food on offer, but settled on a burrito — a Trippy’s Original Burrito, vegan style — to be exact. My god… so fresh… so delicious… so filled to the brim with its black bean, salad, and salsa-​y goodness! I devoured it like a burrito enamoured great white shark! My cantina compadre ordered the Tofu Asada Burrito, filled with chargrilled tofu, goats cheese, mozzarella, salad, salsa, and guacamole. The report from her side of the table was also good!
Throw in some Trippy fries, and a Monday Mojito, and viola… mischief managed! The décor of Trippy Taco is Mexican minimalist, but the feel is cute enough, and I loved the seating options. Taco punters who arrive before the masses can choose from your standard table & chair affair, to bar stool window seats looking out onto Gertrude Street, and a lower bench and seats that look out onto a little side lane way. If you are fortunate enough to score a window seat, you know you are in for some quality people watching opportunities — the perfect burrito chaser! In true Terminator form…“I’ll be back” *insert Schwarzenegger accent here*

I hear people rave about Trippy Taco all the time, and finally having the chance to get into one of these burritos as I was strolling down Gertrude watching the light works.
We got here just as it was about to close (will have it dine-​in thanks… *annoyance looks*) The burrito was pretty decent. Had good flavor. It was nothing amazing, but i can see why people like it.
The interior of this place is kinda cool too, and they have a big focus on tequila, which i really enjoy.
I wouldnt go out my way to come here, but next time i’m in the area and feeling a burrito, id most likely go here.

This place was an awesome find! I was with an American friend and we had both been craving some Mexican food.
The tortillas were home made which is key and we had the trippy and the asada tacos full of vege and white cheese.
If you are a fan of real Mexican food then this is not the place for you. Its a great healthy twist on Mexican food but I had to order jalapeños on the side for extra and there were only a few bottles of green and red sauce in the building.
Mexican coke was great too!

I will admit that I’m a burrito snob, but California does that to you. I’m also a vegetarian burrito snob, so that makes it worse.
So, when overly sweet carrots appear in my «tofu asada burrito» without warning, I don’t know what to do. Not the type of surprise that I like in my burrito. It just kinda ruined it for me.
Service could have been a tad friendlier, too. Sorry, Trippy Taco… love your concept, but disappointed by the outcome.

IF YOU NEED MEAT IN YOUR TACO, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE A BAD TIME…
Well not really. It’s actually all pretty good. But if you’re going to be a jerk about the meat, don’t bother going there — there is no meat.
I do like:
Taquitos — 3 crispy corn things rolled up like cigars, filled with black beans and cheese etc.
Special Quesadilla — a tortilla filled with goat cheese, black beans, salsa and avocado.
I do not like:
Sweet Corn Tamale — like a sponge cake made of creamed corn.
I was disappointed with the side salads served alongside everything. I mean this place is built on salad, surely it could be a little more inspired than just a few bits of lettuce and whatnot.

Love Tripy Tacos. A MUST try! Great place. Never lets you down.
Mexican goodness. Can’t help but keep going back.

How lucky am I that I live a stone’s throw from Trippy Taco? Perched on the Smith St. end of Gertrude, its cheery sign beckons all to experience its delicious food.
What sets Trippy Taco apart? For one thing, it’s been in Melbourne since way, way before Mexican became the new Thai. For another, it’s entirely vegetarian. Now, real Mexicans (and I’m friends with some) or those who have lived there (same) might proclaim up and down that this is not traditional in any way, shape, or form. But this is Melbourne, and Fitzroy, and Gertrude — so if a Mexican place wants to go veggie, they’re gonna do it here. And they’re going to see the clientele not be able to get enough.
I have been there too many times to count (see: living stone’s throw away), and can attest that while the prices might not be as good as in Mexico, it’s still a good bargain for Melbourne. Try the tacos, the tostados, and the soft drinks — or even sangria. Just make sure that you time your arrival so you can snag a seat. This place is BUSY, and for a reason.

Excellent vegetarian mexican style food. LOADS of gluten free options — in fact most were gf — which I personally appreciate as I can only eat gluten free and I didn’t feel like I had to ask about their cooking practices (in order to not get sick).
Had the gluten free corn taco with black beans. absolutely loved it. Had some suprising ingredients that really worked. sultanas, beetroot and carrot. Was SO nice. Flavours were awesome.
They do take away/​pick ups. As I live in the city (10 min tram ride), I will use this for sure!
Will come back for sure. LOVE it.

There are only two things you need to know.
1. Everything here is vegetarian
2. Order the Tofu Asada Burrito
Now get in line, it won’t be a missed steak.

The tofu tacos and nachos are amazing. Grab a cerveza and nachos to share with the posse and enjoy.

Awesome cheap eats place.
it has some gluten free options too.
These are great, and you never feel bloated afterwards.
This is the type of place that I’ll be coming back to again and again. Its great for a Friday night quick eats before going out, or a lazy saturday arvo bite.
Highly recommended.

We were in Melbourne for about 3 days, and though there were plenty of vegetarian places to eat at, we came here. Twice.
TACOS. BURRITOS. QUESADILLA. I was in absolute heaven. Best of all, rather than saying «Oh, it’s vegan without the cheese and sour cream», they use vegan cheese and sour cream upon request! What a novel concept!
Staff weren’t entirely friendly or helpful (and there was a loud radio playing, so the server could barely hear our order), but the food turned up pretty quickly and was absolutely delicious.
Regardless of where we stay next time we’re in Melbourne, we will be making the journey over to Trippy Taco again. And again.

Love TT for a quick and healthy burrito fix. Love the black bean and tofu burrito… choc full of fresh salad and hot gooey goodness… They’re massive though, big enough to share if you’re not overly hungry.
You’ll need about 10 napkins to blot up all the juicy goodness that will be more than likely dripping down your chin… but it’s well worth it.
Pair it with a beer and some chilli fries! x

And so it happened that two years after my initial visit to TT, I returned, delirious with hunger after hitting an open bar event at Sentido Funf across the street. It was late, and I was craving a big fat burrito, so I decided I’d take a chance and visit the restaurant in its new digs on Gertrude Street.
So, now I feel humbled because this time I really, really liked the joint. I got a big ass veggie burrito packed with tofu, lettuce, creamy guacamole, and salsa. I enjoyed every last bite and I much preferred the ambiance of the new location.
Yes, humbled I am.

After visiting the former incarnation of somewhere
between a broom closet and a shoebox many times,
I was finally excited to come and try out the new location.
Albeit rather late. Truth told I had been waiting so long for
it to open that I had in the end forgotten about it.
I’m thinking that most people rave about this due
to its lack of meat– meat traditionally imparting greater flavour
to dishes. The fact that it’s vegetarian and still great tasting
is amazing. Its also kind of humbling that you can easily
grab a beer with lunch– and not have to go through
the usual suspects. The servings tend to be quite hearty
and this should be rewarded — nothing stingy here.
It can be hard to choose between the all the options a
available, but the Trippy taco fires are a sure fire winner!