DINING LOS VILLANOS Words by Lizzy Keen It’s 2.15pm and lunchtime in Brisbane. Snippets of laughter rebound off the surrounding pavement and brick. Little plastic flags ripple in a patchwork of colour overhead, matching the yellow vinyl tablecloths. Posters of brightly masked men leap out from various surfaces. Sharp and bubbly, our waiter Charlie greets our table and prompts an appetiser. “So, it’s lunch. Shall we start with some margaritas?” This is the pace at Los Villanos Mexican Kitchen, a cheeky fast-paced bar and restaurant inside The Barracks, a hip entertainment precinct integrated into Brisbane’s old heritage-listed police barracks. Blending Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling), Frida Kahlo-esque details and Day of the Dead paraphernalia, it’s one of the most eclectic eateries this side of the river. As The Cat Empire climbs a decibel in the speakers, Charlie reveals which dishes we’ll be eating and lands two frosted cloudy lime green glasses on our table. It’s 2.21pm and I’m toasting a margarita. Situated at street level, Los Villanos enjoys the energy of nearby Caxton Street with the intimacy of a hidden cantina. While the heritage police barracks building stands as rigid as it did some 130 years ago, today it stirs with the energy and noise of 12 restaurants and cafés, Los Villanos among them. Los Villanos – ‘the villains’ in Spanish – is owned together with the trendy Spanish restaurant, Peasant, next door. Whereas Peasant, in stark contrast to its name, is all sophisticated tapas and wine, its North American counterpart is bold, sassy and armed with lime and salt. Here, the dining ends late and the boozing even later, hence the number of upholstered stools, bar-top tables and two-three pax settings, designed for small after-work wind downs, pre-drink nibbles and date nights. KEEP THEM CLOSER pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 103
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