Your New Favorite Mexican in the Heart of Bustling Shuiwei

I have to admit, Mexican restaurants are my favorite kind of restaurants. So you can imagine my excitement when one lazy afternoon, while walking down the bustling streets of Shuiwei, I came across Mambo. I had high hopes for this Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar. I was not to be disappointed.

Mambo invites you in with its open doors and outside seating. When you see the blue and white walls match the Vespa scooter parked out front, you know this is a place that pays attention to detail.

The interior is minimalistic. There are no sombreros or picados. The few bright colors come from the mascots that hang out around the bar. These little guys were inspired by the Alebrije art sculptures from Mexico and were designed by the owner Christian with his friend back in Veracruz. As Christian tells me later, the simple layout is intentional. “This way you see the food.”

As I look over the menu, my eye is drawn to the green, purple and pink tacos. I begin to understand what Christian means. It’s not just the colors, however, that make the tacos stand out.

Christian’s idea was to mix different flavors from around the world with Mexican food. “I remember I was in Hong Kong. I tried this pork belly and I thought ‘Oh my god, I need a tortilla here,’” he explains. It gave him the inspiration to play with the flavors.

Along with Christian’s favorite pork belly from Hong Kong, you can also find other fusion delights including the Greek Chicken Souvlaki Feta Cheese,Thai Prawn Mango, and Spanish Chorizo.

As well as the tacos, the juicy Mambo Grilled Chicken signature skewer looks very tempting. In the end, though, I go with the Cocktail Prawns Acapulpo, Vegetarian Quesadillas, and Chicken Fajitas with Green and Red Peppers.

Like all the dishes in Mambo, a lot of attention has gone into the presentation of the Vegetarian Quesadillas. Carefully added atop the quesadillas are little Aztec temples of melted cheese, avocado puree and sour cream. When you take that first bite, however, you will be forgiven to forget all about that presentation and devour the quesadilla.

Next is the exquisitely presented Cocktail Prawns Acapulpo, named after the beach in Mexico. The pan fried prawns come presented on a bed of fresh apple, mango, tomato, and corn salsa. A Prawn cocktail isn’t the first dish that springs to mind when I think of Mexico, but afterwards it makes me regret what I’ve been missingall this time.

Last is one of the quintessential Mexican dishes, Chicken Fajitas. The freshly made fajitas come with a boat load of chicken, vegetables and sauces. We order extra fajitas so we can wipe up every last bit.

I also have to mention the homemade salsa. It’s the kind of saucethat goes with anything. Mercifully, Mambo also sells it by the bottle so you can take some home to keep you going until your next visit. I push my luck and ask if I can also get a bag of the homemade crispy nachos, but they are not available to order yet.

Mambo is as much a cocktail bar as it is a restaurant, as the lengthy drinks list and well stocked bar can attest to. After some good food, I was in the mood for a drink.  If you are unsure of where to start, you can’t go wrong with the signature Tijuana Sling. The pineapple twist means that this tequila drink goes down deceptively easy. There are also a whole page of drinks for the ladies including the fresh and fruity Mambo cocktail. For those wishing to try something truly special, ask for a shot of the Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia. Only a small batch of this tequila is produced every year.

With amazing drinks, it’s no surprise that Mambo often turns from a restaurant into a late night cocktail bar. Christian tells me that it’s not uncommon for the party to go on to three or four in the morning.

Since opening in March, Mambo is already starting to host events and build up a community. On Taco Tuesdays you can try some off menu flavors from the kitchen, including Indian Chicken Tandoori. Spanish Corner usually meets once a month and there is talk of a movie night starting soon. At the end of October, they are hosting their first Argentinean tango party while on November 1st they will be commemorating Dia de los Muertos. For those planning a birthday, there are plenty of options and they can even arrange a piñata for you.

Head on down to Mambo for a meal with family, a few cocktails with friends, or even just to chat with Christian over some tacos and beer. 

Average Spend per Head: RMB 90

Place Name: MAMBO 曼波餐饮店

Place Address: No.45, 131 Building, 7th Shuiwei Rd, Futian District, Shenzhen (深圳市福田区水围七街131栋45号)

Contact Number:14750333 49 29910 49 14939 0 0 2482 0 0:00:12 0:00:06 0:00:06 280703 / 13827465170

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