Vera Cruz

Ph: (02) 9904 5818; 314 Military Rd, CREMORNE 2090

Mexican, $$ -, * for Food & Ambience
Open Dinner Mon-Sat 6pm-late, Closed Sun; Licensed, BYO, Corkage $3.50 person; AE MC V, Seats inside 70, Kids welcomed
Chef (Joel Oilier, 2007-11-3) Owner (Annette Zubani, 2007-11-3)

Mietta's Review
Authentic Mexican food is something to behold; subtle flavours and fresh produce come together to create a taste sensation. Vera Cruz offers great food, Mexican beer and margaritas served in warm, happy surrounds.

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 13/20 "The long narrow dining room with its glowing pale-pink crosses strikes a minimalist pose. But the little back bar with its hot-pink velour Madonna and colourful mermaid pinata is almost kitsch"

Sydney Eats 2008 "In a restaurant named after the Mexican town named after the true cross, what else would you expect but neon pink crosses? Though it looks like the set for a futuristic spaghetti western, Vera Cruz is pretty close to the real deal in a cuisine few have got right in Australia"

Sydney Morning Herald Joanna Savill, 15-5-2007 "There's nothing glaringly south-of-the-border about this long, white, cooler-than-ice space with its neon pink crucifixion fetish. ... this is pure Mexico, right through to the Mexican boutique beers and blocks of coarse, cinnamon Ibarra chocolate on sale."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 14/20 "Forget sombreros and nachos and drunken recitals of 'Guantanamera'. This is real Mexican food, of the kind rarely seen in Sydney, and it will leave you wondering why on earth people settle for less. The cliches are ditched in a long, thin room that's minimalist, bordering on bare, with gently glowing, pale-pink crosses down both sides."

Sydney Eats 2006 "The name means true cross and this popular local cantina, candlelit for an intimate rosy ambience, is stylish from start to finish. Relax at the bar with a margarita before being seated, or sample the excellent range of Mexican beers and tequilas."

SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 2005 " 'This is gourmet Mexican,' says our musician friend Victor Valdes, who is in fact from the town of Veracruz on Mexico's south-eastern coast. Just as Victor would stress the fact that Mexican cuisine offers incredible variety, Annette Zubani, who owns this designer-stylish all-white eatery, takes great pains to ensure her kitchen replicates authentic Mexican dishes that reflect a number of regional styles."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 14/20 "Vera Cruz's spare, white pharmacy-like contemporary decor - love those glowing pink crosses - is as far from your normal neighbourhood Mexican restaurant as the food. They pay homage to the colour, variety and subtleties of a seriously abused cuisine, blowing away the nonsense that all chilli dishes have to be hot"

Sydney Eats 2005 "Soft pink lights and the flicker of candles create an intimate ambience - not your standard Mexican joint. This cantina continues to surprise with an innovative mix of real Mexican flavours"

SMH GFG 2004,Score 14/20,'designed space that's all adobe whitewashed,bearing Greek crosses,candle-laden communal tables and a wordly Italian matriarch running the show.From all this comes Sydney's most contemporary Mexican cuisine,thoughtfully presented and-if you're up for it-a knock-out chilli hit.'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, Good vegatarian options 2004,'a lot of fun, particulary later in the week when boisterous groups settle in over rounds of margaritas and good regional Mexican food...The service is good-humoured and attentive.'

Sydney Morning Herald, Good Living, Eat Out, Matthew Evans, 20/7/02. Score 14/20. "There is other Mexican food in Australia but none where the subleties and intricacies are as fully explored."