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SoCal Taco & Tequila Fiesta 2023 Recap

Read About our Taco & Tequila Fiesta at SoCal to celebrate Cinco De Mayo.

We ate over 4.5k tacos and sipped on over 1.5k margaritas; what a huge week of festivities, specials & good times!

Thanks to everyone that joined us for what was an awesome week. With the return of My Taco Rules, Taco Tuesday, the introduction of Margaritas & Masterpieces and our 6th annual Chilli Eating Contest, it was one-week long partaaay!

Our venue was turned into a Mexican wonderland, decked out in colourful & bright decorations. With $3 tacos and $15 margaritas all week long, as well as other specials including our staff favourite tequila and taco roulette.

Keep reading for the rundown on everything Fiesta 2023!

Fiesta 2023 run-down:

My Taco Rules

Applejack Hospitality’s Bartenders and Chefs from their venues teamed up to compete to be crowned the taco & tequila champions on Monday night of our Fiesta!

Each team was tasked with creating an epic taco and an Altos Tequila-based cocktail for our panel of judges. Each team put on a show, grilling, seasoning, shaking, and pouring the most delicious creations! In the end, the home team, SoCal took home the WIN and were crowned taco & tequila champions of Applejack!

It was an epic night full of good food, great drinks, and amazing vibes, thanks to everyone who joined in all the action!

View the photo album >

Taco Tuesday

It was a huge Taco Tuesday, as our kitchen cooked up over 600 tacos and our bartenders shook over 135 margaritas on Taco Tuesday! The vibes were immaculate, as we partied all night long devouring tacos.

It was a massive night for our kitchen team, thanks to everyone who feasted with us!

Missed out? No need to worry, we are still serving up $3 tacos and $15 margaritas every taco Tuesday, book now your spot >

Margaritas & Masterpieces

In a SoCal first, we teamed up with Pinot & Picasso to host the most epic paint & sip class. The margaritas were flowing, as our guests painted the town red creating their own unique Frida artwork.

It was such an entertaining night, and not to brag but we think SoCal is home to some pretty great artists!

View the photo album >

Chilli Eating Competition

On Thursday we held our legendary Chilli Eating Contest! It was a contest like we had never seen before, with 12 serious competitors, who pushed through the first couple of rounds with ease.

It was then clear the heat was starting to pick up, as the contestants started dropping like flies! By the last round, we were down to the last three competitors, each consuming the dreaded Carolina Reaper (the hottest chilli in the world). After then getting down to two contestants, there was one clear winner. Applejack Hospitality’s own Carlos Anderson was unstoppable!

It was a fun night, with live music, an awesome crowd, and an even better show! Congratulations to all who took part in our contest.

View the photo album >

SoCal Live On Studio10

Head Chef Kieth Souza was given the opportunity to join the team at Studio10 on live TV to promote our legendary Chilli Eating Competition! Keith took the hosts through the selection of chillis, and talked about the competition process before the brave hosts tucked in!

Starting with a Jalapeno the hosts, then took the plunge trying one of the hottest chillies in the world; the Carolina Reaper! Check out the video for yourself here >

Plus the video ended up going viral on our Applejack Hospitality TikTok account, reaching 1.4 million views and over 19k likes! Watch the TikTok here >

Thanks to everyone who joined us this Fiesta week!

We are already so excited for next year, in the meantime check out some of the images below & join us for a dining experience to remember in Neutral Bay.