Artüro, a new-ish restaurant on 7th Street in Melville, appears Mexican at first glance. As someone who is always on the lookout for Mexican food in Joburg, I was excited to check out Artüro after spotting a photo of a platter of tacos on the “I Love Melville” Facebook page.

I went for dinner at Artüro not long after seeing that post, and I did have some great tacos. But I also realized that Artüro isn’t exactly Mexican — or at least it’s not ONLY Mexican. In addition to tacos and nachos and margaritas, the menu offers stuffed plantains, Colombian red snapper, and a Central African dessert called Mikate: beignets with Benin chili sauce.

Artüro is owned by Tanya (with whom I had a very brief conversation during a recent Friday evening dinner rush), a woman originally from Congo, who discovered Latin cuisine while researching the slave trade in Colombia. Tanya realized that a lot of the food she ate in South America reminded her of food she grew up eating in Africa. So she decided to start a restaurant inspired by the mingled cuisines of both continents. Artüro is the delightful result.

What I Like About Artüro

I have now eaten at Artüro many times — for research purposes! — and I’ve tried nearly everything on the menu. Here are the things I like best about it:

1) The vibes

Artüro is comfortable, classy, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s fun. I love the decor, the dishes, the comfy window seats, the fireplace (during winter), the friendly service, and the music.

Artüro has very fun social media channels (follow them on Instagram and Tiktok). They also have monthly “Afro-Latin Socials”, with Salsa/Kizomba dancing, and Taco Tuesdays, when taco platters cost R100 (about $5.50).

2) The food

“Exuberant” is the best word I can think of to describe the menu at Artüro. The food is fun and doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Depending on what you order, each visit can feel like a completely different culinary experience.

I have several favorites: the Birria beef tacos, the stuffed plantains, the Mexican pork and black bean stew, the trio of salsas, and the Mikate.

3) The margaritas

Technically this restaurant is called Artüro Tequila Garden, so obviously the margaritas are good. There is also a long list of other tequila cocktails that I haven’t tried yet.

Artüro is hard to stay away from. I probably didn’t need to make five trips there to write this review, but it’s one of those places — like De Baba, the Melville bakery down the street, which I also recently blogged about — that keeps calling me back. Another win for 7th Street! Keep ’em coming, Melville.

Artüro is at 6 7th Street, Melville. They’re open every day except Monday.