SALISBURY, South Australia — To get to Taco Quetzalcoatl from Adelaide, you drive north along four-lane highways, across desolate wetlands and past industrial parks. Half an hour outside of the city, there’s a turn into a residential neighborhood of low brick houses, the type that cover so much of this country’s suburban landscape. Nothing about the green lawns and narrow streets suggests that this is somewhere you might find a restaurant of any sort, let alone one of the best representations of Mexican food in Australia.

A retail strip appears unexpectedly at the end of a block that’s well removed from a major road or other businesses. It’s as modest as they come, an aging collection of storefronts that includes a sparsely stocked grocery, a hair dresser and Taco Quetzalcoatl.

The windows of the restaurant are framed by vibrant Mexican fabrics, and a chalkboard sits on the sidewalk proclaiming: Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas. Inside, there is no real distinction between the kitchen and the few tables that make up the dining area. It is a room primarily used for cooking. Mexican grocery items are jumbled in with the chaos of the kitchen, and many of them are for sale.