Chicano Taqueria is the culmination of a culinary journey that began at The French Laundry—California’s legendary three-Michelin-star temple of modern French cuisine. It’s where Head Chef and owner Kingsley Heron trained, and where he absorbed the precision, discipline, and ingredient-led philosophy that still guides his cooking today.

After relocating to Melbourne, Kingsley worked in some of the city’s top kitchens — Maze by Gordon Ramsay, Hardware Société, Attica — and eventually led the team at George on Collins as Head Chef. 

Then came lockdown. In the quiet chaos that followed, Kingsley reimagined what dining could be by launching a deeply-Melbourne underground pop-up inside an art gallery. 

Drawing on his rigorous French training and sun-soaked Californian nostalgia, he developed a bold, SoCal-inspired style: bright, refined, and relaxed. That pop-up laid the foundations for Chicano Taqueria, on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy.

It’s a vibrant, casual space where tortillas are pressed to order, local produce shines, and everything is made from scratch in an open kitchen using methods usually reserved for fine dining. At Chicano, authenticity comes through craft — time-honoured techniques, a focus on ingredients, and delivering it all with a relaxed, welcoming vibe (and a killer cocktail). It’s a fresh take on Southern California that feels right at home in Fitzroy.