My siblings and I set out for Charcoal Loco hoping for something similar to Nando’s. From the pictures online, it looked close enough; grilled chicken is grilled chicken.

But upon arrival, it became abundantly clear how wrong we were. For starters, Charcoal Loco is South American, not Portuguese. And then we thought, “well surely they’re both at least cooked with charcoal”.

We were wrong again, as Google Gemini told us in the bluntest way possible: “No, Nando’s is not cooked on charcoal. It is cooked on a commercial gas stove flame.”

Thankfully, the mix-up was not enough to deter us. The food we had at Charcoal Loco was so good, I have not stopped talking about it since.

We started with the chicken tacos ($16.50), soft tortillas filled with charcoal-grilled chicken. The chicken was remarkably soft and juicy. The charcoal taste wasn’t too prominent but it didn’t matter because the chimichurri came through with all the flavours I was hoping for.

We also had to try their signature lamb shank ($39.90), which the menu said was the chef’s speciality — and we couldn’t agree more. The succulent slow-cooked lamb shank was infused with fresh herbs, covered in an aromatic gravy, and served on a creamy bed of mashed potatoes.

The table all agreed the beef short ribs ($38.90) were the best thing we tried. The beef was so tender it slipped through my fork. The delicious barbecue sauce and fresh herbs didn’t overpower the meat, and I could taste a nice char. As part of the set, we could pick a side, and of course I went with the chips. They were covered in an addictive chicken salt that was so good we had to order an additional side of them ($9.90) to stop the fighting.

My sister ordered the porterhouse steak ($41.90). It was 300g and we picked the charcoal-smoked rice for the side. The rice tasted heavy in cardamom and complemented the steak well. This was the weakest dish because it wasn’t as salty or buttery as we had hoped. There are so many other delicious things on the menu, I would skip the steak next time.

Charcoal Loco is a BYO restaurant, but I was nursing a headache so we opted for a mango smoothie ($9.50) and watermelon Fresca ($10.90). The Fresca was on the pricey side, but I really appreciated the carbonation when I was trying to wash down a mouthful of fatty lamb shank.

I cannot believe it took a silly misunderstaning to finally try Charcoal Loco. It truly is as good as everyone says, and I’ve got my eyes on their massive meat platters for my next visit.

Charcoal Loco

Unit 1/630 Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley

OPEN

Monday-Wednesday 5-9.30pm; Thursday 11.30am-3pm, 5-9.30pm; Friday 11.30am-3pm, 5-10pm; Saturday noon-10pm; Sunday noon-9.30pm

CONTACT

0414 584 195

BOOKINGS

Yes

THE VERDICT

Smoky charcoal meats with plenty of different sides and sauces to mix and match.

16.5/20