Husband-and-wife duo Harry Lawrence and Karla Martinez met in Mexico and lived in Mexico City together for five years. When they moved to Melbourne in 2014, they struggled to find dishes they were accustomed to in CMDX. Rather than searching in vain, they decided to open Chabela and serve Mexican food that felt like home.

Starters mirror snacks you might find streetside, with a bit of finesse, and include dishes such as quesadillas and tostadas. There are a few larger dishes like enfrijoladas and enchiladas too.

The restaurant makes its tortillas with blue corn masa, which has a nuttier flavour than the white and yellow varieties, with a choice of meat or veg toppings. For something different, tortillas can be swapped for huaraches, a thick, elongated disc named for the indigenous sandals they resemble.