Speed-eating competitions in Sydney are rare. So, if they’re your thing, when you see one, you pounce. One to have on your radar: SoCal Sydney’s Taco Eating Competition on Thursday, May 22.
Part of the Neutral Bay venue’s Taco and Tequila Fiesta 2025, the event sees competitors working to finish 10 tacos the fastest. It’s $30 entry, which also gets you a Tommy’s margarita on arrival. Then you’ll feast on SoCal’s signature tacos in three heats, with the speediest among the group crowned winner at the end.
There will be heaps of prizes throughout the competition and, with entry free for spectators, likely lots of cheering and general fun vibes. The winner, though, will get the grand prize and, possibly more importantly, bragging rights to call themselves SoCal’s first-ever Taco Champion — a title to put on your professional CV.
The annual Taco and Tequila Fiesta is now in its seventh year, running from Saturday, May 3 to Saturday, May 31. It features weekly specials, like Taco Tuesdays ($4 tacos and $15 margaritas), Wing Wednesdays ($10 for six wings) and Bottomless Fajita Fridays ($35 for bottomless fajitas).
Mondays in May are Family Fiesta specials, which give kids free cheese quesadillas with an adult purchase. And on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, you can order a bottomless lunch or dinner package for only $99.
It also has three one-off events, including the Taco Eating Contest. There’s a Fiesta Launch Party on Saturday, May 3 and the much-anticipated Chilli Eating Competition on Thursday, May 15. Also in May, diners who use Applejack’s app (Applejack’s the hospitality group behind SoCal) get entered to win a year of free tacos. You can use the app for gift cards, merch and more.
SoCal Neutral Bay was founded by hospitality veterans Hamish Watts and Ben Carroll, who were inspired by a surf trip to Southern California. The trip saw them eating and drinking around the south of the US state, trying the area’s distinct food and soaking in the laid-back atmosphere.
The venue concept they came up with emulates that chilled-out feel and serves Southern Californian street food that’s fresh and designed to be shared. The menu was created SoCal’s head chef Chris Webber and The Butler’s head chef Amber Doig, also in the Applejack group, True to the real thing, the menu’s seasoned with Latin American and Mexican spices and heavily features slow-cooked smoked meats and fresh seafood.
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