This Restaurant Served Sad, Sad Nachos – & Got Slammed For It

There are only two ways to properly do nachos: either smothered in salsa (in the form of chilaquiles), or topped with the usual fixins’ of cheese, meat, and jalapeños. But one Australian restaurant went outside of these boundaries, and isn’t getting away with it.

An unhappy customer took to social media to share her experience at Elmar’s in the Valley – a German eatery that “offers authentically world class German food and locally sourced Australian cuisine.” Ashlin McCamish posted a photo of her plate of “European nachos”, which consisted of store-bought tortilla chips, melted cheese, and a few splatters of “salsa”. “These nachos cost $15,” the customer wrote on Facebook. “Not sure if we got mistaken for members of a wine tour because we look young, and therefore apparently aren’t worth decent service but this is a total rip-off.”

The restaurant responded by defending the dish: “Our version of nachos is not a soggier kind that you are accustomed to that has loads of sauce. We have opted to sell a European version which showcases corn chips and not copious amounts of sauce.” Elmar’s rebuttle is confusing since the customer never mentioned that nachos she’s “accustomed” to require alot of sauce. Even more confusing is the term “European nachos”, which many other commenters asked about. By the looks of the menu, the restaurant also serves their version of other Latin foods, such as a chorizo platter, as well as German classics, such as schnitzel.

Though the restaurant did say they’ll be making changes to the menu, the mistake represents a larger part of cultural appropriation – mostly because the dish costs a whopping $15, even though a traditional Mexican eatery would hardly charge half of that. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with one culture adopting another, especially in the kitchen. There is, however, a problem with a culture misrepresenting another through food, by serving an overpriced dish that underdelivers in terms of flavor and presentation.