Every tortilla pressed by hand. Every tamale filled with care. Traditional nixtamal process, fire-cooked ingredients, and a whole lot of love.
Our Story
Tacos y Masa was born from a simple belief: that the best food is food made properly. That means starting with whole NZ-grown corn, nixtamalizing it the traditional way, and grinding our own fresh masa every single service. No commercial shortcuts. No factory mix.
We cook over fire. We press every tortilla to order. We fill and wrap every tamale by hand. It takes longer. It tastes better. And on Waiheke Island, we think that's exactly the kind of food this place deserves.
Available for private hire, events, parties, and pop-ups — bringing the full taqueria experience wherever you need us.
Traditional Technique
Most people have never tasted real masa. Here's why ours is different — and why it matters.
Source the Corn
We start with whole dried corn grown right here in New Zealand — 100% GE-free. No imported dried flour. No commercial mix. The quality of the corn determines everything that follows, so we don't compromise on where it comes from.
Nixtamalize the Corn
The corn is cooked and soaked overnight in an alkaline lime solution — a technique called nixtamalization that's been used in Mesoamerica for thousands of years. This unlocks nutrients, deepens flavour, and transforms the corn's texture in ways that simply cannot be replicated with commercial masa flour.
Grind Fresh Masa
After nixtamalizing, the corn is stone-ground in-house into fresh masa — a thick, fragrant dough with a depth of flavour you simply cannot buy in a bag. We grind every service. It doesn't keep, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Fresh Masa
What comes off the stone mill is something genuinely special — warm, fragrant masa with a depth of corn flavour that commercial flour simply cannot touch. The nixtamalization process doesn't just transform the texture; it unlocks niacin and amino acids that are otherwise bound inside the kernel, making the corn significantly more nutritious. This is the foundation everything is built on — tortillas, tamales, chips. Real masa. Made fresh. Every single service.
Hot & Fresh
Every tortilla hits the hotplate to order — pressed and cooked fresh for every single serve. Tamales are steamed low and slow until the masa sets and the filling melds together beautifully. To eat: unwrap, and dip bite by bite into your choice of house salsa — including our famous dynamite. Fast to eat. Slow to forget. Come hungry, leave happy.
From the Kitchen
No food styling. No artificial lighting. Just honest food, made by honest hands.
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Joel Larson — Founder & Head Chef
The Person Behind the Masa
Joel Larson has been cooking professionally for nearly three decades — fine-dining kitchens, festival pop-ups, late-night street food, and everything in between. What drove him wasn't accolades or ambition. It was a singular obsession: finding food made properly, by hand, from ingredients that actually deserve respect.
South America changed everything. A deep dive into masa, nixtamalization, stone mills, and dried corn husks — and the incomparable smell of fresh tortillas hitting a hot comal. He came home to Waiheke Island with a new direction and a non-negotiable standard, and Tacos y Masa was born.
"If you start with 100% GE-free New Zealand corn and grind it yourself every service, you end up with something completely different to anything you can buy. That gap — between real masa and the commercial version — that's where Tacos y Masa lives."
Today, Joel runs Tacos y Masa as a one-person operation with serious intent. Every tortilla he presses. Every tamale he fills. Every salsa he makes. There are no shortcuts because shortcuts are how you end up with something ordinary — and Joel has absolutely no interest in ordinary food.
Based on Waiheke Island, Tacos y Masa is available for private hire, events, parties, and pop-ups. If you want real Mexican masa-based food made properly, Joel's your man.
What People Say
"As a Mexican living far from home, it's wonderful to find a place like this — one that transports you straight to a great taqueria. Delicious flavours, colours, and salsas. For a Brazilian and a Gringo, 9 out of 10 isn't bad! Keep up the great work. Muchas gracias, obrigado, thank you!"
"Have to give a shoutout to Tacos y Masa in Oneroa. Hand-ground masa, tacos to order, and the most amazing pork cheek filling. Tamales were moist and perfectly cooked. A great selection of handmade salsas and pickles. Some of the most legit Mexican I've had."
"Joel's tacos are absolute heaven — every bite is a new discovery. You can taste the love and passion he puts into his cooking."
"The special taco at Tacos y Masa was the best meal we had all weekend. Simple as that."
"Super legit, definitely recommend!"
"Best tacos I've had in NZ!"
Get in Touch
Tacos y Masa is available for private hire, events, parties, weddings, corporate functions, and pop-ups across Waiheke Island and beyond. Get in touch to discuss your event — we'd love to bring the masa to you.
Send us a message