Our story

“Chivito” means “little goat” in Spanish, and according to the story, the dish was created in the 1960’s when an Argentine tourist asked a restaurant owner for a dish of roasted goat like the one she was accustomed to back home. The chef had no goat, but he slapped together a sandwich and topped it with a little of just about everything in the kitchen. It was a hit, and the Uruguayan sandwich-eating public never looked back.

Australian born/Uruguayan Marty and his Kiwi wife Anna team up to bring something unlike anything else in Melbourne and are proud to be the first of its kind.

“My family relocated from Montevideo, Uruguay in the 70’s. I was raised Uruguayan and grew up eating Chivito’s at family gatherings. We saw a huge gap in the market for Uruguayan food and wanted to represent my family’s culture by bringing the Chivito the national sandwich of Uruguay to Melbourne and revolutionise the way people eat steak sandwiches.” – Marty

Traditionally a Chivito must have thin steak, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, olives and bacon. El Chivi encapsulates flavours and draws on inspiration from the street carts of Uruguay with layers of ingredients, eye catching colours and freshness.

Everything is cooked fresh to order from our unique rustic looking food van complete with a terracotta roof and vintage lanterns inspired by the picturesque streets of Colonia del Sacramento with its rustic stucco houses and cobbled streets.

“In 2014 El Chivi was born in the garage of my Grandfathers house, where my Dad, Grandfather, Anna and I would spend weekends building from the ground up. A bonding experience like no other and a labour of love.”
Marty


2015 El Chivi launched onto the food truck scene of Melbourne and have been lucky enough to be at some of Melbourne’s finest music festivals, techno events, community festivals, food truck parks and carnivals along with intimate private parties catering for functions.

El Chivi prides itself of being different to the rest, serving nothing but quality ingredients, tender steak and an experience we hope you will come back to have again.

Everyone has had a burger but have you had a Uruguayan steak sandwich?