Rita’s Bar

The sibling of Siffredi’s Spaghetti Bar, Rita’s taco and tequila bar offers eight different Margaritas, around 50 mezcals, salt-and-lime-rimmed tinnies, and non-traditional tacos, making for an outside the box Mexican experience. Inside, the atmosphere is intimate and moody, while outside there’s a more casual vibe with large communal tables.

The menu is anything but traditional: corn tortillas are loaded with unorthodox fillings such as crisp soft-shell Moreton Bay bugs with iceberg and pickled red onion; a Bunnings-inspired kransky with caramelised onion, curry sauce and fried onions; and fish’n’chips (grilled snapper, golden fried potatoes, vinegar seasoning, dill mayo and burnt lime).

On the Margaritas front you might try the Honey & Harvest with mezcal verde, butter-washed honey, lime citrus and aquafaba, for example, or a Paloma with Tromba blanco, agave, grapefruit, lime citrus and soda.

Owners Aleks Balodis and Ollie Hansford (both ex-Stokehouse Q) and Daniel Pennefather (ex-Blackbird) want people to be able to visit Rita’s often, and the prices reflect that. Nothing on the food menu costs more than $10, and the offering changes regularly.