Rosa Cienfuegos has been instrumental in shaping Sydney’s Mexican dining scene. At her tiny inner west shop, you can grab her cult tamales freshly made, or grab all the ingredients to make them yourself. Plus, street-style tacos and Mexican specialties you won’t find anywhere else.

This spot offers a hint of the flavours you might find on Mexico's Caribbean coast. It's all about boutique tequila and DIY tacos: you select all of the fillings you want and assemble the taco yourself. It's so simple – but so fun and practical. We wish it was more commonplace around town.

Move over tacos. Enchiladas, too. This humming courtyard diner explores the spectrum of Mexican cuisine in a way few Sydney restaurants do, with lesser seen street food dishes and innovative fillings. It’s also showcasing a range of Mexican booze, and shakes its Margaritas five different ways.

There's no better suburb than Avalon to canvas Alma's coastal Mexican flavours. Seafood dominates the menu, but the tight list of tacos and strong vegetarian options shouldn't be overlooked. The country's national spirit is also in abundance.

Set within a former bank, the younger sibling to Alma in Avalon cashes in on its coastal location with a seafood-driven menu that errs on fine-dining territory. It’s also serving zesty cocktails, including five different types of Margarita.

This Mexican diner's menu is entirely plant-based, and it's all the better for it. If you're a veg-lover and a fan of Mexican flavours, this is the spot for you. When your tortilla's loaded with pastor-style mushrooms, pico de gallo and pineapple; you won't even notice the meat's gone.

A bright Barangaroo taqueria doing mezcal and tequila cocktails, plus stellar tacos and share plates marrying Mexican flavours and cooking techniques with Australian produce.

Southern Californian cuisine is a unique beast, combining vibrant Mexican flavours and elements of American barbeque. SoCal nails it every time. Grab a Margarita and head to the lively terrace for tacos and guaranteed good times.

Fine dining meets Oaxacan flavours at this casual CBD spot. There's a rollicking bar with such vast quantities of tequila and mezcal, bartenders use a library ladder to access the top shelf. A pre-dinner flight here is highly encouraged – and well worth it.

At this Mexican restaurant (from the former owners of Barrio Chino), there's a particular emphasis on seafood. Pink scallop tostadas, raw prawns sliced like sashimi and de-boned snapper have all starred in the past.

A moody Mexican laneway diner in an old CBD printing shop. The upstairs restaurant serves tacos al pastor, a one-kilogram Wagyu rib eye and a riff on the Pina Colada for dessert. But downstairs in the bar, it's all about mezcal and tequila.

Late-night Mexican and beats from Barrio Chino. Come here for tacos, tequila and lots of dancing.

You won't find any sugar skulls or sombreros here. This eatery and mezcal bar is inspired by the coastal state of the same name and the executive chef's heritage, flour tortillas are preferred – and they're used to make Wagyu burritos.

Merivale’s good-times Mexican joint is home to the tacos secreto, where the filling is a surprise until it hits your table. Secreto or not, every taco here is wallet-friendly. But we recommend the DIY platters – they’ll give you even bigger bang for your buck.

Mexico’s vibrant coastline informs every part of this colourful, multi-part bar and eatery. Dishes – such as Vegemite-glazed cauliflower al pastor – harness native Australian and Asian flavours, while cocktails put a Mexican twist on the classics.

It’s tequila, tacos and ceviche at this pretty pink Mexican diner. The bar mixes until midnight, with more than 20 types of tequila and a stellar Margarita on the menu – a win for Penrith’s nightlife scene.

Calaveras pays homage to Mexico’s vibrant cantina culture with down-home tacos and fajitas served in a rowdy little space above Newtown Station. In pride of place is the fairy-lit bar, stocked with hundreds of imported agave spirits.