An authentic Mexican deli serving cult tamales. Try the handmade parcels in-store or take home the ingredients to make them yourself. There are few places in town making these dishes, and this one's the best.

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 charred cauliflower, guacamole and pickles, you won't even noticed meat's gone.

Traditional Mexican food and not-so-traditional Margaritas. (Ingredients in the one-litre Margarita jugs, for example, include Blue Curaçao, apple sour and melon).

A bright and cheerful Mexican eatery serving creative takes on the classics.

A crisp share menu and hundreds of tequila options. And the guacamole gets made right at your table.

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

Down this historic backstreet venue, you'll find a SoCal take on Mexican cuisine. Enter for soft shell crab tacos, and slow-cooked pork ribs. And a pre- and post-dinner shot of tequila is heavily encouraged by the team.

This rustic little bolthole, hidden in a Manly back alley, is one of the seaside suburb's most popular and enduring eateries. We can see why. The laid-back atmosphere belies just how seriously this team take their food.

This Merivale bar is home to the tacos secretos – a sort of lucky dip for tacos, where the filling is a surprise until it reaches to your table. Secretos or not, each taco is around $7. We recommend the DIY platters, which are better value for money (and more fun). Try fillings such as baked eggplant and soy-chilli bean sauce or sirloin steak and chimichurri.

Looking at it, this might not seem like a good-times Mexican bar and diner, with over forty different tequilas – proficiently deployed across an array of great cocktails – but don't judge this book by its cover. It's utterly unique, and delicious.

Souther California-style Mexican is its own unique beast, separate to authentic Mexican, Tex-Mex, and even San Francisco-style. It's all about light flavours, a bit of borrowing from Asian cultures and a little bit of American fast-food knowhow. SoCal nails it.