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.

Rosa Cienfuegos makes some of Sydney's best Mexican food. At this colourful and casual all-day Mexican eatery and deli, she's serving home-style dishes: huevos divorciados, tacos, garnachas and more. Plus, there are hard-to-find Mexican pantry goods to buy.

A Mexican street food cafe in Newtown serving not-so-traditional sopes: thick round tortillas loaded with toppings such as vegan hibiscus al pastor and spanner crab tinga. The homely little courtyard feels like a slice of Mexico on King Street.

A colourful taqueria by taco devotee, Toby Wilson. No matter where you find him, Wilson serves a pared-back menu of handheld tacos you'd find on the side of the road in Mexico, including the king of them all: tacos al pastor.

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.

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.

Visit for mezcal imported from Indigenous communities in Mexico and dishes from the Yucatan Peninsula – including cricket-laced guacamole, potato gratin with guajillo chillies, and octopus tacos.

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.

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.

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 sweet potato dessert. Downstairs there's a bar with more than 200 mezcals and tequilas.

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

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.

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.

This Merivale bar is home to the tacos secreto – a sort of lucky dip for tacos, where the filling is a surprise until it reaches to your table. Secreto 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.

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.

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.

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.

Past the corn chips and guac you'll find corn truffle empanadas, agave-grilled haloumi, and handmade prawn salbutes at Alma's younger, Freshwater sibling. Come here for those, plus zesty drinks and five different types of Margarita.