Sydney's best Mexican

Chica Bonita

At Chica Bonita (Spanish for beautiful girl) order the crackling with avocado. It’s just like walking through the fruit markets in Mexico City. There’ll be a guy with a big pile of chicharron (pork skin that’s been deep-fried so it puffs up like a crunchy pork cloud). He’ll break off a piece, dip it in a massive bowl of guacamole and hand it over. Here at the restaurant, head chef Alex Wong is serving this classic street snack on a silver dollar-sized corn tortilla. Crunch.

El Loco

Enjoy $5 tacos, Margarita slushies, Mexican beers and, of course, the hot dog. The fillings are excellent, with highlights being the al pastor (pork'n'pineapple) and the carne asada (lemongrass beef).

El Topo

Flying Fajita Sisters

Prepare to fill your belly with chimichangas (a type of fried tortilla) and beware going too hard too soon. Avoid eating too much melted cheese (queso fondido) first up – tomato salsa is melted with heaps of cheese which you scoop up with house-made corn chips – incredibly moreish but also incredibly filling.

Mejico

The latest Sydney Mexican joint can be found on Pitt Street in the city, doing a roaring trade in guac and blackened corn, messy, glazed pork ribs, lamb shoulder tacos and agave-glazed caramel fudge. If you are out for a big one then we say get comfy with the massive tequila list as a first port of call.

Mexicano

This little cantina is just a few sandy footsteps from the beach at Narrabeen. The bar at the back is stocked with tequila ranging from Dos Equis to some serious offerings such as 1492 and Don Julio. The tortillas, when served as soft shell tacos, are char-tinged and soft – they make them in-house with an old-school tortilla press made from two bits of wood and a hinge.

Mexico Food and Liquor

This new Surry Hills joint is seriously upping the ante on Mexican food in Sydney, plus they have a tequila list as long as your arm and will happily serve you up a cold beer on ice with a salt rim and chilli and lime. Arriba!

Rojo Rocket

Feel like a dinner adventure? Drive out to North Avoca for a dinner adventure and some of the best Margaritas in town. There’s a strict no Tex-Mex policy here and it shows. Order a round of the ruby-red tuna sashimi pieces in crisp tostada shells with avocado, creamy chipotle and a sweet, soy glaze or the deep-fried jalapeños stuffed with beef mince and sultanas for Mexican are that goes well beyond tacos.

Beach Burrito Company
The tacitos smack bang on the shores of Bondi Beach are heaven in a basket. They're stuffed with cheese, pulled beef, chipotle chicken or chilli-roasted pork, then rolled, flash-fried and topped with lime and chilli salt.

Guzman y Gomez
It may look like little more than a fast food joint, but it ain't so. This is the most authentic Mexican food in the city. Their corn chips are legendary and the DF Steak & Onion burrito is the bomb.

Mad Mex
Like you needed an excuse to eat Mexican food. Well, let's say that you did. The good news is that celebrations for Cinco de Mayo are fast approaching, so Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill is one of the tastiest, most affordable options on the Mexican map. There's always a special too – you know you want to try the burrito challenge.