The freshness of Mexican food begs for it to be eaten outside, preferably in the sunshine and with a cooling sea breeze. While Lottie is landlocked, the contemporary Mexican restaurant and Mezcaleria on the rooftop of the very hip Eve Hotel, supplies the good time vibes. Thoughtful touches include tortilla pouches, to keep those housemade corn rounds toasty warm so you can swipe them through the achiote sauce that comes with the Murray Cod pibil. Don’t skip the pork jowl, it’s super gelatinous in the best possible way, and is paired with an addictive cola mole and habanero pickled fennel to cut through all that richness. Rooftop, The Eve Hotel, 8 Baptist St, Redfern; liquidandlarder.com.au

This easygoing eatery started by taking tacos out of the box and onto the streets. It’s now found a permanent home at the Norfolk Hotel, so you no longer have to search for it in carparks or breweries. House-pressed corn tortillas are stacked with achiote-marinated pork, beef barbacoa and charred cauliflower, all swaddled with fresh herbs and a punchy salsa roja that will drip down your arm. The relatively new digs means there’s more seating, more room, more menu options, more drinks and a lot more reasons to linger and order another round of tacos. The Norfolk Hotel, 305 Cleveland St, Redfern; ricostacos.com.au.

Sydneysiders are more familiar with tacos than tamales, but that’s all changing thanks to Mexican-born Rosa Cienfuegos’ The Tamaleria in Dulwich Hill. The handmade tamales, Cienfuegos’s specialty, are steamed savoury masa parcels filled with everything from beef birria to refried beans. Be adventurous and try something you haven’t had before, from gorditas, stuffed Mexican corn cakes, to Pozole, a fragrant hominy soup. The deli part of the store ensures you can stock up on Mexican staples including chiles, the good tortillas and even pick up a pack of her frozen tamales so you can swap out taco Tuesday for tamale Tuesday. 463 Marrickville Rd, Dulwich Hill; mexicanfoodaustralia.com

Sexy mexy cuisine in a stunning harbourside setting where there is no shortage of the devil’s water – Patrón Silver, Roco or Platinum, either straight from the bottle or shaken into the house margarita, an intensely tangy creation with an impenetrable salt rim. Devoted avo fans will appreciate the generosity of Bar Patron’s guacamole, a vibrant green smash lifted with salt and citrus. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty; much of the menu relies on folding, smearing, dipping and wiping. It’s the use of corn – not wheat – in the tortillas that gives them their chewy texture and sweet, earthy smell. 2 Phillip St, Sydney; barpatron.com.au.

This three-in-one venue in an inner-city laneway includes a taqueria and basement bar where soft corn tortillas are pressed in a custom-made tortilla machine from Guadalajara in Mexico. Fillings range from charcoal roasted adobo pork with tomatillo salsa to wagyu beef cheek and brisket with salsa verde. For a more intimate experience, the upstairs restaurant plates up sophisticated snacks and asado plates cooked over ironbark on the kitchen’s parilla grill. It’s hard to beat the slow-cooked pork belly with crema ranchera and crunchy crackling pieces or the smouldering 1kg wagyu rib eye, slathered in a porcini and mulato chilli butter. 1 Temperance Lane, Sydney; estebanrestaurant.com.au.

One of Merivale’s restaurants, attached to a Surry Hills pub, this place is pub-Mex at its best, offering a great place to relax on a Saturday afternoon with mates over a Margarita slushie and tasty $9 tacos. Try the Chilorio (pork neck marinated in dry chilli, jalapeno salsa and crispy habanero) the Pescado Baja (Tempura barramundi, cabbage slaw and chipotle mayonnaise), or be adventurous and go for the mystery taco! With another El Loco located at the Slip Inn in central Sydney you’re covered across Sydney city. 64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills & 111 Sussex Street, Sydney; merivale.com.au/elloco

When Michelin-trained chef Manuel Diaz opened Nativo, a tiny taqueria in Pyrmont, diners raved about the authentic tacos. He’s since stepped it up a notch with Nu’u by Nativo, a 60-seat Mexican restaurant and mezcal bar in Glebe. The focus is on Southern Mexican cuisine, with a spotlight on Oaxaca – his hometown. A deceptively simple dish of grilled maize dough includes chipotle manteca, bone marrow beans, oaxaca cheese and marinated pork shoulder. Grilled octopus sits on a bed of chintextle paste, made from stoneground chillies. Think you don’t like mezcal? The resident ‘Mezcologist’ will have you rethinking agave, with a selection of artisan drops that highlight its floral, herbal, citrus and sweet notes. 29 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe; nuubynativo.com.au

The Milpa Collective went hard and fast, opening a slew of Mexican restaurants to introduce Sydneysiders to authentic regional flavours. While many have since shut, Carbón in Bondi is still kicking. Maybe because it’s approachable, maybe because it’s the kind of food you want to come back to. Billed as a Mexican steakhouse, the premise here is woodfired cooking. The combination of smoke and strong spices is a hard one to beat.Grilled chorizo is drizzled with habanero honey, wagyu steaks with a marble score of 2 and 3 are cooked over coals and a side of Brussels sprouts comes with an addictive burnt jalapeno aioli. 288 Bondi Rd, Bondi; carbonmexican.com.au

Mexican cuisine is associated with good times and El Primo Sanchez delivers. Is it because the Maybe Sammy guys are in charge of the tequila-based cocktails? Or the fact that picking up a taco is just a fun way to eat? Or it could be the karaoke room, complete with disco ball, that calls out after dinner. Whatever the answer, this is the place to be when you want to have a fun night out. The food is fun and snacky; tuna tostadas with koji-habanero mayo, tacos that span al pastor to a more inventive brussels sprout option and more substantial dry-aged sirloin tiger prawns with chilli butter. 27-33 Oxford St, Paddington; elprimosanchez.com

Sitting at the bar is always the best seat in the house and if you’re lucky to nab one of the stools overlooking the kitchen window at Sonora, you can see the chefs in action. It’s all about Mexican flavours made with seasonal produce, which is why there’s lemon myrtle in your basil guacamole. Obviously, there are tacos, which could include tempura cactus, wagyu beef rib and chicken wing options, but there’s also baked Oaxacan cheese, grilled sardines and duck carnitas. But if tacos are what you’re craving, the Bottomless Fiesta on weekends plates up unlimited tacos, salsas and margaritas. 1/37-41 Bayswater Rd, Potts Point; sonora-mexican.au