South American-inspired neighbourhood watering hole

Tipple of choice: If you're an intrepid drinker, throw down a Mexican michelada; a beer with a lime juice, tomato juice and spice chaser in a salt-rimmed glass.

Spanish slang for "dude", Tio's is a cute new tequila bar from the guys behind Darlo's Shady Pines Saloon. As about as close as you can get to an authentic Latin American boozer (sans phone number or even a Facebook profile), the smallish space is decked out with fairy lights, decorative owls (fortuitous creatures in Central American culture), and a bar groaning with the weight of tequila bottles.

Free bags of buttered popcorn are handed out to nibble while you imbibe cheap (by Sydney standards) cocktails like the jalapeno margarita, with jalapenos pickled in-house, and the El Dorado (tequila, three-herb elixir, apple juice, lime, cucumber) to typical mariachi music. Top fun.