Los Amates Mexican Kitchen (CLOSED)

This homey Mexican haunt on Johnston Street boasts some of the most authentic taco fillings we came across in our travels. Skip the ho-hum sopes (masa parcels with black beans and salsa) in favour of tacos of cochinita pibil(annatto-spiced pork cooked in banana leaves) and earthy, soulful nopales (grilled cactus in a rich molé sauce). The best way to tackle Los Amates is with a troupe, so you can order the Los Tacos, a DIY line-up of those flavour-packed fillings, corn tortillas and saucy accompaniments. Cross your fingers that the La Magdalena cocktail special is on: this jazzed-up Paloma with cucumber, mint and cloves takes the tequila-grapefruit classic to the next level.