Gitano

Hot on the heels of a raft of new openings in Double Bay, Gitano is a late-night Mexican restaurant in the former Bedouin site on Cross Street. 

Helmed by Mexico City native head chef Alvaro "Clark" Valenzuela (ex-Chula), expect to see influences from Mexico's most loved regions, including the Yucatán Peninsula, Oaxaca, and Puebla.

On the menu are familiar favourites, done in the proper Mexican style with authentic sauces and spices, like imported guajillo, ancho, and pasilla.

Work your way through a menu of crudo (kingfish ceviche, scallop aguachile, and wagyu tartare included) before dipping into tacos (a saucy birria with slow cooked grass-fed beef, or the crisp baja fish with corn masa battered snapper). 

Larger plates look like zucchini flower quesadillas, a mix of grass-fed steak cuts, pollo con mole, and lamb barbacoa served with tortillas for dipping. And don't skip dessert—it's churros with salted caramel ice cream or an ancho chilli burnt Basque cheesecake with chocolate mousse. 

Gitano also has a 3am license on weekends and a Tulum-inspired lounge bar for revelers looking to kick on into the wee hours.

In the lounge bar, you'll find an agave-inspired cocktail menu with five Margarita variations, bottle service, and Latin/Afro house music to keep the vibes high. 

Now, check out more of Sydney's best Mexican restaurants. 

Image credit: Gitano | Kitti Gould