Caldera

You're walking into something genuinely different when you push through Caldera's doors on Mare Street. This is Mexican food treated with real respect: the kind of place where they've bothered to source proper ingredients and actually know what they're doing with them. The room itself has that industrial-cool vibe that Hackney does so well—exposed brick, decent lighting, the sort of space that feels both relaxed and intentional. It's busy most nights, which tells you everything you need to know. You'll find the classics done properly: carnitas that fall apart, fresh ceviches, and cocktails that lean on serious mezcal selections rather than just tequila. It's the sort of restaurant where regulars have their orders dialled in, but newcomers get proper looked after too.