Mestizo Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar

You're heading up Hampstead Road from the station, past the usual station-adjacent chaos, and suddenly there's Mestizo—a proper restaurant that takes both its food and spirits seriously. The kitchen does the classics right: ceviche that tastes like the sea, carnitas that actually fall apart, moles that taste like someone's grandmother's recipe (in the best way). But what really sets this place apart is the tequila bar. They're not mucking about with margarita mixes here; staff actually know the difference between a reposado and añejo, and they'll help you navigate bottles that cost proper money without being precious about it. The room's got energy without trying too hard—it's the kind of place you'll see everything from dates to groups of mates celebrating a birthday.