Carmen Tequileria Fortitude Valley

Carmen Tequileria is a chic resort-style Mexican restaurant and boutique tequila bar located on James Street, Fortitude Valley.

From the canny crew behind Lina and SOKO Rooftop bars, Carmen Tequileria is a vision of cool coastal elegance, serving up top notch food and bespoke agave-based drinks.

The fresh open plan interior boasts a neutral palette of colours, with pale wooden dining furniture and pastel green banquettes along the walls, and a smattering of pot plants.

The food menu is amongst the finest Mexican cuisine to be found in Brisbane, offering fine dining style dishes without the price tag, starting with snacks like Mexican haloumi or popcorn chicken; watermelon ensalata; oysters with pepperonata & finger lime or Carmen kingfish ceviche.

Must-try are the tacos, such as pork carnitas (pulled pork, homemade kimchi, green apple, ginger-garlic soy, jalapeño); kani james (blue swimmer crab, spicy aioli, lettuce, citrus aioli, trout roe, coriander cress); and lobster gringo (poached lobster, chilli butter & mixed peppers).

Small dishes include Wagyu steak crudo tostadito; butterflied BBQ prawns; charred corn riblettes; or soft shell crab betel leaf while larger plates to share include Champinones Jalisco (portobello mushrooms, nopalitos molcajeteada salsa, feta cheese); and Agave Al Pastor Pork (shaved pork loin, Carmen spices & banana leaf).

There's also a small selection of sides including grilled pineapple and baby gem salad or thick potatoes with fine herbs, and to finish, Patron tequila sorbet, Dulce de leche cheesecake and Torta tres leches.

To one side is the bar, where customers can partake in signature (predominantly tequila-based) cocktails, or choose from an extensive list of agave (and other spirits) mixers, a small array of beers and a comprehensive wine menu (by the glass or bottle), accompanied by a delicious snack.