So authentic is this cantina that debonair Mexican owner Arturo Anhalt will not have it referred to as a tawdry ‘Latin bar’. He knows his stuff. He owns the trio of fabulous Milagro restaurants (see Eat), one of which is located below this bar (sorry, cantina).

The ethos here is to relax, drink a Dos Equis beer, have a snack and feel at home. And this loft space is a nice set-up, too: bright red walls and fancy antiques, a little bar with someone contentedly fixing margaritas and pouring tequila, and a bunch of people languishing on the second-floor sofas having deep-and-meaningfuls. That can be heard.

Here, Latin jazz plays second fiddle to talk. The late-night menu is predictably tasty (from tacos and burritos to beef stew) and its West Queen West locale means it pulls in a young, dressed-down crowd.