Up the staircase on Phan Châu Trinh

Mezcal Coctelería is not on the street. It sits upstairs at 38 Phan Châu Trinh, up a narrow staircase to the right of Masa Taqueria's door, and the climb is part of it: the noise of the old town falls away, and the room opens beneath antique brick arches.

Inside, the light is candlelight. Old portraits hang in heavy frames, a horned skull keeps watch by the stairs, and the long bar is lined with agave. It is a room for date nights and intimate evenings, and now and then for music.

We open every night at six. Take a booth under the arches, or a seat at the bar and a question for the bartender.