Beware the worm in the bottle of mescal

The salsa is hot at Café Pacifico - both types.

As you are seated, a complimentary bowl of searing salsa dip with corn chips is put on your table.

As you eat, hot salsa music gets your fingers tapping.

The atmosphere is relaxed and you're soon in the mood for a cold beer; fortunately, there are several Mexican beers, a good selection of wines and dozens of cocktails.

But Pacifico's tequila list is the highlight, with more than 60 varieties, including some very old and rare bottles obscure enough to delight the connoisseur's heart.

The menu is a lively mixture of old-style Californian Mexican and new Mexican, so while favourites like fajitas, flautas and tacos dominate, there are also some interesting and unusual dishes.

Portions are generous and spicy, and many main courses come with refried beans and rice.

Try nachos rancheros for starters, and enjoy a huge plate of corn chips with beans, cheese, guacamole, onions, sour cream and olives.

Excellent for sharing.

Taquitos - filled fried baby tacos - are good, as are smoked chicken quesadillas - flour tortillas with chicken, red peppers and avocado salsa.

Main courses include degustaci?n del Pacifico, which includes a bit of almost everything.

There's the chimichanga del mar, a seafood-packed, deep-fried, rolled tortilla; burrito especial, a flour tortilla filled with cheese, refried beans and a choice of roast beef, chicken or ground beef, covered with ranchero sauce; or Cuervo swordfish steak asada, grilled fish with a tequila and sun-dried tomato salsa.

Puds are predictable, but pretty soon it will be time to explore those rare top-shelf tequilas.

Café Pacifico
5 Langley Street, WC2 9JA