It’s a well-documented phenomenon: ever since the ’86 World Cup, the land of the Aztecs has had a knack for bringing out the best in Belgians. And Stijn Deschacht (ex-Carcasse and Bar Bulot) is no exception, planting a gastrocantina right in downtown Ostend as an offering to a country with serious HSP – high spice potential. Fired up like a popcorn kernel by his stint at Xokol in Guadalajara, the man behind the bracing Over Eten podcast came away with Mexican cooking well and truly under his skin. In a slightly spartan dining room, livened up by Nahuatl-inspired masks and oloteras (traditional corn scrapers), he turns out locavore menus steeped in aguachile, enfrijoladas and mole verde, alongside a fiery selection of tequilas and mezcals. The whole exercise could smack of cultural appropriation if Stijn weren’t so deeply immersed in his subject… Tip of the sombrero! · Alistair Ehmer

Ate: Impeccably cooked cod lifted by a watercress sauce; a so-good-I-want-another tortilla smothered in bean sauce and Brussels cheese; and an equally addictive caramelized confection punctuated with amaranth, chili liqueur and nectarine.

Price: Menus at €90 (4 courses, weekday lunch) and €140-€155 (6-7 courses); wine or non-alcoholic pairings at €39-€59-€69; mezcal pairings at €60-€90-€105.