Tom's Leather Bar in Mexico City on Avenida Insurgentes Sur in Hipodromo Condesa is the men-only multi-level cruise bar inspired by the Tom of Finland illustrations, with a dark room, go-go dancers on the tables and adult films on the screens.
Address: Avenida Insurgentes Sur 357, Hipodromo Condesa, Cuauhtemoc, 06100 Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City
Nicho Bears and Bar in Mexico City on Calle Londres at the Florencia corner in Zona Rosa is the BearMex group's flagship bears bar, with photos of burly men down the corridor walls, a small dance floor and Friday bear-karaoke as the long-running fixture.
Tokyo Music Bar in Mexico City on Rio Panuco in Colonia Cuauhtemoc is Edo Kobayashi's Japanese listening bar in the Little Tokyo enclave, with deep emerald walls, bankers lamps, gold stools and a vinyl-and-tube-amp programme of jazz and Japanese pop with whisky-led cocktails.
Bosforo in Mexico City on Calle Luis Moya in Centro is the red-curtain mezcaleria with candles for light, where the owner's playlist of acid jazz and Mesoamerican chants soundtracks a deep agave selection sourced from small producers across Oaxaca and Guerrero.
Le Tachinomi Desu in Mexico City on Rio Panuco in the Little Tokyo block of Cuauhtemoc is Edo Kobayashi's standing-only tachinomi bar, a curated programme of Japanese whisky, sake and natural wine with a tapas menu that changes daily.
Salon Corona in Mexico City on Calle Bolivar in Centro Historico is the 1928 cervecería-cantina between Madero and 16 de Septiembre, with cheap draft Corona in tarros, taco-and-torta plates and the original tile floor still intact through three generations of operators.
La Opera Bar in Mexico City on Avenida 5 de Mayo in Centro Historico is the gilded 1876 cantina with carved wooden booths and a bullet hole in the ceiling that legend pins on Pancho Villa, a working cantina serving Mexican plates and tequila pours every day.