MEXICAN food in this country may have begun its slow coming of age into sophistication, but you wouldn’t know it from some of the hackneyed old fall-backs being routinely served up.

The ubiquitous nacho plate is a soggy pub snack which should only ever be called upon in desperately hungry measures and is nearly always an overpriced disappointment.

Then there’s fajitas. Just because something comes it out on a ‘sizzler’ doesn’t make it better. Peek-a-boo for the easily entertained, a moment of mild wow soon gives way to the realisation that these strips of meat are overcooked and still going. But hey, they’re sizzling!

That’s not to mention the seasoning. The Gourmand would hazard a guess the majority of restaurants use the same ‘orrible El Paso flavour packets that your friends use for their Mexican parties, synthetic spices smothered over turkey breast and pepper slices, with warm Sol force-fed with lime.

The imagery and design have also moved on from the familiar racial stereotype of the moustachioed band of sombrero ‘n’ poncho wearing mariachis, to the more trendy day of the dead style imagery, most potently seen in the psychedelically decorated skull.

This shift has been dominated by street food chain Wahaca, founded by MasterChef winner Thomasina Miers, which has 19 branches – but tellingly none in Brighton.

Perhaps this is because we already have a clutch of new-wave Mextaurants – La Choza, Carlito Burrito and the now closed Bang Bang Burrito.

The latter reverted to sister business Flour Pot Bakery after founder Oliver Hyde's wise realisation that “people don’t want to eat more than one burrito a week”.

If it came to a three-way fight, La Choza is winning the popular battle of hearts and minds - nearly always thrumming with smoky smells and dangerously good value.

But Carlito Burrito inspires a similar devotion and wins authenticity points for being founded and run by an actual Mexican - and not the stereotypical kind.

Food and look-wise there’s barely a tortilla separating the two, with a similar turquoise-pink colour scheme - though Carlito has a larger and more varied menu.

The restaurant has its roots in the festival circuit which makes sense given the burrito’s reviving properties when up against the English outdoors.

But what is convenient at a festival is a bit cumbersome and unrefined in a restaurant. Carlito’s version is pretty good, with appropriately juicy amounts of cheese, braised beef, beans, rice and salsa - but it inevitably smodges into bit of a melted mono-texture.

Better is the Mexican tapas selection, a selection of finger food served on wooden boards. Neat ovals of pulled pork - deep, sweet and smoky - come on soft tacos, and make for fantastic gorging. The doughy tacos also come topped with battered fish and halloumi cheese, spiked with vibrant red cabbage and lime garnishes.

The quesadillas are everything you want - gooey cheese in grilled tortilla, best dunked in habanero chilli salsa de la casa, which has that inimitable fruity, hot and fermented taste only found in the Gulf of Mexico.

The aguachile is described the “bad ass brother” of Peruvian ceviche - home cured mackerel bathed in lots of lime, onions and chilli. Served on a crispy corn tostada and with avocado salsa, it is the essence of freshness - though it might have made better sense at the start of the meal before all the cooked meat, rather than at the end, when it arrived.

There’s an impressive selection of cocktails, mezcal and tequila - usually served with burnt cinnamon and orange - and things are known to turn a little fiesta-like once darkness falls.

While the food is consistently fiery and flavoursome, there's a nagging feeling its identity is confused between a bar, a casual cafe and a restaurant. While the set-up screams casual, fun and minimum frills, the prices are verging on steep, with most most snack-size portions pushing £6.50 - fine for drinking snacks, but quickly racking up when filling empty stomachs.

That said there's a lot to love about the sharing element and variety, and despite being overshadowed by its rival La Choza, Carlito's loyal customers keep coming back.