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| - Difficult for me to convey a concise review on this place. This little Mexican establishment kinda feels stuck between wanting to be a neighborhood hangout and being a fine dining establishment. The menu has a decent variety of items, and yet is somewhat simple. The bar is well stocked, or at least feels like it is. I had a lot of mixed feelings about the place from the time I came in all the way to my departure. Overall I had good feelings when all was said and done, and yet something about this place felt, well, conflicted.
Located in what used to be Linda's Diner, Mejico now occupies this small space near 24th St and Osborn (just west of Mr. Submarine). With famed chef Kevin Binkley now having one of his own restaurants in the neighborhood, it would seem the creators of Mejico decided an upscale Mexican food spot was the next step in the evolution of this neighborhood. When you walk inside, you first pass the small bar area up front en route to the dining area. There's a surprisingly ample amount of seating both inside and on the patio out back. It was a super windy evening so my party and I decided to dine inside this go around. The place was pretty quiet on a Monday so our server was super quick and attentive to our needs all evening.
We were first provided complimentary chips and guacamole. The chips themselves were excellent actually. Thick cut and crunchy with just the right amount of salt and the guacamole was topped with queso fresco. A great little snack for everyone to share to start with. I also got a Modelo Especial beer to drink. There's 8 main entrees to choose from on the menu (plus some fish and salad options). Pretty much everything on the menu I've had somewhere in my Mexican food adventures at least once (Rellenos, Enchiladas, Pork Chile Verde, etc.), so it took me awhile to settle on one.
One item that caught my attention this go around was the Mole de Pollo. Mole is a super complicated dish to make no matter what version you're going for. I've only had it twice in my life (including a very memorable version at Barrio Cafe in Phoenix), but I remember enjoying the complexity of the sauce. So I went with that. It came with rice and fresh hot tortillas and a small side bowl of black beans with queso fresco. It was pretty decent. I wouldn't say its as good as the mole I had at Barrio, but if you like a mole with a more savory emphasis on the chocolate notes, you'll like this version. Wrapping some of the mole with rice and beans in the tortilla was a very delicious combo. The portion wasn't too large so I had enough room for dessert afterwards. For dessert we shared a flan. Nothing wrong here as the flan was super creamy and the syrup and chocolate sauce was just right.
So now the Debbie Downer part. The prices. As Yelpers have quite accurately pointed out, this place ain't cheap. The mole dish I got was $18. I sort of get that mole is complicated to make so that could be somewhat understood. But two others in my party got enchiladas for $15 that looked more like taquitos. A third member got their Carne Asada dish. While that dish had a decent amount of meat, I'm not sure any of us felt it was work the $20 price tag. The flan was $6 which was probably fair.
All in all, the food is here is quite good (very good in certain spots). The atmosphere, the aesthetics, and the staff are also excellent. The prices as they relate to the portions and quality? That's questionable. A chef as famous as Kevin Binkley can probably walk into this neighborhood and charge whatever he wants, but I'm not sure an unknown upstart could take such liberties. If you're coming here during happy hour when the prices are cheaper, you'll be fine. But otherwise most probably wouldn't be able to afford dining here regularly as it stands right now. That said, I think owner Obed De La Cruz has a place with a lot of potential here. If they can get the price point figured out, they'll have a winner. After all, good food is something we want to be able to have regularly, not just for special occasions.
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