Café San Miguel is what happens when a crafty interior designer gets hold of a taco cart after three “Pomeritas”—Café San Miguel’s original frozen pomegranate margarita with lime and gold tequila. Think yummy shot into space on the thrust of agave afterburners. See the hand-scraped doors, talavera tiles, and light fixtures fashioned from parchment. Glimpse the hand-made paper covering the tables and the shock of vibrant colors (papaya) in the dining room and the cobalt blue tiles on the bar. Walls are essentially folk art exhibits from a variety of different regions in Mexico. It all coalesces to cast a cozy handcrafted vibe—urban vogue meets Spanish colonial with some très hip tossed in to keep the earbud demo engaged.

The food? It spans the whole of Mexico, plus some fresh takes on Tex-Mex. Sample the exquisite made-to-order guac, empanadas, tacos with housemade tortillas, and a variety of great fish preparations such as the fresh whole fried snapper drizzled in cilantro and red pepper oil. You’ll find rich complex moles that’ll make your arm hairs salute, invigorating ceviche, and the irresistible grilled codorniz (quail) in pipián, a ground pumpkinseed sauce. Inexplicably, this is about as close to authentic Mexican as Dallas gets these days—and we’re grateful for the small favor.