There is a distinct lack of hominess here: a mix of too-tightly-packed blonde-wood tables under backlit photos of native oaxaqueños, which are so well composed and framed that you might imagine a Dwell magazine editor having designed the place. The lights are really bright, the acoustics are bad—the place gets unbearably noisy—and there’s something cold about the open kitchen where the silent staff pats out hand-formed tortillas.

But there’s no rule that says good Mexican restaurants have to be holes in the wall, and all the tradition that’s needed here is in the small menu of small plates. Although some of the recipes come from other regions of Mexico, most of them are based on Oaxacan traditions. Mole negro, served over chicken or pork, is popular, but it’s not even the kitchen’s best work. Those honors go to the tacos al pastor, lamb birria (stewed lamb tacos), albóndigas (meatballs) in a spicy vegetable soup, and caldo de pescado, a spicy fish soup that comes with unedited chunks of fish (skin, bones, and all).

Paying for chips and guac may seem like an annoying pomposity, but the expenditure is worthwhile to sample the salsa bar.