Dallas' Most Interesting Restaurants No. 4: Mesa

Leading up to our annual Best of Dallas® issue, we're counting down the 50 most interesting restaurants in Dallas. These spots bring something unique or compelling to the city's dining scene, feeding both your appetite and soul. It's hard to believe that Mesa has been trucking along in Oak Cliff...

By Scott Reitz

September 22, 2015

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Leading up to our annual Best of Dallas® issue, we're counting down the 50 most interesting restaurants in Dallas. These spots bring something unique or compelling to the city's dining scene, feeding both your appetite and soul.

It's hard to believe that Mesa has been trucking along in Oak Cliff for more than four years now. The small, family-owned restaurant, which turns out some of the city's best regional Mexican cooking, has endured times of slow business, a visit from Beyoncé and a slowly changing neighborhood to become something of a fixture.

Just down the street, development projects are taking over sections of Jefferson Boulevard, and plans promise to link this section of Oak Cliff to the Bishop Arts District. The neighborhood will change significantly over the next few years and with its modern dining room and personable staff, Mesa is poised to weather this storm.

The duck mole isn't hurting things, either. Every restaurant has a dish that serves as an anchor, and as the menu at Mesa has evolved, the duck mole has been a constant. The enmoladas, too, which is nothing more than freshly made tortillas dipped in that same mole sauce and sprinkled with a little dried cheese as a finish. It sounds simple and it is. It's also deceptively delicious.

Whatever you choose from the menu, be sure to order a cocktail. You can get a margarita if you want to, but jars of infused spirits line the bar, ready to take your tequila drinking to the next level.

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