If you are in the mood for Mexican food and want somewhere that does not try too hard, Restaurante Polvos South on South First Street is a reliable pick. It opened in 2016 as the first location of the Polvos group, and the name itself gives you a hint about what they do: 'polvos' means flour in Spanish, a nod to the flour tortillas that run through the menu. Since then it has picked up several awards for food and service, and it still holds a 4.2-star rating from more than 3,200 reviews.
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The menu sticks to the classics. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas and a salsa bar make up the core of it, and recent reviews point to the Mexican martini, the chorizo and eggs plate, the flower tortillas, the enchiladas, the taco plates and the chile beef as the things worth ordering. The atmosphere is casual, welcoming and stylish, which makes it work about as well for a quick meal as it does for a family dinner or a date night, and the service is consistently described as friendly. There is a terrace as well, which is worth sitting on when the weather is on your side.
Drinks are a big part of the draw here. Margaritas start at $10 for the house version and go up to $16 for top-shelf or beer ritas, with pitchers available for table service if you are with at least two people. The cocktail list is long, with a Mezcal Mule, Smokey Mango, La Fresa, Oaxacan Old Fashion, Mezcal Ginger Paloma, Mezcal Midnight, La Malinche, Cantarito, Piña Colada, Mojito, Paloma, Spicy Pepino, El Armadillo, Spicy Piña, Old Fashioned and Espresso Martini all in the mix. There is a full beer list with imports at $7 and domestics at $5, a selection of white and red wines, and a wide range of tequilas from blanco to anejo, plus vodka, whisky and scotch. For something softer, there are agua frescas in lemonade, sandia, horchata, piña, jamaica and tamarindo at $4.50 each, alongside iced tea, Dr. Pepper, Coca Cola, Sprite, Diet Coke, Shirley Temple and coffee.
If you are planning your visit around the deals, there is a happy hour from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with house frozen, house rocks and house skinny margaritas at $6, chile con queso at $10, choriqueso at $12, guacamole at $13 and nachos de lujo at $13. Sunday is Sunday Funday, running from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM with $5 tacos, chile con queso at $13, guacamole at $13, nachos at $12, choriqueso, $40 margarita pitchers, house margaritas and free chile con queso. Monday brings $25 fajitas for dinner, and Wednesday puts all seafood plates at $25. The restaurant is open at 8:00 AM and closes at 10:00 PM on most days, staying open until 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday. Parking is street or a small on-site lot, and they take all major credit cards, cash and mobile payments. Delivery is available through Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub, and catering covers birthdays, weddings, corporate events and private parties.
