Craving a Mexican food experience that goes beyond the ordinary?
Mezcal Spirit of Oaxaca, nestled in downtown Fernandina Beach, is your destination for a contemporary Mexican dinner in a fun setting. The cuisine offers a refreshing take on traditional Mexican dishes, and the staff is warm and welcoming.
The atmosphere at Mezcal is festive and energetic in an upscale setting.
Mezcal's interior is gorgeous, but the patio is charming. It’s lined with pretty lights and greenery, making it feel like you're outside. There is a large bar area with a nice selection of margaritas and other cocktails. If you're dining alone, you can also sit at the bar for dinner and chat with the bartenders.
Start your meal with their secret recipe for Grandpa’s Margarita!
I don’t know what’s in it, and they won’t tell me, but it is delicious. Mezcal serves a good Organic Margarita and a Fernandina Margarita, made with silver tequila and Malibu coconut rum.
Mezcal offers complimentary salsa and tostadas, which should be a requirement for any Mexican restaurant, in my opinion. What I like about their chips and salsa is that they serve you fresh, whole tostadas instead of having a big bowl of chips. You break off the freshly made hot tostadas as you eat them. It adds to the whole dining experience because it's just more fun that way!
As with any Mexican restaurant, the hard part is not getting too full on the chips.
If you're looking for something besides the chips and salsa, try the poblano fundido at Mezcal. I like it because it is full of fresh zucchini, corn, and poblano peppers. Still, you can’t go wrong with their queso with refried beans and chorizo. They are both cheesy, gooey, and delicious. The chefs at Mezcal make the accompanying tortillas from scratch each day, and you can tell.
My go-to order at Mezcal is the chili relleno with chicken.
It’s fresh and not overly fried. It's stuffed with Muenster cheese and shredded chicken. The sauce is homemade, and it is then topped with crema, microgreens, and cilantro. Mezcal's duck mole enchiladas are a must-try if you have an adventurous palate. Or try the chimichanga, which comes with a cute little pitcher of queso to pour over it. The fajitas are also steaming hot and delicious. I haven't tried the street tacos, but I'd like to try the birria tacos served with a cup of beef broth for dipping.
Finish your meal with a Tres Leches cake if you have a sweet tooth. It's a tough decision for me because they also offer flan and churros.
Or you could just try another Grandpa's margarita.
