"Chef Maria Meza arrived in the U.S. in 1992 with a dream to open her own restaurant. Today, locals wait patiently for tables to get a taste of her family’s dishes from the Mixteca region of Mexico. Members of the Meza family cook meals inspired by their heritage in Oaxaca and Puebla: complex, long-simmered moles; hand-ground heirloom corn tortillas folded into pockets and filled with cheese to make tetelas; and an array of tamales that are also available frozen to take home. Maria’s son Joaquin runs the bar, which is stocked with artisanal mezcal and other enticing regional spirits." - Erika Adams, Jenna Pelletier