Mezcal Mexican Cantina — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

Tonight started off as a wonderful night with my wife and I. We spent most of the evening as volunteers for Tim Tebow's Night to Shine at our church, which was a very emotional yet fulfilling experience for the both of us. By the end of the event, we were both starving and looking for a place to go. Question was, where in Pittsburgh could we eat after 9:30??? We tried Coughlins Law and got turned away. I called Dish but their kitchen was closing within 15 mins. We even looked up Ritters....it was no longer a 24 hour diner. We looked up Gordos Tacos, and my wife rejected it before I could look at the menu. As most of you know, I am pretty damn picky when it comes to my Mexican food. Alas, my beautiful but hangry wife found us a spot - Mezcal in Lawrenceville.

For most people food is just food. For those of us in this group, we want food to tell a story. We crave authenticity, flavor, and attention to detail that might get glazed over by those who just eat to live. Mezcal, for me at least, told a beautiful story.

The early spring of 1998 was the last time I would ever live at home with my parents and the last trip we would ever take as a family. We drove many hours from Matamoros, Tamaulipas to the beautiful Mexican state of Michoacan. Michoacan is so beautiful that even the monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles from Washington and Oregon to have their final life moments. With its quaint mountain villages and soaring pines, Michoacan is a very special place. I remember getting on horseback at the bottom of the mountain and riding several hours to reach the monarch sanctuary at the top of the mountains. The sky was shadowed un hues of black and orange as millions of butterflies flew from pine to pine in search of a mate. There were so many butterflies that even the boughs of the pines shook and gave from the weight of them all. Once there, we found multiple huts selling homemade tamales, quesadillas, and tacos for the tourists arriving at the base camp. The stoves were mostly open flame cast iron stoves likely in use since the Revolutionary War. The smell of burning leña welcomed our tired butts and hungry bellies.

This was Mezcal in Lawrenceville. I knew from the moment I saw the menu, I would my meal would help me share this story with my wife, and with you. We started off with cocktails - because you can't go to place named Mezcal without having some - and ordered El Volcan and El Cantarito. My wife's Volcan was delightfully smoky and sweetened by the ruby red juice of a blood orange. My Cantarito was refreshing and cool with the right amount of tajin on the lip of the clay mug. To go with our drinks, we order the Queso Fundido. This queso had a generous serving of chorizo and the chorizo tasted the way chorizo should taste. This was spicy, but not hot spicy, and creamy. The queso and chorizo took me back to that trip to Michoacan. It tasted like Mexico. The tortillas de maiz had the nutty sweetness of toasted corn and were far more than just a vehicle for the filler. The tortiĺla by itself would be the star of any show.

For our meal, we ordered tacos - because what else does a Mexican eat late at night? Tacos! We got tacos al pastor, papa's, carnitas, Nopales, asada, and then some. We ate ourselves stupid and yet I wanted more. I have missed eating food that understood me and knew my history the way this food did. This food knew my childhood because it was a very important part of it.

More than the food, the restaurant itself took me back. My wife got tired of me telling her how much the vibe took me to Matamoros and some of the nicer places we'd visit. Late night tacos were very much a part of growing up but so was the music and the people hosting us. We had an opportunity to meet many of the great people working here and each showed us tremendous hospitality. They even offered us chocoflan...which we turned down because we just couldn't eat anymore. But chocoflan is my favorite cake. It's the cake that reminds me of my Tia...

I am very picky about my tacos and Mezcal does everything PERFECT. Super authentic, not stingy at ALL with the meat (please never change this aspect lol). Very friendly and welcoming staff, even when busy. The street corn is phenomenal. My personal favorite taco is the Al Pastor, but the Bistec (steak) is amazing as well. I’ve gone here several times and each time I’m more impressed than the last. I just went this past Saturday with my boyfriend and our host/server was very kind and accommodating. I can tell the staff there works hard and truly cares about their business, which is so refreshing. If you’re into bland gentrified tacos like Condados or Bakersfield (blah) then please do yourself a favor and actually eat somewhere...

I dare say (ok, others have too!) that Mezcal has the best tacos in Pittsburgh. While it's a cozy spot so you may have to wait during busy hours for a seat, I promise it's worth it! I ordered a mezcalrita that was perfectly made, along with chips and salsa and three of the best tacos I have had in quite some time. All of them (al pastor, chorizo and bistec) were lovingly double wrapped in delicious, warm corn tortillas and when I say overstuffed...they were overstuffed! This place gives you your money's worth. Seriously.

I haven't had any food beyond the tacos and chips/salsa but they are worth it.

Fun fact: if you use the Upside app (and you should) you can also get 6% cash back on...