At Mesa Grande Taqueria, homemade dishes at affordable prices

“Well, you have to give them points for truth in advertising,” my Spanish-speaking guest told me as we entered Mesa Grande Taqueria. “That ‘mesa’ is certainly ‘grand’!” she said, gesturing toward the communal bar-height table that anchors the loft-like dining room. I laughed, then realized that the counter staff at this new fast-casual restaurant were nodding in agreement with my friend. “Yes. That’s the famous ‘Big Table.’ Very popular with the kids,” one remarked as he filled a paper bag with homemade fried tortilla chips and a plastic cup with thick onion guacamole ($5.95).

“When I was designing my plans, I was inspired by a lot of places: Mexico, of course, but also Southern California and the little Mexican restaurants in Chicago, where I used to live,” says co-owner and Falmouth resident Collin Henderson. “But not only that. I used a European design to allow us to have four bathrooms with individual stalls and a shared sink. And I want us to be a real gathering place for the neighborhood, so I was inspired by the beer gardens in Chicago, with these really long benches and shared seating. That’s the idea behind our big communal table.”

As an anchor to the space, it works well. So does a Mexican tile mural painted by local artist Liz Hobbs that mimics the shapes and iconography of Loteria and traditional Mexican ceramic tiles.

Mexican ceramic tile mural by artist Liz Hobbs at Mesa Grande Taqueria Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Photographer

The mural, however, probably needs a rethink. From the neon orange in the foyer to the acid green in (part of) the dining room to a grape-colored beam that runs parallel to the assembly-line service bar, Mesa Grande’s color palette is a bit too extreme in its pyrotechnic, Hi-C Ecto Cooler brilliance.

It’s not a fatal flaw. There’s room for a high-octane vibe, especially when the weather is foggy and dreary, as it was on my recent visit. Plus, Mesa Grande’s postmodern design sensibilities are echoed in its menu format, a mix-and-match system where diners select a type of dish (say, burrito, nachos, salad) and choose the proteins, vegetables, and condiments that go with it.

Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve eaten at a local poke joint, a VC-owned sandwich shop, or the original Mesa Grande Taqueria in the Finger Lakes region of central New York. Or maybe you’re wondering what’s going on with Tex-Mex.

“We see this every day. People are like, ‘This is like Chipotle, right?’ as soon as they see you go down the line and pick out what you want,” Henderson said. “But that’s where the similarities end. All of our ingredients are fresh. We make everything in-house, from the dried beans that we soak ourselves to the proteins that we marinate and cook here. We don’t have a centralized kitchen off-site. And one of the best things about being in Maine is that we get to work with local producers. That’s reflected in our menu. Everything is made in-house.”

But it’s not just about the ingredients. Mesa Grande encourages customers to stay much longer than their fast-food cousins. Come for a burrito ($13.49), sure, but stay for a boozy drink or a slice of the smooth, bittersweet chocolate flan ($5.50). It’s a delicate, creamy dessert that Henderson and his kitchen team execute with care—another thing missing from the big chain. With Mesa Grande so far ahead of its better-known corporate rival, perhaps the comparisons should go the other way.

Case in point: the soft tacos ($13.99). For proteins (choose up to three), I opted for the carnitas (beef) and barbacoa (pork), both dry-rubbed and injected with the same spice blend of cumin, chili powder, garlic, and paprika before things diverge, with the carnitas going through an applewood smoker for 13 hours, while the barbacoa retires for a nap in a hickory-laden smoker.

I asked the counter staff what they would recommend for each of the taco fillings. They didn’t hesitate. “Carnitas loves smoky chipotle sauce,” one of them told me, ladle in hand, as he spooned cilantro-studded rice ($3.60) onto my plate. “But barbacoa is a friend of (salsa) verde.” Very good advice, especially the recommendation of the tomatillo and onion salsa verde, which highlights the depth and intensity of the hickory smoke flavor.

The grilled chicken asado quesadilla at Mesa Grande Taqueria. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Photographer

The counter staff at Mesa Grande really know their menu. Another advised me to order the grilled chicken asado, a “must-have” topping for the quesadilla ($12.99). Again, it was excellent advice. I experimented with pairing salsas with it myself, preferring the linear heat of the red salsa to the milder heat of the pico de gallo.

Honestly, I also had a bit of trouble with the excessive volume of cheese. Not because I didn’t like the half-cheddar, half-jack cheese combination, but because it kept getting in the way of the grilled chicken. How could it be so juicy? Chicken is usually the hardest protein option to find on fast food menus.

“Thighs. They’re all thighs,” Henderson told me. “When the pandemic hit in 2020, we couldn’t find chicken breast at the original Mesa Grande, so we tried adobo-marinated chicken thighs in conjunction with grilling. It took us a little while, and we learned how many times we can flip them without compromising the juices. We’ve never looked back.”

The seasonal vegetarian burrito bowl at Mesa Grande Taqueria. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Photographer

There’s still work to be done for the vegetarian sazonada option to reach the same level of execution. For now, Heiwa’s baked tofu cubes are tossed with dry spices, then sautéed with three of the salsas (verde, corn, and roja). Yet despite all that seasoning, the sazonada offers more texture than flavor when spooned into a burrito bowl ($12.99). As a vegan option, it’s okay, but after tasting the other proteins on offer, I know Mesa Grande can do better.

The homemade frozen margarita ($8) also needs some work. Mine was watered down and not very sweet or tart, like an alcoholic Gatorade slushy. My gut tells me the same recipe is used in both the frozen version and the far superior over-the-rocks version (also $8). That’s a mistake, because frozen drinks typically require stronger flavors to counteract the dulling effects of extreme cold. For now, at least, stick to the over-the-rocks margarita or the Jarritos pineapple soda ($3.25).

But don’t skip the frozen margarita. Henderson’s commitment to quality and constant improvement is undeniable. I bet he’ll be reading this with a few of his most trusted testers, ready to tweak the proportions of tequila, lime juice, and agave syrup. I also imagine dozens and dozens of small cups, each containing a slightly different margarita formula. After all, he has the perfect “big table” for such a recalibration.

Mesa Grande Taqueria. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Photographer

RATING: ***1/2

OR: 140 Fore Street, Suite A, Portland, 207-536-0649 mesagrandetaqueria.com

PORTION: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday

PRICE RANGE: Appetizers and sides: $3.75 to $9.25, Tacos and main courses: $12.99 to $13.99

NOISE LEVEL: Lumberyard

VEGETARIAN: Many dishes

RESERVATIONS: No

BAR: Beer and Margaritas

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

IN BRIEF: Let’s be clear: While Mesa Grande Taqueria is indeed the second restaurant in its lineage (a near-exact replica of the Finger Lakes original), it is in no way associated with the burrito industrial complex. Sure, if you’re a Big Burrito fan, you’ll recognize many of the menu items at this high-energy warehouse-turned-waterfront development in Portland’s East End. But Mesa Grande is no imitation. This affordable, 50-seat Mexican joint encourages diners to linger, enticing them with margaritas (stick-to-the-rocks), desserts like molten chocolate flan, and a range of savory dishes that are, unexpectedly, both homemade and high-quality. The barbacoa, carnitas, and grilled chicken are all expertly prepared. Ask the well-trained staff for suggestions and they’ll guide you, recommending smoked pulled pork and beef in the soft tacos and grilled chicken in the quesadilla. In good weather, a few dozen outdoor seats will let you sit and munch on homemade fried tortilla chips dipped in thick, onion-filled guacamole. The moderately priced al fresco dining always deserves a special mention.

Ratings follow this scale and take into account food, atmosphere, service, value, and type of restaurant (a casual bistro will be judged as a casual bistro, an expensive upscale restaurant as such):

* Poor
** Fair
*** GOOD
**** Excellent
***** Extraordinary

The Maine Sunday Telegram visits each restaurant once; if the first meal is not satisfactory, the reviewer returns for a second. The reviewer makes every effort to dine anonymously and never accepts free food or drink.

Andrew Ross has written about food and restaurants in New York and the United Kingdom. He and his work have been featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio and in the New York Times. He recently received seven Critic’s Awards from the Maine Press Association.

Contact him at: andrewross.maine@gmail.com
Twitter: @AndrewRossME

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