Flan and Fajitas

Chocolate in your perfectly fried chiles rellenos. Cactus alongside the exquisite guacamole, prepared just seconds before it appears on your table. A dash of raspberry sauce garnishing your dainty vanilla flan.

It’s little surprises like these, combined with well-prepared, ample portions, that make Zocalo Cocina Mexicana a rib-sticking delight

The cozy storefront sits unassumingly on Broadway in Arlington, but inside, the warm glow of colorful walls and bright paintings create a comforting South-of-the-border cocoon. Co-owner Armida Amor glides about from kitchen to table to front door like a benevolent hostess, anxious to make sure you’re having a good time.

And the authentic food sure doesn’t hurt any.

After a glass of sangria (red or white, with the added touch of a cinnamon stick), the first thing on your table should be the guacamole ($8.50). Prepared while you watch, the fresh-tasting, perfectly chunky dip comes in a large, roughly carved stone bowl. Ours had a pig’s face on it, an appropriate symbol for our actions after we received the accompanying basket of crisp tortilla chips.

Cactus appears in an appetizer called tostada de nopales ($5.95). Pickled and served atop a tostada with lettuce, cheese, salsa verde, and chipotle sauce, it was both slimy and refreshing, like nothing I have ever tasted before. The jury’s still out on that one.

Zocalo’s menu covers all the classic bases of Mexican cuisine—burritos, quesadillas, stellar enchiladas, and even fusion “Mexican pizzas”—but the highlight has to be the chiles rellenos.

There are five options on the specials menu, and it’s hard to go wrong with meat or vegetables when they’re dripping with melted cheese and spices and encased in a batter-fried poblano pepper. The chiles rellenos de pollo mole ($13.95) is where chocolate puts in an appearance. (Quick tutorial for those who haven’t had mole: it’s a sauce made with chocolate that gives the dish a smokily sweet undertaste—and like cilantro, you either love it or hate it.) The verdict—well, I’ll just say my companion risked her Lentian vow against sweets to nab repeated tastes of this dish.

Zocalo is a surprisingly painless trip from Harvard, a 10-minute bus ride and one block walk. Go for the atmosphere, the satisfaction of escaping the Square, and the reality-defying vanilla flan ($4.95), so delicate that eating it almost makes you feel lighter. Just another little surprise that little Zocalo has to offer.

—This meal was arranged by Chris Lyons Communications, the public relations firm for Zocalo Cocina Mexicana.

The Essentials

Name: Zocalo Cocina Mexicana

Address: 203A Broadway, Arlington

Location: Take the 77 bus from Harvard Station to Foster Street, then go right one block.

Hours: Open for lunch and dinner, closed Sunday

Telephone: 617-643-2299