Chef Francisco Garcia grew up in Oaxaca, learning traditional methods at the feet of his parents and grandparents before segueing into fine dining (he met Ruben Regalado—who owns Mezcalito with Garcia’s sister, Blanca—when they worked together at the upscale Oaxacan restaurant Agave Uptown in Oakland), and his pedigree shows at this hot-ticket hole in the wall, decked out with formica tables and colorful paint. Try the bright Mezcalito salad, which resembles a floral bouquet studded with ingredients like corn, almonds and quinoa, or the popular carnitas, which Garcia cooks in fat before griddling to crispy perfection. We love them both, but our favorite may be the enmoladas dish, chicken enchiladas smothered in dusky, complexly layered 21-ingredient mole and arranged beside a triangular serving of rice, an homage to the city of Oaxaca’s pre-Columbian heritage. Now that’s a pyramid scheme we can get behind.