El Chile Cafe y Cantina

Although decent Mexican restaurants can be found throughout Austin, I’m usually reluctant to explore new eateries. With Maria’s, Curra’s, Guero’s, and Changos so close, why bother? I was skeptical when Sarah recommended we try a fairly new place on Manor, El Chile. I need to remember that when it comes to all things culinary, Sarah is always right.

At first I didn’t realize that this is the former location of an old DIY-ish coffee space, Gabby & Mo’s. The building has been tastefully transformed and one doesn’t anticipate that it will someday be another failed business at a cursed address. Even before signing our name on the list, El Chile was proving to be worth the visit. Their sign and menu were attractively designed and suggested an attention to detail. The deck was full of smiling people. Sort of a hipster crowd, I guess. El Chile’s seating is divided equally between the front deck and interior. We sat inside and appreciated that it was totally full, although there just happened to be table for two in the back. The shades of purple, orange, and green worked nicely with the Mexican folk art and colorful paintings of things like roosters and Frida.

To some extent the menu offered the usual fare. We weren’t too adventurous–Sarah ordered mole enchiladas and I tried the same but with verde sauce. The obligatory chips and salsa hit the spot and we loved the dark chipotle salsa. It wasn’t too smoky either. The day’s stress soon disappeared as did my first margarita. Soon our aloof waiter arrived with two placas caliente. Damn. It looked and smelled so good. It wasn’t an obnoxious amount of food but I immediately knew I wouldn’t be hungry afterwards. For the next 10 minutes we didn’t talk much. This is always a good indication. The enchiladas were perfect: everything was fresh and the flour tortillas were not drowned in cheese. The beans and rice were great as well.

We spent about $33 for two dinners and three margaritas.

July 16th, 2004