In Search of Great Mexican Food on Cape Cod

Recently, Rich and I tried a new Mexican Bistro called Añejo. Located on Main Street in Falmouth, Añejo opened it doors in August of 2010 and very quickly became a fixture on the local restaurant scene. We were introduced to it by Rich’s son, Ethan, and our daughter-in-law, Melissa. Passionate about good Mexican food, they raved about the inventive stylings of this new bistro, its fresh take on Mexican cuisine, and the vast menu of refreshing cocktails. So in our quest to find the best and most unique restaurants for guests of our Inn to try, we set out to meet friends for a new dining adventure.

The dining room itself is small and intimately lit. A charming bar buffets the dining area, and is set against an exposed brick wall that is adorned with the works of a local artist. We were greeted by a friendly waitress and shown to one of the hightop tables at the front of the bistro that line the wall of glass overlooking Main Street. The extensive menu offers an array of starters, soups, salads, and appetizers, along with house specials and sides, and, my favorite, an ample selection of Mexican street food.

The waitress took our drink order and brought a basket of warm lightly salted tortilla chips and a bowl of hand-crafted salsa. Rich and I opted for the house Margarita, unsalted of course, and one of our companions tried the house Mojito. Drinks are served in enormous glasses that have been well-chilled.

To get us started, we shared the Añjeo Nachos, an appetizer of handcrafted fried corn tortillas layered with pico de gallo, home made refried beans, cheddar jack cheese, pickled jalapeno, avocado, lettuce, cilantro, queso añejo and picante crema. It was divine. The tortilla chips were individually layered with all the ingredients, rather than swimming in a pool of ingredients the way many Mexican restaurants serve them.

After such a filling appetizer, we all opted for the Mexican street food offerings. Rich and I chose the classic burrito, which consisted of a large flour tortilla filled with your choice of carne asada beef, chili marinated chicken, or slow roasted pork, and pinto beans, served with pico de gallo, Mexican rice, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream and topped with a choice of salsa verde, salsa roja, or mole poblano and jack cheese. The slow roasted pork with mole poblano was the best I’ve ever had and Rich concurred. Our companions went with the enchiladas and declared them superb.

Añejo is likely to continue to be a popular spot, not only for its authentic Mexican fare and refreshing south-of-the-border cocktails, but for its casually intimate setting along Main Street in Falmouth. My only complaint was that they turned up the volume on the music at 8:45 pm, leaving us and the rest of the lingering diners with no choice but to up the volume on our own conversation or leave the comfortable restaurant for some peace and quiet.