Mundial Cocina Mestiza’s name suggests an Old to New World mezcla, bringing forth images of a mixed family uniting two styles in the kitchen. It serves Mediterranean-Latin fusion fare at its location next to the Pink Line in Pilsen. Decorated in browns and greens, the restaurant’s style is simple and earthy, evoking a sense of home and comfort. However, as the genial staff will inform you, the restaurant’s changing menu strives for a unique combination of ingredients, accenting meals with elements that may pique your interest: for example, one recent evening, almost all options on the dessert menu had some form of chili incorporated into the dish. And yet, each meal brought to the table is more than a standard Spanish dish with an odd fruit mixed in, as all elements are paired together with exciting complementary flavors. With sizable portions and entrees ranging from $15 to $23, this restaurant is a good place to bring close friends or family. The ambiance is very relaxed, with classical guitar playing both foreign and familiar tunes in the background.

On a warm summer’s night, the first matter at hand is a choice of beverage. Last Saturday the restaurant had a special deal on Dos Equis and a sizable selection of tequila, but for a table of four, a pitcher of sangría was most appropriate. There were three options—white peach, prickly pear, and blood orange—and we went for the blood. The presentation was beautiful, with bite-sized fruit to be found both in your iced glass and floating in the pitcher. The beverage was a lovely shade of red, very refreshing and juicy, despite not being overly sweet.

While awaiting appetizers, instead of bread the table was served a plate of jicama with chili powder and lime. Without the powder, jicama has the texture and consistency of juicy apple, rather clear and fresh, but not as sweet. However, with the chili powder, they became surprisingly spicy little slices. Perhaps intended to help cleanse the palate before the meal, the jicama was rather boring on the plate and left a burning sensation in the mouth.

My favorite part of the meal was the incredible spiced dry rub pork cuts, the asado norteño. These were so tender, matched with baby spinach and an amazing spicy mustard dipping sauce. This is perfect for sharing too, as the dish comes with 20 little niblets, sized for dipping. Although each part was satisfying in its own right, together they were truly memorable. Another surprisingly good combination was the shrimp-spinach mousse on artichoke heart, the alcachofas de camarón: nice combo of textures, very subtle taste, but not ideal for the hearty carnivore like myself who was still longing for the long-gone pork.

For entrees we had the Spanish favorite: seafood paella. This paella a la mexicana was a little soupier, like a risotto, with a few mussels and a single prawn staring up at you, making the food a little more interactive. However, the best surprise was a few pieces of chorizo hidden in the rice. Although still decent, my least favorite of the dishes was the mahi mahi en salsa de hoja de aguacate, which had a dominant smoky flavor that masked the true taste of the fish. All the meals were planned well, as the vegetables were light and supportive of the fish. Light, fluffy flour tortillas were also included with the entrees and, although not necessary for either, were good in their own right.

With a dessert menu full of such tasty options such as the flan de nuez con maduros and croquetas de queso, we were truly impressed with pastel enchilado, the flourless chocolate cake combined with strawberries, pineapple cream, and New Mexico pepper flakes. Presented as two circular cakes with layers of cream in between and coating the top, this dessert was set to table and greeted with “oohs” and “aahs.” It was easy to split, with no regrets for those who usually hold off on dessert, as a shared portion is less than half the size of a woman’s palm.
Mundial Cocina Mestiza, 1640 W. 18th St. Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-3pm, 4:30-10:30pm. (312)491-9908. mundialcocinamestiza.com