My friend, Jonah, and I were trying to figure out a place for birthday drinks and appetizers. He lives on the Southern end of K-Town, so there are many good options in between our homes. Jonah suggested his favorite Oxacan restaurant, Gualagetza, for margaritas and shrimp cocktail.

Gualagetza is a unique treasure of a restaurant. Murals cover the outside of the restaurant. Once inside, I became sentimental for Mexico. Bright colored table cloths covered every table and a band played to add to the atmosphere.

We started with a round of margaritas. They were just as delicious as I expected them to be. Jonah and I split a shrimp cocktail for a snack. The sweet and tangy flavors took me back to a Mexican beach.

After looking at the drink menu, Jonah pointed out that they serve mezcal flights. What is mezcal? Jonah described it perfectly. If tequila was Irish whiskey, mezcal would be scotch.

The waiter brought over three bottles and three beautiful ceramic tasting cups. He presented each bottle of mezcal to us, describing the flavor and quality if each one. After receiving our approval, he poured us a taster of each. I’ve just learned to like tequila over the past year, and mezcal is even better. The smokey flavors take the agave flavor to a whole new level.

Jonah approved mezcal!

To top it off, Gualagetza treated me to birthday flan while singing Happy Birthday. Thanks for making it special!