Alma Mexicana: new restaurant impresses downtown-goers

The flaming heart design was very prominent in Alma Mexicana. The restaurant continues to impress with its different style.

The flaming heart design was very prominent in Alma Mexicana. The restaurant continues to impress with its different style.

Emily Kottak, Features Editor

Winston-Salem has become a hot spot for new and trendy restaurants. On Jan. 24, Alma Mexicana, a tex-mex restaurant, held its grand opening. The restaurant is located downtown at 492 Patterson Avenue. I went to the restaurant with a friend two days after it opened, and we had an interesting experience.

Those who are familiar with The Porch restaurant would most likely take an interest in Alma Mexicana, as they have the same owner. Like The Porch, Alma Mexicana has a very unique look. The menus are tied to a piece of wood resembling a cutting board, unique hanging light fixtures take the shape of delicately woven spheres, and almost all the chairs are squared metal barstools creating an industrial feel.

Often times it’s very difficult to find parking for restaurants downtown. However, Alma Mexicana has several convenient parking places in close proximity to the restaurant.

After parking, we entered the restaurant and were instantly surprised. The music was playing loud, and the restaurant was smaller than we thought it would be. Luckily, we were able to be seated right away even though we came at a fairly crowded time, 5:30 p.m.

Once we were seated, a server immediately placed a tall pitcher of water on our table along with cups and then proceeded to take our drink orders. I liked the idea of the customers having access to the water pitcher at all times should they become thirsty.

The restaurant definitely seemed to be more of a bar. Customers were mostly adults and college students, and the menu contained a wide-range of options for alcoholic beverages. In addition, almost all the tables were high and had barstools for seats. To me, it didn’t feel like a place for a family to go eat.

“Alma Mexicana was a good place to go hang out, but it didn’t seem like the best place to go for a meal,” senior Austin Arne said.

Food-wise the menu contained many choices which were all titled in Spanish but had  English translations underneath them. We decided to order off of the “Dishes to Share” category and got Papas del Mar Enchiladas, which were shrimp, potato and bacon enchiladas with tomatillo salsa and avocado.

The food choices seemed to be much more diverse than those offered at most Mexican restaurants. Also, the music alternated between American and Spanish-language pop, which is once again different from restaurants of the same genre.

It only took approximately eight minutes until our food arrived. Our enchiladas were served in a frying pan, which I thought was a very fun gesture. Our dish was good, but it lacked some of the main ingredients it was supposed to have such as potatoes and bacon. I only had one piece of a potato in my enchilada and there was barely any bacon. Though it was lacking in some areas, it was overpowering in others. The enchilada was smothered in tomatillo salsa, making it hard to taste the rest of the ingredients.

The total of our meal was $12.81, a reasonable price for two people. The highest priced meal is $14, but it is a big enough portion for people to share.

Overall, Alma Mexicana is a fun place, but is much more suitable for people over the age of 21. It’s a good place for friends, but it didn’t have as much of a family atmosphere.

For anyone wanting to visit this new restaurant, I would recommend ordering from the “Dishes to Share” category because it gives you the most food for a good price. Also, if you go for dinner, 5:30 p.m. seems to be the window before it gets even more crowded.

Alma Mexicana offered a good experience and just shows how innovative restaurants are becoming. Winston-Salem has done an exceptional job with introducing a variety of restaurants fit for all different people. I’m sure we will see more restaurants coming to the dining scene soon.

The food was served in a frying pan, adding to the experience. Alma Mexicana creatively shows its unique qualities.