Located right next door to Tacolicious in the Mission, Mosto is a Mexico City-inspired tequila bar that also offers a few bites to eat. Even though both establishments are adjacent to each other, Owner Joe Hargrave and his team did the right thing by providing both places with distinct personalities with separate kitchens and bars.
All Botanas (snacks) are prepared at one end of the bar where a rotisserie grill and griddle are located. Layered pork is sliced off the rotisserie to order and and then griddled:
The busy chef has a small prep counter in front of the griddle to garnish and finish plating orders:
We started with an El Contramar (Chinaco Blanco, agave syrup, lime juice) and La Paloma (Pueblo Viejo Blanco, St. Germain, grapefruit juice, Jarritos Toronja soda). We usually do not prefer our Margaritas blended but this version was really excellent. The bartender was kind enough to provide us with the excess Contramar:
We then ordered a couple of Tacos el Califa (nopales, queso Oaxaca) and a couple of the Tacos al Pastor (the spit-roasted pork). The Califas were cheese melted on the griddle with cactus placed on corn tortillas, and the Pastors were topped with a little bit of the rotisserie pineapple. The server brought mini condiment bottles filled with a green salsa and a slightly spicier red salsa. Both tacos types were tasty and a great bargain at $1.50 each:
We wanted to try their more substantial Botanas: Felipe’s Weiner (bacon-wrapped hot dog) and La Hamburguesa (cheeseburger). The chef immediately placed both on the griddle to cook along with their respective buns:
Felipe’s Weiner was topped with lots of grilled onion and a sweet relish. The house-made potato chips were also very good:
La Hamburguesa might be one of the best hamburger deals in the City at $7. The hamburger was topped with queso Oaxaca grilled with poblano pepper strips (rajas) and pickled red onion. The buns were smeared with a cilantro-serrano mayo:
The second round of drinks acted as our dessert. In addition to another Contramar, we ordered a Selección de el Cantinero (Bartender’s Choice) which in this case was made with a surprisingly peety tasting Mezcal as the base of the refreshing minty drink:
Mosto is more than just a Bar or waiting room for the popular Tacolicious. It is possible to make an entire meal from their Botanas menu in addition to drinking from their extensive Tequila menu. All of the Botanas are priced very reasonably, making it a great bargain bite place to eat in the Mission.