Don’t expect to see a printed menu of the namesake spirits at newly opened Tequila & Mezcal. This mom-and-pop Columbia Heights restaurant doesn’t have one.

“Our selection changes so frequently since the mezcal we serve is made in small batches on family farms,” says general manager William Martinez. A standard, formal list of the specific mezcals would be rendered meaningless as husband-and-wife owners and self-taught chefs Dio Montero and Mirna Alvarado rotate the selection almost weekly due to availability (and the whims of U.S. customs).

Martinez helped open this sister restaurant to Taqueria Habanero, located just a few blocks away on 14th Street. At their new spot, Montero and Alvarado say that they were influenced by childhood memories to match their love of the creative use of spirits.

“We thought about a different name, but in the end, it’s a simple restaurant where we want to have our customers try different styles of tequila and mezcal with our food,” says Montero.

After spending his childhood in the kitchen at his mother’s side, Montero got his start in various positions at several Oyamel and Jaleo locations, working his way up until he and his wife decided to start their own food truck in 2013. This turned into brick-and-mortar Taqueria Habanero in 2014. “We saw that upper 14th [street] was lacking in the down-home, authentic taquerias that we love,” Montero says, “and so we decided to open up there.” Other similar eateries have opened their doors since in the area: Mezcalero is just two doors down from Taqueria Habanero, and Taqueria Del Barrio is located a few blocks away on Georgia Avenue. Both opened in 2017.

Having grown up in Puebla, Mexico, dishes from his home state serve as the centerpiece of the menu. Yet Montero, having traveled extensively through Mexico since he emigrated to D.C. three decades ago, also fell in love with cuisines from two other states: Oaxaca and Yucatan.

Regardless of source state, all of the dishes have modest origins.

“I wanted to bring the food of the people, from ‘el campo,’” he said, referring to poor rural farming regions. “Even if it’s the food of the farmers, it’s still delicious.”

Montero serves mole poblano, (that is, mole from Puebla) across several dishes, but mole negro, originating in Oaxaca, also stars. Montero plates this mole in one of the most intriguing dishes: molotes. This highly shareable, hearty appetizer comes as a set of four bulging ripe sweet fried plantain balls wrapped around black beans and cheese and nested in this thick, sesame-seed-flecked mole.

Also from Oaxaca is the tlayuda, best described as “like a Mexican pizza,” says Martinez. Montero takes a house made, platter-sized tortilla and tosses it on a griddle to give it the heft it needs to support a bounty of toppings: black beans, queso fresco from Chihuahua, chicken or steak, avocado, lettuce, and tomato.

He also sells tacos, but only in sets of three—no mix and matching here. “If you’re ordering the tacos Yucatecas, I want you to really get all the flavors of the dish,” Montero says.

Given the homey inspiration and relaxed atmosphere, Tequila & Mezcal is not designed for a night of shots. But the Mexican liquors bring meaning to the restaurant for Montero.

“We don’t sell vodka or other spirits; the vast majority is tequilas and mezcales,” he explains.

He saw that the crowds in the area didn’t have a place to experience the diversity and depth of these spirits, and wanted to bring that to his customers in a no-frills, no-judgment spot. “We want to teach people and provide them with the soul of mezcal,” he said.

This didn’t stop him from tapping an experience and creativity to oversee the bar, however. Bar manager Israel Montero, who also runs the beverage program at Taqueria Habanero crafts all of the syrups in-house, from vibrantly purple hibiscus to guava to tamarind. All end up in margaritas served in festive glassware. A recent addition just for this restaurant is the avocado margarita, made with mezcal and housemade avocado syrup, and topped with an avocado garnish.

As is tradition in Oaxaca, mezcals arrive in stout ceramicware, served on a platter aside orange slices, sal de gusano (worm salt), and chapulines (grasshoppers).

“Grasshoppers are very much a delicacy, and we source them directly from Oaxaca,” says Martinez. “I tell people they have the same flavor and texture as sunflower seeds.”

Montero serves tacos de chapulines as a hot off-menu item after customers began to request them soon after Tequila & Mezcal opened. “I’m surprised at how many people order the grasshopper tacos,” he said. At least one cocktail now arrives with a grasshopper garnish, perched daintily on mint leaves.

True to the humble heritage of the food, the restaurant’s atmosphere is unassuming, as well. Local artist Justin Stephan created a series of colorful, floral murals in the space, including one of a Catrina, the hat-wearing, popular skeleton symbol of the Day of the Dead.

As the restaurant gets settled, Martinez promises more additions. New cocktails will use Mexican jams and different kinds of mezcals as they change; brunch is also in the works. Martinez says grasshoppers will surely make an appearance there, too.

Tequila & Mezcal is located at 3475 14th Street NW. Hours are daily 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., subject to change.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Justin Stephan is the artist of the murals at Tequila & Mezcal.