Modern Mexican and tons of mezcal at Mexi in Williamsburg 

By Scott Lynch

It wasn’t easy transforming a longtime dump truck repair garage on North 9th Street into Mexi, a contemporary Mexican restaurant complete with lovely tiled floor, balconies, church doors and pews, a vibey courtyard, enormous specially commissioned artwork, and, not incidentally to those doing the work, an all-new bar, kitchen and a whole new second floor for prep work and storage (there is no basement).

In fact, it took about two years for the team to pull it together. It certainly didn’t help that a pandemic was still wreaking havoc on supply chains globally and permit-granting locally. Fortunately, the Mexi crew is very familiar with this part of Williamsburg. Partners Sean Rawlinson, Daddo Walker, Ramon Morado and Andres Balbuena all help run The Bedford two blocks away, as well as the Roebling Sporting Club not much farther in the other direction.

“We’ve been in the neighborhood a long time,” Rawlinson tells Brooklyn Magazine. “We have a lot of friends.” After feasting here recently in the late afternoon, with several parties already posted up at the bar for food and booze, it’s safe to assume they’re about to gain a bunch more.

The chef at Mexi is Zenaido Hernandez, who goes by Pitis and also worked at The Bedford before starting here. The menu is full of crowd-pleasers. Rawlinson says they’re “taking ideas from everyone’s background” (partners Morado and Balbuena are from Mexico City and Michoacan), so don’t expect anything hyper-regional here, or what you might call “authentic.” These are classic dishes given contemporary twists.

Order the al pastor entree, for example, and you’ll be served four skewers of charred pork shoulder sticking up like battle flags from an imposing slice of pineapple. The meat is as juicy as can be, and the coaster-sized, house-made tortillas are excellent.

Pork shoulder al pastor taco skewers, $26 (Scott Lynch)

The guacamole is also a more elaborate presentation than usual, with the avocado arriving super smooth (“brûléed” is how it was described to me), the tomatoes prepared as a confit, and the cilantro rendered as oil and drizzled on top. I’m not entirely convinced that it’s an improvement over the standard guac treatment, but Mexi’s version is pretty to look at.

Guacamole, $14 (Scott Lynch)

Traditional shredded chicken tinga is stuffed into a “nacho quesadilla,” along with spinach and black beans, and cut into handy chip-sized triangles. These are good and easy to share at the bar or table, but they do need a little extra oomph, so I would suggest asking for a crock of the house-made hot sauce.

Chicken tinga nacho quesadilla, $24 (Scott Lynch)

The best thing I ate at Mexi was also the most fancily plated, a tuna serrano aguachile served with shredded jicama, pickled red onions, and paper-thin cucumber rolls. This had plenty of zip to it as is.

Tuna serrano aguachile, $19 (Scott Lynch)

Other dishes that sound interesting here include the Mexican corn ribs (you’ve seen these before; like elote, but bite sized), the meatballs in mole, and the birria cauliflower tacos. Churros, cooked like popovers — they’re fat, fluffy and gooey inside — dipped in both chocolate and dulce de leche sauces, are served for dessert.

Churro popovers, $13 (Scott Lynch)

There’s a lengthy cocktail menu, of course, with drinks priced at $16 or $17, a dozen or so different beers, wines by the glass or bottle, and “a huge, huge mezcal collection,” as Rawlinson put it, mostly from “small-growing producers.” Definitely some party potential here.

Mexi is located at 149 North 9th Street, just west of Bedford Avenue, and is currently open from 4 to 11 p.m. daily (646-828-3247)