I was out with my Dad and my daughter today and needed to find lunch for three generations of Judds in the Cuba St area. I thought we’d wander down the Left Bank to get some empanadas from Buenos Aires. Despite the window saying that they are open 12-2 on Fridays, Buenos Aires was decidedly shut. So we went next door to Viva Mexico instead.

It was a surprise when we walked in to see that the place was completely redecorated. It’s now a revolucion-themed taqueria. I talked to the new owner and he’s a solid Zapatista — that stuff’s not just hip branding.

We were quickly seated and given menus. The choices are pretty basic: enchiladas, tacos, or eggs with a variety of fillings and sauces. I watched other tables’ food go out and it looked good. Like other cuisines that prize homogenous textures and complex mixtures, Mexican food can be danger of looking like cafeteria slop, so it was good to have nice plating.

I had not even begun to wonder where our order was when the proprietor apologised for the wait and gave us a little dish of fried cheese-stuffed jalapeños to keep us going. They were good enough that I would have been happy to be kept waiting longer as long as the apology food kept coming. Our orders came out shortly afterwards and they were damned tasty. Of note was my huevos machaca, eggs scrambled with shredded beef and a good dose of hot peppers.

The food, the politics and the price are all more than good enough for a humble taqueria and we left well satisfied. I know many people liked the old regime at Viva Mexico — I am happy to report that the new regime is more than up to the job ¡Viva Viva Mexico!

Follow-up question: where do readers rate for Mexican food in this town?