Mexican Inn (CLOSED)

Faced with persuading blue-collar neighbors to eat “ethnic food” when they opened in ’61, the Cornejo family behind this joint offered up gooey enchiladas and deep-fried goodies while keeping corn tortillas and spicy chiles on hand for expats. The resulting regional Mexican and Tex-Mex hybrid experience includes crispy fried hard tacos filled with green-chile-marinated pork nuggets and the “soft cheese,” corn tortillas topped with an oozy béchamel. The house hot sauce, which is sold by the pint, is as thick as ketchup and packs a satisfying tang that trumps the vinegary firewater found elsewhere.