Espiritu Cocktails + Comida

Espiritu is the sister restaurant to Bacanora, which quickly shot to the center of the Phoenix food scene with Sonoran dishes that captured a crowd and made the Grand Avenue spot one of the hardest reservations to get in town. If you’re looking to taste the food imagined by Bacanora’s lauded chef Rene Andrade — in partnership with other Valley Mexican food royalty, the team behind Tacos Chiwas — head to downtown Mesa. Espiritu is located in the center of Main Street in the growing restaurant hot spot. The menu skews toward cocktails and seafood. Bright, fresh ceviche and aguachile get the meal going, before customers dig into heartier main dishes. This restaurant isn’t strictly Mexican, with a classic bacon cheeseburger and grilled cheese available. The ambiance is moody, and candles drip wax on the long bar that lines one side of the small space. It feels undeniably edgy for Mesa, and is one of the coolest new spots in town.