Pictured: El Melvin offers a bevy of traditional Tex-Mex options with a host of sauces and signature modifications. Photo by Sal Piccolo.

El Melvin sets the bar for elevated Tex-Mex cuisine in Sarasota, and it’s a high one.

The three-year-old downtown hotspot has been on my list of restaurants to write about for quite some time, so I met my friend, Sal Piccolo, a local content creator and marketing ace for a lazy Sunday lunch. We sat at the beautifully fashioned, 100-foot bar, NFL pregame on the TV in the background, and feasted as we caught up.

The bellwether for any great Tex-Mex spot is the queso. It’s an appetizer staple, and the El Melvin version is straight up delightful. It’s rich and smoky, bringing just the right ping of heat that pairs perfectly with the fresh-and-crispy chips.

For more than 25 years, Two Señoritas occupied the location where El Melvin is now delighting downtown diners, and it’s clearly in great hands. Owners Mitch Good and Matt Hess opened El Melvin in November 2019, naming it after Good’s grandfather. The restaurant survived through the worst of the pandemic, and El Melvin now boasts a steady, loyal following.

The interior is festive, the bar is well stocked with one of Sarasota’s largest tequila selections, and the outdoor seating area puts you in the middle of the high-foot-traffic heart of downtown. It’s all part of a recipe that El Melvin loyalists love, but the star of the show — and what you’ll likely remember most — is the traditional Tex-Mex cuisine that’s created with just enough signature takes to set it apart.

Where some Tex-Mex spots create a chimichanga that is so given over to the deep fry that it turns out heavy and filling after a few bites, El Melvin’s is light and manageable, creating a flaky-yet-robust outside stuffed with a variety of flavorful ingredients (there’s a chicken or birria option). The savory and dreamy poblano sauce that binds it all together hits just right, too.

The Mexican street corn was a delightful surprise as well. They eat like ribs, and they’re doused in a chipotle mayo and sprinkled with with queso fresco and cilantro. We didn’t finish all the corn riblets, and I found myself obsessing over the leftovers in my fridge at home. They did not make it to the morning after.

With Día de Muertos around the corner and Sarasota’s downtown Halloween celebration kicking off this weekend, now is the perfect time for the uninitiated to give El Melvin a try. They’ll be out front serving up some grab-and-go tacos during the block party.

And if you can’t make it for the block party, don’t sweat it. Rest assured at El Melvin, it’s always a party.

El Melvin, 1355 Main St, Sarasota, (941) 366-1618, elmelvin.com.

Pictured: El Melvin offers a bevy of traditional Tex-Mex options with a host of sauces and signature modifications. Photo by Sal Piccolo.