Serving contemporary and regional Mexican cuisine from the Mixteca region of Puebla and Oaxaca, with tacos, enchiladas, ceviches, stews, and craft cocktails, family-owned Dolores specializes in a variety of moles. Known for mole poblano, James Beard award finalist chef Maria Meza works along with her two sons, general manager Joaquin and bar manager, Marco. During our visit, we sampled mole negro with plantain, mole poblano with Baffoni farm chicken, and mole verde with octopus, chorizo, pistachio, and a gordita, along with delicious, well-matched cocktails.

With a big menu of dishes from Puebla and Oaxaca and a bright blue interior, this restaurant on Hope Street brings the sunshine year-round. Come with a group and start the night with a pitcher of sangria with pomegranate seeds swirling around. Dolores also has an extensive cocktail list replete with Mexican spirits that go beyond tequila and mezcal (like sotol and Oaxacan rum).

Escape to Mexico with just a few bites and sips at Dolores, born from an idea imagined by Joaquin Meza, who wantedhis family’s restaurant to represent real Mexican culture. His mother, Maria Meza — a James Beard Award 2024 finalist for Best Chef: Northeast — and family teach guests how corn is the basis of their cuisine, highlighting the Mixteca region of Puebla and Oaxaca. The restaurant imports Mexican heirloom corn varieties and practices nixtamalization, the process where corn kernels are cooked and soaked in an alkaline solution to soften the kernels and remove the outer layer, which creates the amazing flavors of the one-of-a-kind tortillas and tamales.

Located in the Fox Point neighborhood, this restaurant highlights the Mexican cuisine of the Mixteca region—specifically, Puebla and Oaxaca—as prepared by chef Maria Meza. You can expect to find chicken thighs in spiced mole poblano, Yucatan-style slow-cooked pork tacos (aka cochinita pibil), and melty queso fundido on the almost-daily dinner menu (save Sunday and Tuesday), plus a limited menu of late-night eats available from 10 p.m.

The Meza family opened their Dolores, at 100 Hope St., Providence, dolorespvd.com in late 2019. Their El Rancho Grande had a strong following for more than 10 years on Plainfield Street. At Dolores, their mission is to offer contemporary food from the Mixteca Region, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, and to create a unique bar program focused on distilled agave spirits from small-batch purveyors.

In addition, the Marsella’s are thrilled to share Track 15’s first merchants: a seafood and raw bar concept from Dune Brothers; regional Mexican cuisine from Chef Maria Meza and her family at Dolores; burgers and more from There There; and two Italian concepts from Kevin O’Donnell, chef and owner of Giusto and Mother Pizzeria in Newport.

I came in for Sunday brunch as my first stop while visiting Providence for the day. I was excited for both chilaquiles and masa pancakes as someone with a gluten allergy, but they were sadly out of the masa pancakes by the time we arrived around 11:30. The salsa verde on my chilaquiles was pleasantly spicy and tasted fresh.

Dolores also has an extensive cocktail list replete with Mexican spirits that go beyond tequila and mezcal (like sotol and Uruapan charanda rum)—try the Cura Espantos for a smoky, coconut-laced take on an Old Fashioned.

Dolores: Located in the Fox Point neighborhood, this spot serves up refined Mexican cuisine and known for their mole and tacos. They also have great cocktails.