Brunch Mexican Bar Company Beats Shopping Any Day

Mexican Bar Company opened its doors in 2018 at The District at Willow Bend in Plano, juxtaposed to Willow Bend Mall proper. It has an open space for dining and a bar, as well as outside seating provided by a pleasant patio that can be closed when it’s cooler.

They have happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. with drink and nibble specials ranging from $5 to $7, as well as brunch service on the weekends. We decided to brunch outside on their patio after an hour of a fruitless search for the perfect serving bowl at the nearby Crate and Barrel a couple of Saturdays ago.

We sipped their $13.50 frozen margarita (El Jimador Blanco Tequila, Grand Marnier, agave nectar) while we decided on a starter, enjoying the perfect breeze and sunlight on the patio. The margarita was fine, not spectacular, but it’d do. Our perusal of starters was interrupted when the server brought us an attractive plate of complimentary chips and salsa. This was served on an azure rectangular plate and included both corn tortilla chips as well as chicharrón, along with both a red salsa and a salsa verde. The chips, the chicharrón especially, were light and fresh, as were both salsas.

Next up, the mains. A $13.50 carnitas hash had two fried eggs and jalapeño emulsion over delicately braised and shredded pork, all resting on crisped-just-right potato hash and served in a cast iron skillet. It didn’t look large at maybe 8-inches in diameter, but it was filling and extremely flavorful, especially consumed between another piece of chicharron dunked in that salsa verde. Perhaps a larger serving dish that allowed one to move the components around a bit would have made this easier to eat, but the flavor was there.

The arrachera and eggs ($19.50) came with a 6-ounce epazote-marinated beef tenderloin paired with beans, an Oaxaca-cheese enchilada, baby buttered potatoes and two eggs made to order, sunny side up in this case. There was a lot on this plate, but just the right amount of each so nothing got lost in the crowd. The meat was tender and not overpoweringly spiced, the egg cooked correctly, the potatoes perfectly seasoned. We just about finished off this and the chips and salsa at the same time. We were sorry to see them go.

Other brunch options include lobster huevos ahogados (poached eggs and lobster on cornbread with chipotle-hollandaise sauce, $19.50), tacos de migas ($12.50) and strawberry and cream pancakes. Other beverages on the brunch menu: mimosas and sangria (which along with the margaritas can be ordered by the pitcher in either a large 60-ounce or small 32-ounce version) and their MBC signature coffee brewed with whiskey beans, Mexican vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate. They are also open for traditional lunch or dinner as well, of course, and we plan to come back to try these menus as well. We may never find that elusive perfect serving bowl, but we know that the after-search-party meal will more than make up for that.

Mexican Bar Company, 6121 West Park Blvd., Suite RS-10 (Willow Bend Mall, Plano), 11:00 am – 9:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 11:00 am – 10:30 p.m. Friday; 10:00 am – 2:00 a.m. Saturday