Mexican restaurants outside of Mexico are generally assumed to be serving mostly Tex-Mex dishes, that kind of food which comes mainly from the northernmost part of Mexico and the South-West of the United States.

Indeed, many people think Tex-Mex is about all there is to Mexican food, and ignore the fact that, as you travel from the American border to the center, and then to the south of the country, Mexican cuisine actually has a much wider range of specialties on offer.

So when a Mexican restaurant in Moscow – especially one located on such a touristy spot as the old Arbat – actually makes the effort of offering something a bit more original than the same old nachos, tacos and burritos, it certainly comes as a welcome surprise.

Not that those who enjoy Tex-Mex food will feel at a loss there: Pancho Villa has a wide selection of that, be it beef, seafood, chicken or pork fajitas (540 rubles), chicken enchilladas (234 rubles), or chicken or pork tacos (240 rubles).

And the quesadillas served here (240 rubles), a kind of flat corn bread filled with melted cheese and fresh vegetables with chicken, mushrooms or shrimps, are as good as any this writer has eaten in Mexico, especially when they are dipped in guacamole.

But Pancho Villa also provides the opportunity to taste much less well-known dishes, like ceviche (240 rubles), a fairly spicy first course which consists of raw fish marinated in lime. The peculiar dish is found in the South-Eastern Mexican state of Yucatan, as well as in a few other Latin-American countries like Peru.

The lesson here is that, if you are careful enough, you can quite successfully adapt a local specialty without betraying it: while original ceviche is usually made of white fish, Pancho Villa uses salmon, which, if anything, makes the dish taste even better. Also, it adds to the lime marinade a combination of spices the assistant manager stubbornly refused to tell us about, claiming it was a house secret.

If you are torn between a desire for seafood on the one hand and soup on the other, soup Vera Cruz (240 rubles) will offer a very nice combination of salmon, octopus, shrimp and white fish, along with potatoes and carrots. Although Vera Cruz is a Mexican port, this particular dish did not look much different from good old Russian Ukha, but it tasted very good all the same.

Some people are afraid of Mexican cuisine because they think, often rightly so, that their food is going to be way on the hot and spicy side. So those who prefer milder dishes should definitely try bistec ranchero (390 rubles), a succulent and very tender piece of grilled sirloin steak served with mushroom sauce, rice and mashed black beans. Don't expect to be served rare meat, even if you ask the waiters for it – At best, the inside will be grayish with a very faint rose streak.

Back on the relatively hot side, Pancho Villa's shrimp wrapped in bacon with melted cheddar cheese, although fairly expensive (660 rubles) was a pure delight, especially when dipped in chipotle sauce, made of sour cream and red pepper.

All these dishes can be washed down either with the restaurant's selection of Latin America red wines (Mexican San Isidoro: 600 rubles ; Argentine Carlos Arruza: 750 rubles), or with a Mexican beer, such as Dos Equis (90 rubles). And the meal can be pleasantly concluded with a chocolate or a strawberry cream cake (120 rubles) or, why not, a cigar (Davidoffs: 210 to 390 rubles ; Cohibas: 380 rubles ; Romeo y Julietta: 600 rubles).

But a restaurant is not only what you find on your plate – The decoration and the atmosphere are almost equally important, and, there again, Pancho Villa's efforts and originality are worthy of praise. Forget about the standard saloon/cantina set up you will find in most Mexican joints. Here, you will have a choice between a succession of rather small stone walled, dimly lit intimate rooms with Mexican poteries, reproductions of Indian statues and multicolored fans that will really make you feel you are ‘south of the border.' You can also eat outdoor under a canopy.

And, to add to the authenticity, many waiters are from Latin America and, along with giving you apt advice on your choice of dishes, will only be too glad to speak Spanish with you.

Pancho Villa
44/1 Arbat Ul.
Metro: Smolenskaya
Tel: 241-9853
Hours: always open
Breakfast: from 5 a.m.
Business lunch: $6