El Melvin Cocina Mexicana - Sarasota

This is my favorite Mexican spot near my hotel. We didn?t make a reservation to dine for lunch. The location was perfect. We ate there twice and both times ate outside. This is a dog friendly place. What a unique appetizer it tasted delightful. We orderedthe queso, guacamole, and hot green Verde sauce. Our entrée was unique, not at all what you would expect. My FAVORITE dish isthe chicken open face quesadilla. It was like a top shelf taco pizza, impressive. My second favorite dish I liked was the porktaco which is the best in town. The chef?s skills were exquisite, what an honor to dine here. Our server was one of the mostsuperb.

I like what they've done with the place. We've been coming here since it was a different Mexican restaurant occupying the same space. So I was glad to see the change up of atmosphere from previously. Drinks were really good and the food was mostlyamazing. My son thought the smash burger was really good, and my wife said her chicken enchiladas were also good. I ordered acarne asada special and while the fire roasted corn and potatoes were amazing. My steak was underwhelming, so much so that Ionly had about a quarter of it. Anyhow I'm sure we'll be back and I'll update then.

The fish tacos at this restaurant are delicious! I also loved the crunchy veggies I chose. The chips and salsa were fresh and tasty, and the skillet queso dip was out of this world! The plantains added a nice touch of sweetness. I would definitely come back here again.

I recently visited this restaurant for the first time and was very impressed with the wonderful, fresh, and authentic Mexican food. The chicken burrito I had was fantastic and the portions were generous - I even had leftovers for a second meal! Our server, Denise, was very attentive and prompt with her service. Miriam, our hostess, made sure we had everything we needed. I will definitely be returning to this restaurant in the future.

This is a relaxed and cool restaurant to enjoy some tasty happy hour drinks, which I would definitely recommend. The happy hour snacks are a great deal, especially the taco flight, which is full-sized and half-price and delicious. The restaurant has a nice open space with different seating areas. I sat at the bar, which was great. The only downside was the music selection could be improved.