Mesa Mexican Grill restaurant is one of the latest eatery’s to open in Bakersfield. Luckily for Bakersfield College students, the restaurant is conveniently located blocks away on 2509 Mt. Vernon Avenue. The restaurant might be a little difficult to locate if it is your first time visiting. It took me about 20 minutes of hunting to find it.

Here is some needed information that will help you in seeking out some of the best Mexican cuisine in town. Look for the Rite Aid on the corner of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Bernard Street; the restaurant is on the side of Ride Aid.

The food at Mesa Mexican Grill is simple but the taste will knock your socks off. The menu is not overly complicated. It includes five simple steps in completing your meal. First, you choose your dish: burrito, burrito bowl, taco, nachos, quesadilla, and quesarito.

Second, choose your protein: char grilled chicken; char grilled beef, spicy shredded beef, ground beef, shrimp, and veggie (price of your meal will vary according to your choice of protein). Third is choosing your filling followed by step four, which is choosing your toppings (this is where you can be as much or as little adventurous as you want with an array of options). Finishing off your creative meal process is step five, which is choosing your sauces.

They also have domestic and imported beverages for those of us you enjoy a responsibly tasty alcoholic beverage from time to time. Mesa Mexican Grill sells by the tap or bottle. The prices range from $2.50 to $3.25. The prices are perfect for the college student who wants to enjoy a meal and drink while having a wonderful time and not breaking the bank to do so. The restaurant offers the perfect balance of great dining. You will not feel like you are eating in a cheap fast food restaurant but you also will not feel like the restaurant is taking your hard-earned money as well.

Mesa Mexican Grill also caters to the sports fan in all of us. All week long, the restaurant hosts game nights. Whether you are a Monday, Thursday, or Sunday night football fanatic like me, Mesa has you covered.

To sweeten the deal your domestic and imported beverages are even less expensive on these days. All you will need on these days at Mesa Mexican Grill is for your team to win.

Five stars