Background: Abuela’s Table is run by Adolfo Alvarado and Edwin Perez, the team behind Tu Y Yo in Somerville. Alvarado is from Guatemala and Perez is from Puerto Rico. But Alvarado inherited Mexican recipes from her son’s grandmother, Perez explains: “There are some of the abuela’s recipes in there.”

What to eat: The menu is Mexican, not Tex-Mex, focusing on the culinary traditions of Oaxaca. Abuela’s Table makes its own mole using more than 30 ingredients. The sauce is rich, dark brown with a sweet, nutty, complex flavor; Order it with grilled chicken or scooped over enchiladas. “All of our sauces are homemade,” Perez says, including the two hot sauces they sell; Ingredients such as nopales and cactus are fresh. “We take great pride in knowing that since we are not in Mexico, we make everything from scratch as best we can.” As at Tu Y Yo, the menu includes grasshoppers folded into crispy little tacos. Guacamole and chips are shared at many tables; elite, grilled corn on the cob smothered in cheese and sprinkled with Tajín, lime juice and cilantro; and tamales with a variety of fillings. The simple things – a warming chicken rice soup, a tangy cactus salad – are done extremely well. Crispy chicharron pieces fill the taco plate’s corn tortillas with Mexican rice and black beans. Chiles en nogada are stuffed with beef, covered in a creamy walnut sauce, and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Birria tacos are served with consommé for dipping. The meat and broth also go into a bowl with the noodles: birria ramen. He brings sweet desserts; chocoflan, a cake-custard hybrid; and avocado cheesecake.

What to drink: Sorry Tu Y Yo fans, no Micheladas here for you. But you won’t miss the liquor license, thanks to the homemade horchata, a creamy, cinnamon almond and rice drink; agua de jamaica, hibiscus tea; cactus juice; and more. They also have Mexican sodas and spicy Mexican coffee.

Takeaway: Abuela’s Table serves delicious, homey Mexican fare that won’t break the bank in a cozy and friendly space adorned with folk art and papel picado, colorful Mexican banners. “We wanted to create a space where people could come, eat really good food and create good memories,” Perez says.

416 Center St., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-6464, www.abuelas-table.com. Appetizers are $4.25-$14.50, entrees are $11.95-$22, desserts are $5.95-$6.95.

Devra First can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @devrafirst.