Kavas Tacos and Tequila delivers both the Tex and the Mex to Pointe Orlando in style

Kavas Tacos + Tequila is the latest venture by the team behind International Drive restaurants Taverna Opa and Tapa Toro, and the slick pop panache of those spots continues in this new run for the border. While their previous successes were rooted in European flavors, the New World focus of Kavas is on Tex-Mex classics and Mexican street food. If the cultural and culinary verve of Greece and Spain were rich wells to tap for a merry experience, then the vibrant pulse of Mexico is a no-brainer to try and capture for a good time.

Located at Pointe Orlando like sister eatery Taverna Opa, Kavas is a casual but spirited place. The decor is a burst of color and, between the room-captivating birthday song routines and nightly entertainment, the energy ranges from festive to boisterous.

Between their Mexican and Tex-Mex offerings, the kitchen at Kavas handles both sides of the border with equal assurance. The list of appetizers, though, skews Mexican and the combination antojitos platter ($28) is a good sampling of the more traditional options that includes chicken flautas, black bean empanadas and Kavas queso. The flautas are decent corn tortilla cigars stuffed with seasoned pulled chicken and sporting the Mexican national colors with toppings of avocado sauce, pico de gallo, crema and cotija cheese. The queso is a standard but tasty white cheese dip. But the standouts of the sampler are the lovely empanadas, which pack a flavorful medley of black beans, corn and red peppers inside the airiest white-corn crust I've ever had in an empanada.

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Photo by Rob Bartlett

The grilled street corn ($9) here is a respectable take on the Mexican street treat, featuring three cob sections of elotes coated in aioli, cotija cheese crumbles and a nice zesty sprinkle of Tajín.

One note about the starters is that, unlike many Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants over here, the chips and salsa ($3) aren't complimentary, but they're priced nominally.

The diverse array of main dishes at Kavas spans both sides of the Rio Grande pretty comprehensively, from common classics (fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, chile relleno, chimichanga) to street tacos (carnitas, carne asada, quesabirria, Baja fish, chicken, shrimp, vegetarian) to grilled selections (steak, salmon, chicken, parrillada).

On the Tejano side, the fajitas come in steak ($29), chicken ($25), shrimp ($27), vegetable ($18) or a combo of any two of those options ($29). We tried the steak and the chicken, and both were well-marinated and tender. On the steak, they actually honored my request for medium rare, so hat tip to the kitchen there. For a splurge, there's even a grand surf & turf fajita platter ($49) featuring filet mignon and lobster tail that's flamed tableside with tequila.

On the Mexican side, we went with the luscious quesabirria tacos ($22). Kavas' version of the Tijuana street favorite features three melty, griddle-crisp corn tortillas filled with cheese, tasty beef brisket, onion and cilantro. While not red-hot sexy like some others, the birria consommé here has more fresh onion and herb accents and was dunking-delicious nonetheless. Mexican rice and black beans come on the side.

With no shortage of good Mexican and Tex-Mex spots in Orlando, there are probably better individual examples of your favorite dishes elsewhere. But few offer the gamut with as much festivity and flair as Kavas. For all the tourist dining traps formulated primarily to net vacationers' dollars in the I-Drive corridor, Kavas Tacos at least delivers its flash with some authentic flavor and fun.