Otro Cafe

Otro Cafe puts Doug Robson’s Mexico City background at the center of a neighborhood restaurant in Central Phoenix. The chef-owner’s influences also reflect a French-Vietnamese mother and a Scottish-English father, a family history that helps explain the menu’s reach beyond a single culinary tradition. Open since 2013, Otro combines recognizable Mexican dishes with other preparations that belong to Robson’s personal repertoire. Its appeal is that a table can choose familiar tacos or enchiladas while leaving room for a different kind of main course.

The dinner menu gives the choice substance. Tacos can carry carne asada, slow-braised barbacoa, citrus-glazed pork belly or vegetables, while queso fundido brings Oaxaca and asadero cheeses together with optional mushrooms or chorizo. Elote callejero uses mesquite-grilled corn, mayonnaise, cotija and smoked paprika. Larger dishes include chicken with house-made mole negro, a mesquite-finished half chicken with tamarind glaze, and lamb riblets with guajillo glaze and chimichurri. These combinations show that the grill and sauces matter as much as the form of a taco. A vegetable enchilada or vegan pozole provides another direction without asking everyone at the table to eat alike.

The restaurant also connects breakfast and dinner rather than reserving its Mexican identity for the evening. Chilaquiles combine corn tostadas, cheese, salsa and eggs, while a breakfast burrito can use a house-made mushroom-and-tofu soy-rizo. For a shared dinner, a vegetable or corn starter followed by contrasting taco fillings gives the meal variety; for a more composed occasion, a main course can become the center. Otro suits friends or families who want Mexican cooking with recognizable choices and a wider culinary vocabulary. The breadth feels purposeful because it follows the chef’s background and the dishes on the menu.

Sources: Otro: current services, hours and contact · Otro: Doug Robson, family and history · Otro: currently linked dinner menu · Otro: currently linked brunch menu · Otro Cafe: Google Maps listing