Cempazuchi is a Mexican restaurant on Brady St. in Milwaukee. Like most of the other things on Brady St., Cempazuchi takes Mexican fair and gives it its own twist.

Cempazuchi is not your typical bright, loud Mexican restaurant with burritos as big as your head. They are still bright and clean, but not as much as usual. The decor does not remind me of a typical Mexican restaurant either. Cempazuchi is more funky and colors, more dia de los muertos than Jalisco's. The front dining area consists of a bar and wooden tables and chairs. The back dining room is a little more standard tables and booths.

Like the decor, the food at Cempazuchi does not fit the mold of most Mexican restaurants. That stands to reason considering the tag line of Cempazuchi is "comida brava": brave food, or a brave meal. Cempazuchi is a little more southern, a little more Aztec than traditional Mexican fair, but no less delicious.

For dinner I had Tacos al Gusto with tinga, a spicy pork and chicken combination. The tacos were served with onions and cilantro with a side of rice and beans. This was very good, although the tinga was not as spicy as I had hoped. With all different fare on the menu, I only got the tacos because I was looking forward to some spicy pork. It was still a very good taco, just not that different.

To counter my plain choice of tacos, my buddy had Salmon Tropico, salmon served on a bed of beans with a pineapple, papaya, and mango relish or salad. That was very good, and very different. I would have never guessed these combinations could go together, but we trusted the cooks, and we were not disappointed.

Overall I liked Cempazuchi very much. If you are looking for traditional Mexican food, this might not be the place to go. But if you are looking more Mexican flavor with a twist, you will not be disappointed.

Cempazuchi
1205 E Brady S
Milwaukee, WI 53202
3 of 5 stars