If you squint your eyes at the cactus-silhouetted sunset dropping behind the dusty patio at Salazar, you could almost pretend you're in Tijuana — and we mean that in a good way.

The grill-centric, Mexicali-inspired restaurant is from chef Esdras Ochoa, the taquero who co-founded Mexicali Taco back when it was a smoky taco stand on the corner of First and Beaudry. At Salazar, there is that same smell of wood smoke, slightly fainter, wafting out of a former auto body shop repurposed into a kitchen and small bar, the latter brimming with mezcal and tequilas.

Much of the restaurant's seating is located outside, in a sprawling, desert-themed patio scattered with wooden tables and what look like chairs repurposed from your middle school auditorium. On a warm summer night, digging into tacos in the open air will be a transporting experience.