Feeling like family: Ramona's Mexican Café offers top-notch service along with its delicious cuisine

Immediate memories of a meal out tend to revolve around the food.

Sometimes, though, the service is so exceptional that it stands as the lasting impression.

So it was with my recent visit to Ramona’s Mexican Café, the six-month-old restaurant at a strip mall in Journal Center.

Ramona’s is named for chef Ramona Chavira. I met a friend there for a weekday lunch, already aware of the place’s reputation for friendly service. But I hadn’t expected, by the end of the meal, to have met and chatted with Ramona’s son, niece, daughter and daughter-in-law. In fact, the only family member there we didn’t meet was Ramona herself; she was busy cooking back in the kitchen.

Ramona’s occupies the last spot at the east end of the strip mall known as Market Place at Journal Center. The strip is home to Hello Deli, the Laotian restaurant Sticky Rice and Satellite Coffee. The mall has been around a long time, but in recent years has been overshadowed by all the development taking place up the road around Cabela’s.

Ramona’s used to be a Twisters Burgers and Burritos, and the interior retains vestiges of the old place, like the drop ceiling and brick-patterned tile floor. Some modifications have been made; most notably, the addition of wooden booths with colorful hand-painted designs on the seatbacks.

Ramona’s belongs to the class of fast-casual Mexican spots where you order at the counter and get the food delivered to your table. The menu is presented on two separate pages decorated with the colors of the Mexican flag. The all-day breakfast combines Mexican dishes like Huevos Rancheros and Chilaquiles, with American diner stuff like Pancakes and Waffles. Prices are in the $10 to $12 range. Menudo ($13.50) is available on the weekends.

Lunch items, similar in price, include burritos, tacos, tortas, enchiladas and burgers.

Feeling like family: Ramona's Mexican Café offers top-notch service along with its delicious cuisine

Our meal began with a complimentary basket of chips served with green and red salsa. I had ordered the Fire Posole ($12.50) as a starter and was fairly stunned when I saw the bowl headed my way. It was prodigious: The biggest bowl of posole I’ve ever been served. Fortunately, this was not a case of quantity over quality. The broth was electric with red chile, the pork bits were tender, and the hominy burst with broth. It’s one of the best versions of posole in town, and easily provides two large servings. The soup was accompanied by onions, lime and a soft piece of bolillo roll with buttery, crackling edges from the grill — ideal for dipping in the copious broth.

My friend ordered the now-ubiquitous Quesabirria Tacos ($14.99) stuffed with slow-cooked beef. Ramona’s version presented as three large tacos fanned out across the plate. The shredded beef was interlaced with gooey, melted white cheese that had a lot of stretch to it. Very good, with an extra punch of flavor from a dip in the accompanying cup of consommé. It was served with pickled onions, rice, cabbage and a heaping dose of fresh cilantro.

The selection of Mexican Platos on the menu are based around familiar standards like rellenos, enchiladas and tamales. The Combo Plate ($13.99) offers a choice of three items served with beans and rice. I had the green chile relleno, a cheese-filled enchilada and a taco al pastor. The relleno and enchilada were served on one plate under a red chile sauce that had terrific depth of flavor, revealing tastes of earth, smoke and then fire. The Spanish style rice was well-seasoned, the refried beans smooth and rich.

The taco, served open-faced on a separate plate with sliced avocado, was my favorite part of the dish. The nuggets of pork that made up the al pastor were uniformly tender and carried a little sweetness on the edges. The taco, reddened and crisped on the grill, delivered another layer of savory flavor.

As is customary at these types of places, the drink selection is highlighted by a colorful selection of Aguas Frescas ($4.99) lined up in plastic barrels behind the register. Ramona’s offered an impressive variety, from a rich, spicy horchata to a cantaloupe with lots of fresh fruit pulp in it. Later in the meal, the server gave me a sample cup of pineapple that proved to be a perfect accompaniment to the al pastor.

Dessert options include Cheesecake topped with sopaipillas and Tres Leches cake with strawberries. I took an order of Biscochitos ($5) to go. The three large, round cookies with scalloped edges hummed with anise flavor, but were not quite crumbly enough for my taste.

The servers were attentive without being oppressive, and answers to questions were never far away. Many of the items are gluten-friendly.

With some of the best service in town, Ramona’s Mexican Café is a great addition to Journal Center’s burgeoning dining scene. One visit and you feel like family.