New downtown mariscos and michelada bar takes us to the beach

When a new spot opens in town, we’re eager to check it out, let you know our initial impressions, share photos and dish about menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened – an occasion to sample a few items and satisfy curiosities (both yours and ours).

PoNy’s Miches Michelada Bar & Grill is unassuming when viewed from Portland Street. There’s still too much daylight left on this hot, sunny evening to see the restaurant’s sign glowing in its signature aqua. But one step through the doors immerses us in cheerful ocean blue and beach club vibes. Behind the host stand, a neon sign proclaims, “PoNy’s made me do it!” Do what exactly? We hoped to find out.

Jose “Pony” Flores and his wife, Analiz Gonzalez, founded the company in 2020, selling michelada mix and shrimp ceviche from the tailgate of their truck, which evolved into a food truck and then a restaurant. They partnered with Sergio Escamilla, an attorney and entrepreneur, to open a fast-casual eatery in Goodyear in 2024. Their first full-service restaurant opened in downtown Phoenix on April 30.

We settle into a booth next to a vibrant mural featuring a Mayan goddess in front of a step pyramid and rolling crystal-blue waves, while bouncy Latin music softly pulses through the restaurant. Solo patrons and couples spread out at seats pulled around the bar, while the dining room starts to fill up with families. 

The history of the building and its owners sparked plenty of interest since PoNy’s announced it would move in last year. When the revered FEZ on Central closed in September, the PoNy’s team jumped at the opportunity to bring their concept to downtown.

The crew made a name for itself in the West Valley by serving mariscos and booze-free micheladas. Now with a much larger space and a full bar, PoNy’s has evolved once again, adding plenty of new options to its mission of bringing aguachiles to the masses.

What to order at PoNy’s Miches

At the downtown location, the owners have expanded the menu to include bar bites like wings, burgers and more options for carnivores alongside the aguachiles, ceviches, tacos and loaded fries that built a following in Goodyear. 

Unlike the Glendale location, the downtown bar has a liquor license, allowing this PoNy’s to serve full-leaded micheladas, beers, wine and cocktails. We start with a mango michelada ($11), one of five michelada flavors, and Miralo Eh!, a coconut oil fat-washed rum tipple ($15) that’s one of several cocktails created as an homage to the Mexican sitcom “El Chavo del Ocho.”

The michelada arrives in an oversized pint glass, rimmed with sweet, spicy housemade chamoy and Tajín. These beer cocktails don’t just come with a bottle of Modelo balanced on top. Diners can choose which draft beer goes in the glass. I opt for Sana Sana Cerveceria’s Clara Mexican lager, and our server notes PoNy’s is the first to carry the nearby brewer’s beer on tap.

The crystal-clear, lightly sweet lager lets the citrusy, tropical mango michelada base shine. Like with a traditional, more savory michelada, Clamato is in the mix. It adds a touch of acid and brine, but it doesn’t take center stage in this fruit-forward mix. I’m normally not a fan of micheladas; this version converted me.

The rum cocktail comes in a colorful custom ceramic cup, garnished with a macaroon-esque nugget of coconut and white chocolate. Grab that from the top of the glass first, or it may become soggy in its paper cup. This shaken riff on a pina colada has a strong dose of two kinds of rum — a coconut oil-washed Saison Rum and Mexican Deadhead Rum — and the vacation-ready blend of pineapple and coconut. It’s refreshing, but a second round could be dangerous.

We start with Aguachile Verde and wings tossed in aguachile negro ($26 and $7.50, respectively). A pile of raw, butterflied shrimp cured in a citrus and green pepper sauce arrives neatly mounded with a few poached shrimp balanced on top, surrounded by a ring of cucumbers and red onion. The agauchile sauce is on the thicker side, more like a salsa. It’s the kind of light, fresh bite that’s ideal for a hot summer day. The earthy pepper and acerbic lime come through without overwhelming the delicate shrimp. Tostadas come on the side. Use these crisp spades to scoop up each bite, and a little dollop of chipotle mayo for more kick. 

After biting into the aguachile negro-tossed wings, we’d rue that wish for additional heat. The bone-in wings maintain their crunch after getting doused in the fiery, lime-forward sauce. We overheard the server at the table next to us caution customers that the dark red aguachile packs enough heat to make his eyes water and his nose run — as if he were narrating our experience one table over. The accompanying ramekin of standard ranch lacked the tang or fresh burst of herbs to quell this heat.

In an unintended moment of hubris, we’d ordered the Aguachile Tasajo Steak, also served with the salsa negro, for our next course, along with PoNy’s Baja-Style Tacos ($21). Hangar steak, grilled medium-rare and sliced, gets a dip in the aguachile negro. Like the shrimp version, the steak comes with cucumbers, red onion and, if you can handle it, more aguachile negro on the side. It’s a generous amount of beef that makes for a zesty shareable or a fresh twist on a steak dinner. It’s also among the spendiest plates on PoNy’s menu, at $35. 

Our steak was missing the avocado billed as part of the accoutrements, and it would have been a welcome cooling addition. Even without it, the steak’s tender, buttery, umami-forward flavor tempered the spice (or perhaps we’d just become accustomed to it). If we were feeling splurgy with a group, we may order this dish again, but the shrimp were the stars on our table.

Among the larger plates, tacos can be mixed and matched with beer-battered Mahi Mahi or shrimp stuffed into corn tortillas and topped with cabbage, pico and two types of crema. All that window dressing gives these tacos plenty of curb appeal from the plate. Eating them is another story. 

The oversized fish filets hang beyond the tortilla’s circumference. When attempting to insert a fork into the fried edge, it barely gives way. The thick batter has formed a rubbery fortress around the juicy fish. Picking up the taco reveals more construction issues. The chipotle and lime cremas, while rich and layered with spice and acid, ooze all over one’s hands, while the tendrils of cabbage and cubes of tomato and onion roll off in various directions. The lower-profile shrimp taco is easier to eat, but the heavy batter detracts from the snappy, sweet seafood inside. 

It’s clear the team has its signature chilled shrimp and micheladas dialed in. There’s room for refinement with some of the restaurant’s other dishes, but that wouldn’t dissuade us from returning, as there was plenty more on the menu that we’re curious to try: massive mounds of ceviche, shrimp empanadas, loaded hot lemon-pepper fries and the FEZ-inspired burger with barbecue sauce, crispy onions, feta, aioli and greens.

PoNy’s honors FEZ not just with homages on the menu and in the restaurant — head to the bathrooms to see an old sign — but also continues the legacy of warm, friendly hospitality in a vibrant space. 

So what would PoNy’s make me do? Change my mind about micheladas, for one. We’ll go back to see what other surprises the restaurant has in store. 

PoNy’s Miches Michelada Bar & Grill

105 W. Portland St.