YOLO grazing and upscale micheladas delight at this upscale CenPho cantina.
by Chris Malloy | Photography by Melissa Valladares
Aren’t all micheladas pretty similar? At PoNy’s Michés, a seafood-centric Mexican bar and grill in Downtown Phoenix with a nod to the drink in its name, the answer is “nope.” Visually, PoNy’s “house classic” version of the classic beer-and-tomato-juice cocktail is simple. Just a frosty glass of brick-red liquid, floating Tajín specks and a lime wedge.
But it’s a quiet banger. The recipe all but abandons chile and heat, inviting the cool vegetal notes, the beer’s freshness and the lime’s zing to harmonize. Perfectly refreshing.
In March 2020, Jose “Pony” Flores started a michelada stand using his decades-old recipe. It went viral. Soon, he and his wife, Analiz, started pairing micheladas with ceviche and selling out of a truck, right as the pandemic spread. Every Friday night, they prepped 200 pounds of shrimp. Jose quit his warehouse job. It was time for a restaurant.
In 2024, the couple teamed up with customer Sergio Escamilla to launch PoNy’s in Goodyear. The Downtown sequel opened last spring in the former FEZ space. Windows tall, vibes more coastal Cancun than CDMX, PoNy’s gonzo-leaning menu includes carne asada fries, shrimp burgers, wings and other fun wrinkles. Jose has no formal culinary training, and PoNy’s food follows his cravings.
Exhibit A: the ceviche. For its ceviche trio, PoNY’s uses chopped Sinaloan shrimp citrus-cooked in red (tomato-lime), yellow (mango-habanero) and green (serrano-lime) marinades. You scoop with a tostada, catching the snappy crunch of the tortilla and the plump burst of shrimp. The green is the best of the lot, packing citrus tang and chile zap, but the trio as a whole didn’t bowl me over.
Tacos are a stronger bet. Baja-style fish tacos contain meaty bricks of whitefish, fried to a puff and crowned with cabbage and crema. It’s a clean, fresh bite. Marlin tacos take a darker road: rich, pleasantly oily and welded to warm corn tortillas with melted cheese. A “mustard-based” paste gives them mellow heat, so spellbinding with the decadently smoky fish. It whisks you to Ensenada.
Another sleeper: wings. PoNy’s offers nine flavors, one an aguachiles negro sauce blended from 20 or so ingredients, including four types of Mexican peppers. The plump, juicy wings have rolling heat, sour twang and a complexly spiced, mysterious edge.
PoNy’s is fun. It’s a trip to see a chef in full YOLO mode. The good vibes ooze, dripping from the friendly service, island tunes and vibrant Mayan jungle mural by local artist La Morena. PoNy’s isn’t shooting for the Michelin stars. It’s simply a good casual hangout.
PoNy’s Michés
Cuisine: Mexican/Seafood
Contact: 105 W. Portland St., Phoenix, 602-633-6666, facebook.com/ponysmiches
Hours: Su-W 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Th 11 a.m.-9 p.m., F-Sa 11 a.m.-midnight
Highlights: Pacifico michelada ($9); aguachile negro wings ($12); smoked marlin tacos ($14); ceviche trio ($40)
