A Mexican restaurant with mid-cities ties has debuted in North Richland Hills: Called Milo’s Cocina Mexicana, the restaurant is a cousin of Los Jimadores, the popular family-owned restaurant in Bedford, and it opened this summer in the former Garcia’s Latin Cuisine space at 8407 Blvd. 26 in Harwood Plaza.

Milo’s Cocina comes from Hermilo “Milo” Acosta, a restaurateur who leveraged his 25-plus years in the industry cooking and serving in restaurants to launch Los Jimadores Tequila Factory, his first restaurant, in 2010.

The menu at Milo's offers some of the same classic Mexican fare as Los Jimadores, featuring flavors and dishes from Acosta's mother's recipes such as the complimentary bean dip and salsa served before meals which customers have come to love.

Both restaurants also veer outside the Tex-Mex box. At Milo's, they dabble in authentic upscale Mexican dishes such as salmon Azteca, featuring salmon over shrimp chilaquiles with spinach, pineapple, and poblano cream, for $22. Quesadillas use tortillas made fresh in-house, with a choice of beef, chicken, shrimp, or vegetables for $13-$17.

Additionally, they offer salads and soups, fajita nachos, enchiladas, and desserts, such as sopapillas and fried ice cream.

"We have vendors that come every other day, to make sure that everything we serve is fresh," Acosta says. "And we try to keep it all organic and simple, like the fresh tortillas and the beans that we make everyday."

They also have a vast range of margaritas, which start at $10, with 15 flavors including peach, mango, and banana. The favorites are guava and Milo’s margarita, with Maestro Dobel Diamante Tequila and Cointreau, Acosta says.

Beyond the excellent food and drink, the restaurant has a patio and full bar with four TVs for game day viewing. They're open for lunch on weekdays from 11 am-3 pm. On weekends, they do a leisurely brunch that starts with breakfast at 8 am and extends all the way through the lunch hour until 3 pm, with omelets, breakfast tacos, omelets, steak & eggs, chicken & waffles, pancakes, huevos rancheros, and a bacon & eggs special for $7.

They also offer very popular private rooms for dinners and events with seating for 20-30 people.

Acosta credits a loyal staff who've helped keep both restaurants on an even keel.

“We have the same guys in the kitchen as when we started,” he says.”I see other places that sometimes change the kitchen, but when the staff changes, you risk the chance of things changing or declining. We've been able to keep that same quality.”