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  • VICTORIA RENARD / The Stranger

Did you know that about six months ago, they started serving dinner at everyone's favorite diner the Varsity Inn?

Truth! And at dinner, the menu is Mexican. You can also still get the Varsity's beloved pancakes or any other breakfast, but... the chef's from San Luis Potosi, making specialties like rockfish tacos, carne asada, and mole. Entrees aren't as inexpensive as you might assume for a place with bright lighting and worn booths—$10 to $16—but the portions are huge, and the food's authentic, homestyle goodness incarnate. The carnitas, for example: a giant hunk of tender pork smothered in a limey tomatillo sauce, served with perfectly cooked black beans, rice, and tortillas. Everyone that works there is really, really nice. And yes, there's Mexican beer.