Rice Village bar and restaurant Under the Volcano’s main ingredient is authenticity

“It [comes from] a time [when] the English were interested in finding out what real man was like before modernization, and they thought in Mexico they could find that,” Pete Mitchell said.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

Under The Volcano opened at a time when there weren’t a lot of craft cocktail bars, Pete Mitchell said.

Through the years, they’ve remained committed to making all of their made-to-order drinks from scratch—following their original recipe as closely as possible and utilizing fresh squeezed juices and produce, he said.

The eclectic cocktail list draws influence from all over South America, Vera Mitchell said. Drinks include a horseradish pomegranate margarita; the Green On Red—made with silver and vanilla rum, red bell pepper, basil and citrus juices; and the Brazilian Caipirinha and a frozen Cuba Libre.

On the menu

In 2020, the craft cocktail bar expanded its food offerings to include more than just bar snacks, the Mitchell’s said.

They added empanadas that follow Vera Mitchell’s grandmother’s recipes, which they said kept them afloat during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Other popular menu items include a Chilean salmon dish that’s smoked in-house, queso, tacos and churros. Under the Volcano also does a steak night every Wednesday.

Diving in deeper

Under The Volcano’s design elements—which include a collection of masks and colorfully-painted walls adorned with crucifixes—were chosen to emphasize the diversity of Mexico and characterize the Day of the Dead more authentically—as a vibrant celebration of deceased loved ones, Vera Mitchell said.

“We see [The Day of the Dead] here as a morbid thing, but it's not really,” Vera Mitchell said. “It's more about the way of passing to a different realm and how we communicate with the dead. [It’s about] the colorful part of it, ... It's not a dark holiday.”

• 2349 Bissonnet St., Houston
• www.underthevolcanohouston.com