WHO’S IN CHARGE Luis Pardo, the chef-owner of La Casa de Luis, was born and raised in Mexico City. A former owner of Gloucester’s venerable Jalapenos, he opened his Manchester-by-the-Sea restaurant in 2013. Pardo says his cooking style was influenced by wide travels in his native country, especially in the region south of the capital. South-central Mexico, he says, has a rich food tradition with its own flavors and spices. Building on that, Pardo emphasizes healthy ingredients with a light touch — certainly when compared to the Tex-Mex standbys that many Americans associate with Mexican food. “Those have a lot of sauce, a lot of cheese. They’re heavy.’’ In his opinion, they offer no more than “a hint’’ of what Mexican cuisine is all about. “Here all of our ingredients are fresh,’’ Pardo says. “The pico de gallo’’ — fresh salsa — “is made from scratch every day. The guacamole is made fresh every day. The food here has a lot of healthiness.’’

THE LOCALE La Casa de Luis is tucked into a small shopping center facing Manchester-by-the-Sea’s commuter rail station. When we phoned a few hours in advance for an early Saturday evening reservation for our party of four, we were offered a table on the brick patio or one inside. We picked the patio, of course — it’s July! We sat under blue umbrellas ornamented with Corona beer logos. Strings of lights ringed the patio, and tiki torches, lit at dusk, seemed to be keeping the bugs at bay. Inside the restaurant proper, which was decorated with Mexican paintings and wall hangings, three large-screen TVs overlooked the diners and bar patrons. Salsa music at a modest volume played inside and out. The couple of trains that came by during our meal did nothing to disrupt the mellow summer-night vibe.

ON THE MENU We started with a pair of tamales ($4.50), one stuffed with pork, the other beef, served with sour cream and two dipping sauces. Their doughy corn masa exteriors, steamed in banana leaves until soft, were a meal in themselves. Another traditional Mexican dish we tried was the plato azteca, or Aztec plate ($16.50). This was a sort of Mexican lasagna made with chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, cilantro, poblano peppers, onions, and corn. The whole cake-shaped casserole was bathed in a green tomatillo sauce. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was a luscious, flavorful potpourri.

A trendier entree was a plate of portabella mushroom fajitas ($16). The big slices of mushroom arrived at our table sizzling noisily on an iron skillet with peppers and onions. Served with soft corn tortillas, guacamole, rice, and beans, the fajitas had a delightfully smoky flavor.

Equally enjoyable was one of the day’s specials, camaron (shrimp) al pastor ($23). The shrimp was seasoned with an unusual pairing of flavors: the sweetness of pineapple salsa contrasting with the sharp bite of al pastor sauce, made with spicy achiote paste and flavored with a bit of chorizo.

A plate of chicken adobo tacos ($16.50) didn’t rouse the same enthusiasm, although it was perfectly pleasant. The tacos were stuffed with bite-sized chunks of charcoal-grilled chicken marinated in a sweetish adobo sauce flavored with cumin, chipotle, and garlic. (The sweetness comes from orange juice, Pardo told us later, not the chocolate of the sauce’s mole base.)

We ended our meal by sharing two desserts ($6.50 each): a slice of chocolate cake (ho-hum) and a serving of strawberry-mango mousse, which was a real standout — tangy, refreshing, and light. With the check, our patient and knowledgeable server brought each of us a tiny box containing two Chiclets. We appreciated the gesture, but we weren’t ready for chewing gum. We wanted to keep savoring the aftertaste of mangos and strawberries.

La Casa de Luis, 40 Beach St., Manchester-by-the-Sea, 978-704-9599, lacasamexican.com.

Coco McCabe and Doug Stewart can be reached at dcstewart@verizon.net.