Vuelve a la Vida is a small Mexican restaurant on Pacific Avenue in the South End that’s easy to drive past. Look for the sign with an octopus in a sombrero. Inside, nautical murals cover the walls, including life-size shrimp sipping daiquiris in a beach hammock, and you can watch the open kitchen make tortillas.
Tamales are a house specialty, served with the kitchen’s own green and red sauces. The menu also runs to carnitas, pozole rojo and burritos with goat birria, and the chile relleno is a Thursday-only special.