THE name Cocina del Sol — “kitchen of the sun” — describes two features of this Mexican restaurant in Frenchtown. First, the sunny nature of the food offers tasty, often delicate, versions of popular Mexican dishes. Second, “del Sol” may earn an ironical wink, as the Cocina, located below street level, doesn’t get much natural sunshine. Its warmth and brightness come from the restaurant’s genial welcome, pleasant service and a colorful, eclectic décor.

   The restaurant occupies the basement of the Gem Building, a red brick, Victorian eyeful that once housed several tenants, including the long-gone Gem Cinema. It now hosts a collection of attractive retail shops that, along neighboring stores and galleries on Bridge Street, offer interesting shopping or gallery-visiting opportunities. Diners might also enjoy a pre- or post-dinner walk along the adjacent canal path that separates Frenchtown from the Delaware River.

   At Cocina del Sol, diners are seated either in the main dining area or in the adjacent “grotto.” On a previous visit, we enjoyed the sight of the open kitchen but found that the smoke and aromas from the grill and sauté pans hung too heavy in the main dining area. Now the kitchen has been closed off, and the larger dining room is appetizingly tinged with cooking aromas. Walls above the old stone foundation are painted orange and yellow and hung with an array of Mexican figurines, pottery and souvenirs. The slat wood tables complete the atmosphere of a cantina.

   The crowd here seems to arrive late. At 7:30, in the cozy grotto, where we sat, only two of seven tables were full, and the main dining area was empty. After an hour, however, the grotto was fully populated and conversations popped back and forth from table to table. By the time we finished our dinner, a lively crowd had filled the main room, giving the restaurant the feeling of a popular community destination.

   The menu offers such variety that meal selection can take a while and, although our server came to the table three times before we were ready to order, her visits seemed motivated by the desire to be helpful, not to rush our meal. Meanwhile we crunched our way through a complimentary basket of tortilla chips, accompanied by medium hot pico de gallo salsa that was so good we took big scoops with each chip while we sipped our wine (Cocina is BYO) and studied our options.

   The menu offers many favorites, including tacos, enchiladas and chimichangas, with a choice of fillings. A side of black beans and rice accompanies all entrées. Also on the menu are vegetarian burritos and a chimichanga served with the diner’s choice of salsa verde, roja or mole. Other traditional, but less well-known, standbys are the tampiqueña sirloin (a thin steak marinated in lime juice, then grilled and topped with warm guajillo chili sauce) and pork with salsa verde nopalitos (prickly pear). Herb-crusted tilapia is served with either mango salsa or cream chipotle sauce. The evening’s special was whole striped bass with spicy avocado salsa.

   From the eight soups, salads and starters, we selected sopa de tortilla ($4.95), with savory chicken broth enlivened by guajillo sauce and strips of tortilla that lent a summery flavor to the soup. Even better were chunks of perfectly ripe avocado, as warm and wonderful as they were unexpected. The perky guajillo sauce, a cooked version of tomato/onion salsa, elevated this starter from soup to sopa! In the spring-mix salad ($6.95), the cool, clean tastes of mango and orange slices proved a fine way to prepare for the rich, assertive tastes of Mexican food. In the dressing, accents of citrus and mango underlined the virtues of the salad.

   Burritos ($13.50) were far from the standard heavy Tex-Mex fare. They proved light and delicate, with chunks of tender beef (our choice), shrimp or chicken ($13.50) tucked inside paper-thin tortillas along with a smooth blend of creamy cotija cheese and guacamole, made “medium spicy,” we suspect with a dab of guajillo sauce. The burritos were sauced with a golden mole, as delicate as the rest of the dish; burritos may also be ordered with green or red sauce.

   The enchilada Acapulco ($20.25), one of several seafood selections, offers sautéed crab and shrimp in a chipotle-inflected cream sauce, wrapped in flour tortillas and baked with Chihuahua cheese. Melted cheese and a velvety sauce, mildly spiced as requested, added lushness to the crab and shrimp.

   The three dessert choices — flan, tres leches cake and buñuelos (fried dough with ice cream and piloncillo sauce, made with unrefined sugar) — were supplemented by a special: chocolate cake, topped with flan ($4.95). The over-heavy chocolate base had the dense texture of fudge but none of its rich cocoa flavor. The flan topping was better served separately ($4.95) — sweet, buttery and almost smoky. We enjoyed good decaf coffee ($1.50) with the desserts.

   Cocina del Sol is a family operation with owner/chef Rolando Huesca, a native of Mexico, in charge in the kitchen. Its portions are generous and its atmosphere is pleasantly informal, with a vibe achieved by very good food and relaxed diners enjoying themselves. Located just a block from the river, it has survived several floods and come back better than ever.