There are so many reasons to check out M Bar in Mystic that I think I’ll have to start from the outside in.

First, what is now an upscale small-plates café and bar was once a gas station. Indeed, remnants of M Bar’s former life are visible once you pull in to park, which you’ll have to do on either side of what was once an island for gas pumps and petrol-hungry cars. A garage bay door seals up the main dining room, and I hear it’ll be opened to welcome in the warmer weather when it decides to arrive.

As you make your way into M Bar, you’ll be struck by a few things: first, the excellent application of industrial-chic décor; then, the huge wall of wine; and then, it’s very likely you’ll be greeted by some of the nicest folks I’ve ever encountered in my food-reviewer gig.

Echoing its physical metamorphosis is M Bar’s menu. By morning, it’s a serious-coffee (eggnog latte anyone?) and breakfast nook. As the day goes on, it morphs into a bustling hotspot, especially come dinnertime.

I’m not a morning person, so I started my tasting with M Bar’s lunch menu. It was a cold day, so naturally I opted to try the “soup & sandwich” menu item ($7.50). The soup is roasted tomato and leek bisque, and the sandwich is “grilled cheese croutons.” I expected a decent version of this classic comfort combo. What I got was the highest expression of that combo I’ve ever tasted. Those “croutons” are a grilled cheese sandwich sliced lengthwise, and therefore perfect for dipping. The wheat-y, buttery bread, courtesy of Mystic’s own Sift, was as tasty as the titular cheese. As for the silky bisque, bursts of herbal flavor nicely underlined what must have been amazing tomatoes and well-cared-for leeks.

The soup & sandwich alone is quite filling, thanks to a sizeable serving of soup. But when I see pomme frites accompanied by “house ketchup” on the menu ($6), I can’t resist. Yes, $6 for French fries seems steep, but trust me on this one and try them. First, the serving size is again plentiful; second, in some wonderful magical way, the ketchup is as good as, or possibly even better than, the fries. It even looks delicious with its deep red-brown color and flecks of herbs within. One taste of the deep tomato flavor, and you’ll wish ketchup really was a vegetable.

I was excited for dinner at M Bar for a few reasons: I love a small-plate dinner (all the more to share and sample!); I’d glanced at the menu online and saw another favorite of mine, cheese and charcuterie boards, available; and the cocktail menu makes for excellent reading and even better drinking. So step one was to “Build a board” of three items from a list of a dozen or so available noshables (pick three items for $18 or five for $25). Next time, we’ll go for the five-item board  because with options like Cato Corner Farm “Womanchego” and other local cheeses, it’s very easy to fill a board. Our picks included the Womanchego, an excellent local version of Manchego, a Spanish-style cheese; “NE grass fed kolbasz,” a dried kielbasa imbued with rich, earthy flavor; and Beltane farm chevre (goat cheese). Served with delicious, toasted bread slices and mini bread sticks, the board was an ideal pre-game choice to enjoy with cocktails.

While there are many wines to choose from at M Bar (including local bottles from Saltwater Farm Vineyard, another enterprise by the M Bar team), the cocktail menu is so well-curated, we couldn’t resist. To get the best of both worlds, I tried the Viceroy ($13), a concoction made from Cabernet and Semillon verjus (the juice of unripened grapes) and Ciroc vodka. Perfectly chilled, the vaguely medicinal zip of the verjus cut right to the chase and engaged the palate immediately. It was like an elixir of vitality.

My husband’s choice, the North Side ($12), is quite possibly the strangest drink either of us has ever tasted. While it contains Campari, a spirit I normally detest, it was so expertly blended with the other ingredients — cold-brewed coffee, Amaro Montenegro liquor, chocolate bitters, and freshly squeezed orange juice — we marveled at its balance again and again. This is a bold choice but with massive payoff, though best suited to a cold night.

For our “meal,” we selected three items off a list of about a dozen options: spicy Merguez lamb sliders ($15 for three), mac & cheese ($9) and Avocado Mash ($12).

Each plate had its merits, but the lamb sliders win for best attention to detail. Here’s why: Plunged into every wee sandwich was an even smaller plastic tube filled with tomato/garlic jus. A squeeze of the tube releases the jus into or onto the burger. Who knew it was so much fun to administer your own sandwich dressing? Well, now we know, and while the sliders themselves were perfectly grilled and seasoned, the accompanying jus added a piquant layer and some nice extra moisture.

But the mac and cheese was the best overall dish. Crafted from three cheeses and toothy, giant elbow pasta we ate every speck off the plate. While the overarching flavor came courtesy of one of the dish’s three cheeses — flavorful, slightly “stinky” taleggio — the other ingredients, from the great big pieces of pasta to the double cream, balanced out the taleggio tang in the best possible way. The crunchy, cracker-y topping added fun texture and a bit of toasty flavor. We saw the mac arriving at two other tables during dinner, if that’s any indicator of its appeal.

And while we enjoyed the Avocado Mash, it wasn’t as spectacular as the menu description suggested. In the end, this “mash” amounts to decent guacamole served with pita chips and some prettily arranged bits of feta cheese, pepitos, and dipping sauces to mix in at will. I’m a fan of lime flavor, but even I found it to be too pervasive in the guacamole portion of the mash.

But let’s not quibble. As we left M Bar, we had to weave our way through the bar area, which had drawn a sizeable crowd over the course of our meal. There’s a reason for that: great atmosphere, food, drinks, and staff bring people back for more. Far from a gimmick, this eatery is sure to get as much mileage as its predecessor.

If you go

M Bar

30 Broadway Ave., Mystic

(860) 245-4499

mbarct.com

Cuisine: Small plates of dressed-up pub fare; plus breakfast, coffee bar, and bakery items

Service: Very, very friendly but can be slowish

Price: Inexpensive to moderate, depending on your point of view. While the priciest item is a $25 cheese board, some might blanch at paying $6 for pomme frites or $13 for a cocktail.

Hours: Monday and Tuesday 7 a.m.-noon, breakfast, pastry and coffee only; Wednesday and Thursday 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday 7 a.m.-8 p.m. See website for more details.

Credit cards: Yes

Handicapped access: Spacious interior; handicapped parking spaces available closer to the door