Tex-Mex restaurants weren’t always trendy in DC, but the cuisine has gained momentum with exciting newcomers like Republic Cantina in Truxton Circle and Glover Park’s Mijita’s Tex Mex. The newest addition to the queso game: Mi Casa, the latest venture from Knead Hospitality + Design opening in Dupont Circle on Monday, July 19.
While the restaurant group’s colossal Wharf restaurant Mi Vida focuses on Mexico, Mi Casa’s menu traverses Texas, New Mexico, and California to explore Mexican food’s evolution across the Southwest border.
The menu will feature Tex-Mex classics like sizzling fajita platters, melty queso, and burritos layered with ranchero sauce. Solving the quandary of corn versus flour tortillas, the restaurant offers both for tacos like al pastor or crispy Baja fish. Texas barbecue traditions also get a nod in platters of baby back ribs and slow-braised brisket enchiladas. For those who want to sample across the menu, a $39 prix-fixe option includes sour cream-spiked guacamole, cotija corn, churros dipped in chocolate, and more.
Dishes travel around the Southwest region, but the drink offerings focus heavily on bottles sourced from Mexico. The restaurant offers almost 100 different types of tequila to mix and match with different dishes. There’s also a lengthy mezcal list, Mexican beers, and frozen cocktails in tropical flavors like pineapple and coconut.
The 130-seat restaurant’s pale stone interior is crafted by design firm //3877 to feel like an airy Spanish hacienda, with seating in a dining room, patio, and enclosed porch. Mi Casa will start with dinner service and happy hour (Monday through Friday from 4 PM to 6 PM), with plans to roll out brunch and lunch in the future.
Mi Casa. 1647 20th St., NW. 202-450-4595. Open Monday to Thursday, 4 PM to 11 PM; Friday and Saturday, 4 PM to 12 AM; Sunday, 4 PM to 10 PM.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
