Food

Tex-Mex Spot Mi Casa Debuts in Dupont Circle With Sizzling Fajitas and Frozen Cocktails

The restaurant opens Monday with a big patio and 100 varieties of tequila.

Shrimp fajitas with corn bread. Photo by Rey Lopez.

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.

Burritos are layered with ranchero sauce. Photo by Rey Lopez.
Burritos are layered with ranchero sauce. Photo by Rey Lopez.

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.

Nachos with queso. Photo by Rey Lopez.
Nachos with cheddar, chihuahua, and pepper jack cheese. Photo by Rey Lopez.

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.

Tri-color enchiladas. Photo by Rey Lopez.
Tri-color enchiladas. Photo by Rey Lopez.

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.

Frozen cocktails come in flavors like pineapple and coconut. Photo by Rey Lopez.
Frozen cocktails come in flavors like pineapple and coconut. Photo by Rey Lopez.

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.

Flan and churros are on the dessert menu. Photo by Rey Lopez.
Flan and churros are on the dessert menu. Photo by Rey Lopez.

Daniella Byck
Lifestyle Editor

Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.