Casa Mexicana gets a face lift

If you're a fan of Mexican food in North Little Rock, you've surely noticed the slight relocation of Casa Mexicana in North Little Rock. For years, this local favorite has set back from the road near the intersection of JFK and North Hills. During that time, it's watched as the larger restaurant space just across the parking lot was occupied by one restaurant after another. Each has moved in, changed the sign, and shortly thereafter, closed shop. Finally, when the most recent occupant closed it's doors, Casa Mexicana decided that it's turn had finally come.

When Casa Mexican decided to move to their new location, they did one thing noticably different than the previous tenants- instead of just swapping out signs, they completely re-did the facade. As many different restaurants as have been in that building, the outside has remained largely unchanged. Until now. Standing in the parking lot of the new Casa Mexicana, you can barely tell that it was once a Dixie Cafe, a Buffalo Grill, and a Chinese buffet.

I had lunch at the new location last week. The first thing I noticed when I walked in is that it doesn't look as big on the inside as it does on the outside. This is because of the way the boothes are laid out. One layout remant from the original Dixie Cafe that has remained unchanged over the years is the closed off outer ring of booths. I suppose it was orignally meant to mimic a wrap-around porch, but as a more practical feature, it probably helps keep the noise down. It also allows Casa Mexicana to fit a lot of booths into the space without it feeling crowded.

In the middle of the restuaurant, somewhat closed off from the rest of the seating is a bar area. There wasn't anyone sitting at or behind the bar when I went for lunch, but I suspect it sees more action in the evenings and weekends when the booths start filling up.

There is also an outside patio area. I didn't have a chance to go out there, but it looked very nice. It's technically an outside area, but it's more closed off than an fully open patio. I like this, because you get the breeze and the open-air feeling without being too exposed to the elements. On my next trip, I may ask for a table on the patio so I can get a better look at it.

You may have noticed that I have yet to say anything about the food. This is because I think most people around here who like Mexican food are already well aware of Casa Mexicana's food. Personally, it's not my first choice for local Mexican food, but they're certainly above average and they have plenty of local devotees, as evidenced by their full parking lot every Friday night. If you've never tried Casa Mexicana, or haven't tried it in a long time, let their new location be a reason to give them another look. A good restaurant experience is equal parts service, ambiance, and food. At Casa Mexicana, the service has always been good, the food is better than average, and their new location gives them a definite bump in the ambiance. Whether you're a regular or a first-timer, stop by, check it out, and let me know what you think in the comments.

Check out their menu ahead of time or view their other locations at RestaurantCasaMexicana.com.