Local Mexican restaurant Casa Mexicana has moved from Jackson Ave. to Highway 6. The new restaurant has an elevated appearance while still maintaining the inviting feeling from the past location. Owned by the Muñoz family, siblings Ramiro Muñoz and Cristal Muñoz-Reyes were both involved in the moving process for their family’s new restaurant.
“We have two restaurants, El Charro and Casa,” Ramiro Muñoz said. “We feel like we have modernized, given new things, and a new meaning to the term Mexican restaurant. We are comfortable, we are cozy, and we serve your comfort Mexican food as elevated as we can. We want to make every single customer that walks in here feel special.”
The Muñoz family has worked hard to create a distinctive style for their restaurants with a modern de- sign while still aiming for the traditional, home style food that the customers want. By adding an upstairs bar and social club to the dining area downstairs, Casa Mexicana is doing something different from other local restaurants.
“Life is so crazy,” Ramiro Muñoz said. “When you come in here I want you to take a breath, slow down, and just chill out. For some it may be putting their phone down and to actually enjoy your meal. We want to make them feel like they are not just going out to eat, but they are going out to enjoy an experience.”
With a new location some changes have come along with it. The menu still has all of the crowd favorites and traditional items as well as some extra foods that have been added that are slightly different from the standard Mexican meals seen elsewhere.
“I think we have more authentic dishes in comparison to other restaurants,” Cristal Muñoz-Reyes said. “We have your regular Tex-Mex that you’re used to, but if you want to try something different we do have traditional dishes that my mom has cooked for years. There are a lot of new seafood dishes and pasta that we did not have before, so there are definitely new things on the menu.”
Although the foods are familiar, Casa Mexicana’s new look is vastly different in comparison to the past location. OHS senior Mariam Austin visited the new spot with her family to explore the recently opened restaurant. She enjoyed the difference in quality and interior design of the new location.
“My overall impression of the restaurant was really good,” Austin said. “The design of the restaurant is the one thing that differentiates it. The atmosphere and style of the restau- rant is something that Oxford has not seen yet. I went to the old location a while ago, and the new location is way better.”
From their family’s original restaurant opening in Oxford in 1995 to using family recipes at the new location, their hard work is evident. The new location is the result of a vision from the Muñoz family Although the new Casa Mexicana has been modernized, the foundation of the Muñoz restaurants is family and tradition.
“That location has a lot of sentimental value,” Ramiro Muñoz said. “It has been there for almost 30 years, and it stood through the test of time. It went through a lot of phases, management, and a lot of renovations. Until the last day we left, we had a very strong following and a lot of loyal customers. Those customers have been to the new location, and they love it. Obviously, everybody has fond memories of that place, and there will always be very great memories.”
