la casita tacos.jpg

Advocate staff photo by Ian McNulty - The menu at La Casita is built around tacos.

The ranks of go-to bars for margaritas in New Orleans is taking another hit this week. , the popular, pint-sized Mexican eatery downtown on Julia Street, announced today that it will close Saturday, May 20.

The restaurant has a second, much larger location on Oak Street that remains open for business as usual, and La Casita proprietor John Michael Wade hinted in a statement that another location could be in the works.

โ€œThe concept of La Casita is nothing that is bound to geography, but to our customers and their tastes,โ€ Wade said in a press release. โ€œWhile our Julia St. property was the beginning of our experience, it is certainly not the end. Stay tuned to see what we have coming up next.โ€

The announcement comes on the heels of the news last week that on June 4. Mizado serves a more pan-Latin menu with an emphasis on ceviches and chilled seafood dishes, though it is also known for its margaritas. Mizadoโ€™s parent company plans to develop a new location of Zea Rotisserie & Grill at its address.

Wade opened La Casita in 2013. That was just before a slew of new Mexican restaurants joined the New Orleans dining scene. La Casita quietly built its own following nonetheless, with a cantina feel around the confines of its brick-lined interior and a generous happy hour to lure the downtown after-work crowd.

Tiny downtown Mexican restaurant has big expansion plans on Oak Street _lowres

Advocate staff photo by Ian McNulty - The cantina La Casita opened on Julia Street in 2013. A second location is planned for Oak Street in February.

The name La Casita has always fit this Warehouse District eatery well. โ€œThe little houseโ€ is in the ground floor of one of the Julia Row townhouses, and it is tiny, with just a bar, a handful of tables, a small courtyard and a correspondingly small menu.

Last year, , taking over the Oak Street address that had been Squeal Bar-B-Q. This second restaurant serves an expanded menu and holds the same happy hour, 3-7 p.m. daily.

634 Julia St., 504-218-8043 (closing May 20)

8400 Oak St., 504-826-9913

Follow Ian McNulty on Twitter, @IanMcNultyNOLA.