Family-owned Mexican restaurant Casa Oaxaca will take over the former TacoArepa space in Bethesda with an expected spring opening.
A sign announcing the tequila and mescal bar went up at 4905 Fairmont Ave. last week.
Owner Raquel Zavala said she’s hoping to open the third week of April provided licenses and permits have been issued.
TacoArepa opened in February 2018, the fourth Bethesda restaurant created by brothers Alfonso and Alvaro Roche, joining Bold Bite, 202 Next Door and 202 Donuts & Coffee. All four restaurants closed in August 2018 after they were not able to come to terms with their landlord.
Zavala said the restaurant will have Mexican cuisine, specializing in tacos. It will not be similar to TacoArepa.
Zavala said she was drawn to the Bethesda area, and the space in particular has an outside patio that’s “awesome for margaritas.”
Zavala will open Casa Oaxaca under her Tequila and Mezcal Cocina Mexicana company, created in December 2018. She does not have any plans to open other restaurants at this time.
Casa Oaxaca is not related to the former Washington, D.C., restaurant of the same name, which closed in January 2015.
Zavala has a hearing with a county licensing board for an alcoholic beverage license scheduled for March 21.