Mi Cocina to Open May 10 in Friendship Heights

Friendship Heights' food scene—recently enlivened by the opening of Le Pain Quotidien—will have yet another new restaurant in just a few weeks: Mi Cocina will open at 11 a.m. on May 10 at The Collection at Chevy Chase (5471 Wisconsin Ave.), according to a restaurant news release.

The restaurant, "considered a local Tex-Mex favorite by residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, ... brims with delicious, time-honored recipes, all the while embracing a comfortable and family-friendly attitude that has been celebrated by all ages for more than 20 years. Mi Cocina prepares its diverse menu fresh daily with authentic Mexican cooking techniques and the finest ingredients," according to the news release.

On the menu: Tex-Mex classics like tacos "de brisket" and fajitas. "Mi Cocina honors long-time employees, family members and personalities [who] have been a part of the restaurant’s unique history by naming menu items after them, sharing their culture with generations of Texans [who] have dined there since the first location opened in 1991," the news release added.

The new location in Friendship Heights will seat 155 in an open dining room with custom chandeliers and "a showpiece mural from Mexican-born artist Luis Sottil. ... Sottil’s bright and vibrant works are crafted with natural pigments, depicting creatures and plants found locally alongside wildlife found in abundance in his native Tampico, an exuberant port in the Gulf of Mexico," the statement added.

A private, glass-enclosed dining room seating up to 25 diners also will be part of the restaurant, and outdoor dining will be available.

"We consider Mi Cocina a big, extended family, from our staff to our customers and are happy to grow that family to a new community in Chevy Chase," Co-Owner Ray Washburne said.  

"Our team is excited to meet new regulars and provide a neighborhood spot for Texas transplants and fans that have anxiously awaited our arrival," he added.