Athens is home to many beloved, local businesses and restaurants. Chief among them is Casa Nueva, a Mexican restaurant and cantina situated in the bustling Uptown area. There are plenty reasons to love Casa Nueva. They’ve got fantastic food using locally-sourced ingredients, and they’re big on hosting community events in their space. Not to mention, it’s a quick walk from the apartments near campus. It could make for an easy meal to-go that you take back to your Ohio University rental after a long day of classes and work, but chances are you’ll want to stay and hang for a while.
Fresh Food Made Daily
Casa Nueva works directly with a number of farmers and producers in southeastern Ohio to source fresh, local ingredients used in their menu. What happens when crops naturally fall out of season? They switch up their menu! Casa features a seasonal menu that rotates throughout the year with innovative salsa flavors and seasonal burritos.
Casa even has a bar, appropriately called Casa Cantina. Open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, it’s the perfect place to have drinks with your friends. Late-nite tacos are served when the main kitchen shuts down until 2am—so yeah, you could totally spend a night at Casa Cantina throwing back drinks and then grab some tacos to bring back to your university rental to smash later.
A Worker-Owned Business
Casa Nueva is unique in many ways. One aspect that sets them apart from other dining establishments is that it is entirely worker-owned. From its inception in 1985 to the current day, Casa has remained worker-owned for decades. Their goal as a worker-owned business has always been to support community and local economic development through their commitment to support local farmers.
Casa Hosts Regular Events Weekly
One of the first things you’ll notice about Casa is that it seamlessly blends a restaurant space with the Athens community at large. From rotating locally-made art pieces on display throughout the restaurant to their stage in the dining room for live music, it really feels like you’re hanging out at the neighborhood joint. When you’re looking to get out of your off-campus rental home in the best spot in town and do something with friends, Casa always has entertainment options.
You could attend a dance party hosted by a DJ, listen to live music from local acts, or you could even get your friends together to play Smash Bros. at their game night. Keep your eyes peeled on their website’s scheduled entertainment page for ways to get out and enjoy life in Athens.