New Tex-Mex restaurant Casa Mariachi opens in Falls Church

A new Latin and Tex-Mex restaurant is currently hosting its soft opening in Falls Church.

Casa Mariachi Bar and Grille expects to hold a grand opening sometime next week at 133 E. Annandale Road, manager Tony Flores told ARLnow. The restaurant serves an expansive menu featuring tacos, quesadillas, burritos, fajitas and platters.

It also includes more unusual dishes like molcajete. Served in a mortar and pestle, the dish for two is a combination of several meats, shrimp, cactus paddles, jalapeños and salsa. It's served along with tortillas, avocado and cheese.

The mortar and pestle presentation makes the dish — whose name is Spanish for "mortar and pestle" — stand out, Flores said. The restaurant aims to present "more authentic style" foods drawing on cuisine from El Salvador and Mexico, he said.

"They're trying to do different things over here, so over here they're really based in the food," Flores said.

Casa Mariachi also plans to host occasional live music, with its first show tonight (Friday) featuring Pepe Reyes.

This is the fourth restaurant by Tony Flores' father, Juan Flores, who also owns El Taquito Bar and Grill in Falls Church, and Taco Baja in Falls Church and Manassas. The new restaurant is located in the former spot of Caribbean Plate, which closed in July.

Casa Mariachi is currently open each day from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.