Open Doors - Casa Nueva Review

They offer vegan dishes. And has some of the best types of sauce in town. I simply love this place.

Good food, friendly service, live music, great selection of beer.

Amazing. Service is great. Restraunt is clean and tidy and the servers are polite

The way restaurants should be... Everyone has a vested interest in the place. No tipping allowed because the employees make fair wages and the food is delicious!! Great cocktail menu. Local ingredients. Seasonal menus. Can't go wrong here.

Service was very slow, and the food seemed expensive for what it was. Nothing special.

Fun little place with a spin, choices that were plentiful, and portions were great.

Obviously popular, from the wait without reservations on a Sunday afternoon. Good food. Good cocktails. No-tip, employee-owned cooperative well worth eating at

Fantastic food and a cool vibe atmosphere! I think all of their food is locally sourced! Fresh and delicious! They use our corn chips made from our organic corn grown on our farm here in Ohio. It's a little pricey but worth every penny!
There's the restaurant part and a artsy bar part, they are separated rooms so it's kid friendly! Don't miss one of their local beers or mixed drinks! A true treat!

A remarkably GOOD evolution of the original 70s "Casa que pasa".. a legendary eatery..check it out!!!

My brother told me I had to eat here...he was right! Fresh, clean, amazing food. Can't wait to go back.

It was a wonderful experience!!! A good place to eat, drink and have fun! Good mexican food and good music! A place for everybody, for all ages! Really loved it!

We came to Casa Nueva for brunch. Food was excellent, great selection, and a wonderful place that serves lots of vegan options. Everything was fantastic other than the fact we waited an hour for our food. It wasn't incredibly busy, but even if it was, an hour is a bit much.

Great local eatery with handcrafted meals. Never had a bad meal there.

Their food is incredible!! Still dreaming about that burrito and the chips...and salsa...and margaritas... Everything I have ever had at Casa has been above and beyond delicious!!

They have refined poor service to a fine art. I ordered the scrambler deluxe and, after waiting an inordinate period of time for it, I left, without it's ever having arrived. Pro tip. Never go there if you are actually hungry. The social scene is their strong suit.

Quality of food was great (as usual). Took 45 minutes to get food after it was ordered.

Probably my favorite restaurant in Athens and not your average Tex-Mex. The ingredients are locally sourced and there are lots of vegetarian options. Well worth any wait you might have to get a seat.

Great staff the food is fresh and original. If you tip you are not from Athens. Amazing vibes from the bar to the cantina.

Always a favorite when we lived in Athens and always a place we stop when we visit.

Casa has wonderful food made from locally sourced ingredients, great drink specials, great music and wonderful staff. The best of Athens.

Fantastic place to grab a bite to eat and share a pitcher of margaritas among freinds.

Try the experimental salsas, I've had some salsa I've yet to see replicated and wish I would!

Great place and great food. They have amazing variety for Vegans. I ordered the Tofu fries and was not disappointed.

Bar/Cantina side is pretty great, you can get appetizers, quesadillas, and wraps on this side but it is self service. Restaurant side is okay, but service can be hit or miss. Overall the food is very good and makes up for a lack of service.

I want to begin with recommendations for those reading the lower star reviews.
If you are on a time crunch, give the Bodega menu a try. You seat yourself, order with the bartender, and grab your food out of the window. It's a quick way to grab a snack or make a meal building your own quesadilla. Their salsa selections are great. Wednesday nights in the Bodega are the best. Go early for Puerco Pibil, it's delicious.
If you are planning a relaxing eating experience give the restaurant side a try. Their menu is larger than the Bodega menu, and you will never have a server give you stank eye to rush you along. Grab some chips and salsa while you wait and sip on something tasty from the bar.
What do I love about Casa.... Wonderful staff, mmm bloody marys, good beer selection, and great food (their soysage gravy and biscuits are my kryptonite).
Lastly, I don't believe the staff/owners consider Casa to be a Mexican restaurant. It's an easy assumption to make, but definitely off the mark. Casa is a staple for me, and I always take my hometown guests there.

Good Mexican food, not the typical cookie cutter type menu you usually get.

Casa never disappoints. Super prompt service and the food was great. The only problem was that I forgot that they give you huge portions. Now we have a whole chimi-rrito left over. But then again, that's not a problem. Because leftovers.

Seasonal menus are always a favorite, a destination everytime were in town!

Always hook up with our friends here on homecoming weekend.

We always have a good time here.

I have tasted best tofu here and i think i cannot get tofu item better than here in my life time.

Don't miss an opportunity to enjoy great food from a sustainable establishment.

Normally my favorite restaurant in Athens, but I think maybe they ve been struggling lately. This is the second time in a row they ve messed up my takeout order. They gave me a side of black bean salsa instead of black beans, and they put beef in my enchiladas when I did not order beef. Which added two more bucks to my order. Not a big deal, but I strictly don t eat beef. When I called them they just asked are you a vegetarian , did not apologize nor offer me a refund or any other sort of option. Now I don t have dinner and am out $20. Pretty disappointing from a place I usually really love.

Went there around 8 on a Saturday night and was told it would be a 40 minute wait for a table of two. There were open seats at the bar, so we sat there. The bar has a limited menu but still with good vegetarian options, which we were looking for. You order at the bar and then pick your food up at the kitchen. The staff was relatively friendly. The margarita seemed a little small/weak to me, but they were only around $5. The food was good and reasonably priced- I would go back.

White folks trying to do "Mexican". More like "Mexicant" Food is generally bland most of the time. Salsa choices/flavors are sub par. God forbid the server remember you after you've been sitting there for 15 min waiting to place your food order. People love this place though because it's quirky.

Delicious. Fast. Great customer service and its worker owned and operated!!

2nd time here. Absolutely awesome. Love the food. Recently turned toward vegan foods and this place has everything for anyone. You must take a drive. Park. And enjoy a calm environment with outstanding food. Staff is awesome and so nice. Well worth the stop.

Great experience...the people are helpful and kind. Great food great atmosphere...mens bathroom is not the best

The food was slow to come out and very bland. From the salsa to the main course, the food had very little flavor.

My favorite Athens restaurant. Been a Friday morning regular there for breakfast for many years. Sad that they aren't open for carry-out breakfast. Big fan of their quesadillas. Great selection of salsas.

Quintessential Athens. Often crowded so you have to wait - but you can sit in the bar and order off the bar menu. Good, locally sourced food. Some To the Hills Deluxe is my favorite - beans and rice, veggies, two kinds of salsa for a good price. Yes!

Great food for all meals of the day. Always go there at least once in Athens.

Food was excellent!!!! Amazing!!! Top notch!!! While I certainly can appreciate what they're trying to do with their staffs pay plan, they have essentially taken the incentive away from their staff by removing the tip. So the service isn't great... We had to ask multiple times for items, and to leave I had to wonder around to find someone willing to give me the check. I gave up trying to get a refill on my beverage, and gave up all hope of getting a drink from the bar... If their pay isn't dependant on service, service will lack.
That being said... I will go back because the food was that good.

Excellent food and pleasant service. The Huevos Rancheros were perfect. Was a well run place where the workers were the owners. Also everything was sourced locally.

Great venue with great beer choices! Food is great but the service is lacking... maybe if they allowed tipping the wait staff would be somewhat attentive. We've gone entire meals without seeing the waiter again, we had to flag him down just to get the check.

The food and drinks here are incredible and I appreciate that it's worker owned. I usually get the seasonal burrito.

The best, freshest food. Great vegetarian options and atmosphere

Food is pretty good here, bar staff is hit and miss.. a lot of rude people working here now since they did away with tipping

The most delicious unconventional Mexican food that can be found for miles. They have many vegetarian and vegan options and they support local farms by purchasing locally grown food. I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but the food is so good that I never order meat on my nachos or quesadillas.

The food is OK. The atmosphere is cool and the people are friendly. Honestly I think it's a bit overrated.

I've been going to Casa Nueva since the mid 1990s. It has changed in appearance over the years, but still remains my favorite Athens restaurant. Terrific food, vegetarian choices, great cocktails, and enjoyable atmosphere.

Foods too bland & too expensive. Expected something different but nice people and pretty environment.

First there was a 15 minute wait... okay no big, then we get into the (tiny) dining room and wait... and wait... and wait... till the server finally comes around takes our drink and our lunch order and we wait... and wait... and wait... food was great and then for the check, we wait.... and wait... and wait... and finally I took my card up to the front and the server was with us promptly (though apparently the check usually comes to the table you don't pay at the front). The food was good, but the service was horrible! So if you don't mind bad service with your locally grown, organic and over all good food. Go to Casa Nueva, if good service is what your after, go somewhere else.

My favorite place to eat in Athens. Great bar as well

Always a good time. We really enjoy trying something new every time we go.

Food was less than good. Talked to our waitress about it as my son didnt eat 1 bite of his meal. I had 2 bites of mine and they charged us full price. I sent both meals back. Was forced to pay full price. Will never go back to this place. Terrible dry food.

If you want terrible restaurant service go there, bartenders are awesome

Amazing food at a good price. My only complaint is the long wait to be seated

If you're looking for authentic this isn't the place for you, but Casa is great for responsibly and locally sourced food. A creative midwestern twist on Latin cuisine.

This is what happens when white people try to make "Mexican-american" food - no flavor, no spice. But the margaritas are fantastic.

Has been a favorite of mine since 1998. Great craft beer selection, amazing food. Good music too.

Great food! Our first choice in Athens although it is often full with a long wait. The only "negative" is that it is always extreemly noisey.

An Athens landmark. Great breakfasts to be sure, but also great for lunch and dinner. Mexican / Appalachian fusion cuisine using real ingredients, many of which are locally sourced. Also, best Bloody Mary's in town. This is the place to go for mixed drinks in general.

Fantastic mexican for South Carolina! A real treat.

HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM ON TOP OF WARM CHOCOLATE BROWNIE YASSSS

Casa Nueva, a worker-owned cooperative, is one of the few places to eat in uptown Athens, OH, and while the absence of competitive quality-augmentation may be a common theme among Athens' small selection of eateries, Casa isn't bad. The restaurant's wait-staff of 'worker-owners' can sometimes be disappointingly inattentive (even rude), but the community there is, if nothing, tight knit, and carries an air of local charm. The table-side service leaves a little something to be desired, but despite a few awkward incidences, I'll concede to the idea that one can generally make it through a Casa lunch/brunch relatively painlessly. A 20% gratuity is built into the price of food and drink so if you DO have a bad experience, there is no retribution. The food is a bit pricey, but won't break the bank (add-ons and side items sometimes carry a completely unreasonable price tag). The cost of alcohol is also high, but the drinks are strong and the bartenders are competent. Due to the sparsity of dining and drinking options in town, Casa Nueva is among the hottest spots in Athens to spend an evening... and after a while it might grow on you. I will say that, as a late-night music venue, I have enjoyed Casa on numerous occasions. Three stars for the restaurant, four stars for the bar/bodega, and five for the music. Four stars, baby. Go and check out a show and let loose of your scathing resentment for life, you cantankerous jerkface :) Enjoy your stay in Athens - the other 'brick city'.

This place has some of the best guacamole ever! Try it with the house made chips and you'll be so happy. The food is locally sourced from Athens, never frozen or microwaved and absolutely delicious. Prices are a tad high but that's expected for fresh, local food and worth it. During the evening and weekends it can be busy due to being a popular place for students but grab a local beer on tap or margarita and you'll be just fine.

I definitely enjoyed the food here. The gluten free food where awesome.

The wait is long and the service mediocre, but the food is incredible. I'm not a patient person at all, but I love the food and will wait on this stuff. I recommend a light snack before hand if you're even slightly hungry.

Such interesting oils, earrings, clothes & so many other things! We had so much fun in here We found a set of quality necklaces at great prices I enjoyed looking at their unique earrings!

Amazing chimichangas! Brownie dessert was perfectly delicious!

Love this place. The drinks are cold and the food is great.

Must be one of the best kitchen's in the USA - if you are in Athens go here.