Foodie News
Does Washington Avenue need another Tex-Mex restaurant? Newcomer replaces Italian favorite
A Washington Avenue newcomer looks poised to test whether Houstonians have as limitless an appetite for Tex-Mex as they seem to. Ula's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina announced Monday that it will be taking over the space previously occupied by Coppa Ristorante. (The announcement confirms rumors that Eater first reported in January.)
Perhaps what's most unexpected about the development is that Ula's first location in Missouri City has only been open since September. Despite being a newcomer, it's a bona fide hit in Fort Bend County — at least according to enthusiastic Yelp reviews.
When Ula's opens, the restaurant will offer a pared down version of the menu served at the first location. "We wanted to share the love with those hip urbanites and the workforce downtown," the restaurant writes on its website. "They need awesome Mexican food and Tex Mex too, right?"
Perhaps they do, but Tex-Mex options in the area are already fairly robust. Ula's will be opening near thriving businesses that have already proven adept at supplying area residents with fajitas and margaritas in El Tiempo Cantina and Cyclone Anaya's. On the more casual end, Ula's will be competing against El Rey and the upcoming Velvet Taco.
Still, with recent arrivals like Big Eyed Fish, Commonwealth and the second location of Mascalzone, Washington Ave. is back on the upswing as a dining destination. Whether Ula's can find a place in this rapidly evolving scene will depend on how much fajitas area residents are ready to consume.
